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Includes  Why Go? ...... 125 Clifftop temples, dam-flooded wilderness, a mining town now & Around. . .132 famous for chicken with bean sprouts – Perak’s highlights are Cameron Highlands. .134 as intriguing as they are varied, but somehow this rugged Pulau Pangkor . . . .141 Malaysian region has never seized its share of the limelight. Time spent unpeeling Perak’s layers will reward you rich- ...... 147 ly. Amble through Ipoh’s old town for time-worn mansions, Taiping...... 149 craft shops and excellent food. Beyond the city lie cave tem- . . . . . 153 ples so precariously situated they’ll make you sweat with . . . 154 awe and exertion. Cool off with rafting in Gopeng, tour Taip- Belum-Temenggor ing’s colonial architecture or head north to untouched Royal Rainforest ...... 154 Belum State Park. The beaches on Pulau Pangkor don’t rival Peninsular Malaysia’s east coast, but the island has sun, sea and hornbill-spotting in abundance. Perak is also the best starting point to explore the Cameron Highlands (techni- cally situated in Pahang state). Once beloved of colonial Best Places to Eat Brits seeking a breather, these breezy hill stations now lure ¨¨Restaurant Lou Wong travellers eager to escape the muggy lowlands – and sip tea (p129) straight from the source. ¨¨Barracks Cafe (p141) ¨¨Luen Fong Restaurant When to Go (p133) Ipoh °C/°F Te mp Rainfall Inches/mm ¨¨Lim Ko Pi (p129) 40/104 32/800 ¨¨Restoran Pasir Bogak (p146) 30/86 24/600

20/68 16/400 Best Places to 10/50 8/200 Stay 0/32 0 J FDM A M J J A S O N ¨¨Sekeping Kong Heng (p127) Dec–Feb Sizzle Jun–Aug Seize Sep–Nov During ¨¨Tiger Rock Resort (p145) on Pangkor’s binoculars for Perak’s wetter beaches or cool birdwatching in months, skip to a ¨ ¨Lakehouse (p139) down in Perak’s Belum or chill city break in Ipoh ¨¨Adeline’s Villa (p134) high country. in the Cameron or Taiping. Highlands. ¨¨Belum Eco Resort (p155) Gua (80km) Musang Fraser's Hill PAHANG (Bukit Fraser) Cameron Chamat Gunung (2171m) KELANTAN Highlands 4 Bukit Kabut Bukit Ulu Bukit )

(1317m) y Malim

Laho (1202m) a Kampung Raja Rata llw Tanjung Tanah o Ringlet (T ya Pulau Banting (2183m) Gunung Korbu buhra e

Tasik L E1 Going rafting, caving and caving Going rafting, Perusing colonial buildings buildings colonial Perusing Muddying your hiking your Muddying Temengor Besar (1711m) Gunung Chabang Selim River Gunung Ulu Geroh (1749m) m a boots in the watery watery in the boots Belum Royal of wonderland (p154). Park State 7 8 6 rambling around the wild the around rambling Gopeng (p133). of terrain n in food street and luscious (p149). Taiping Gunung 1 (1397m) Cave Temples r Chingkai

Kampar e State Park (770m) Gadang Gunung

Royal Belum Kinta

Valley (1324m) Kinta Gunung Ulu Soh gai B Road

Tapah 76 Sungai un SELANGOR Gopeng S THAILAND Ipoh Tasik Kuala Kangsar 76 5 Tualang Tanjung Chenderoh Inas Hulu Kellie's Castle Ipoh Airport Baling i Gunung Gunung Ulu Jerneh (1577m) a (1801m) g Sun Busut Perak Pengkalan Kampung TT5 Tin Dredge 67 Bubu Kinta Nature Park Gunung (1657m) Bukit Larut (Maxwell Hill) (1036m) 5 Kiri Kampung Koh Kampung Being dazzled by the royal the royal dazzled by Being Marvelling at the Marvelling Admiring hornbills from hornbills from Admiring Taiping Kompleks Sejarah 60 Kubuh Gajah KEDAH temples cave remarkable Ipoh. (p129) near a beach hammock on island hammock a beach Pangkor Pulau hideaway (p141). 5 3 4 sights and rich architecture of of and rich architecture sights (p147). Kangsar Kuala Lumut Tasik Merah 60 20 miles 30 km Kulim Bukit 1 Segari (493m) Pulau Laut Pulau Sembilan Pangkor Pulau Kuala Sepetang Cameron Cameron 1 Forest Reserve Pangkor Butterworth Petani Sungai Teluk Nipah Matang Mangrove PENANG Buntar Highlights Nibong Tebal Selat Melaka Tanjung 0 0 Piandang (Strait of Melaka)

Town Sipping tea, picking Sipping tea, Gorging on food in on food Gorging Pulau Pinang George

(p131), from from Ipoh (p131), revamped to sprouts and bean chicken Indian . excellent 2

1 Perak strawberries and scrambling and scrambling strawberries in the forests mossy through and verdant fresh .(Highlights Highlands (p134

Perak 124