Kuala Lipis
Pahang’s capital until 1955, Kuala Lipis sits where the Jelai and Lipis rivers meet, with a century of colonial buildings still standing along the streets.
This town holds a very special place in our memories, it is one of the most memorable small towns we’ve been to and we are always keen to go back. It is also one of the cleanest towns we have been to, we can really feel how much the locals care for their town.
Kuala Lipis sits where the Lipis runs into the Jelai, and the river is still the middle of the town. The streets are lined with old shop lots, a mix of traditional businesses and newer ones, and the place has held on to its small town feel. The people are friendly in the way that only happens where everyone already knows each other.
Every Saturday night the main road closes and the night market takes over. Families come in from the kampungs around for food and for the rare pleasure of a street with no cars on it, which the children take full advantage of.
It is a good town to eat in. Tempoyak steam and pulut rendang are the local dishes, there are Chinese kitchens that have been working at the same things for generations, and the markets are full of produce sold by the people who grew it. There are cafes now too, which sit more easily beside the old shops than you would expect.
All of this is the leftover of something bigger. Kuala Lipis was the capital of Pahang from 1898 until 1955, chosen by the British for its position near the gold mines and grown rich on gold, tin and timber till the capital moved to Kuantan. The Pahang Club still stands on its hill, Clifford School has been there since 1913, and the railway station has been in place since the 1920s.
Kuala Lipis is where the Lipis meets the Jelai. A kuala is the meeting of two rivers.
1-2 nights, best to include a Saturday Night
- MorningThe heritage trail, starting at the railway station and working into the old town. Breakfast at Kedai Kopi Stesen or Chinese Stalls.
- MiddayTempoyak steam fish at Azmi.
- AfternoonSidang Kopi and walk by the river.
- Saturday eveningThe night market, once the main road closes.
The night market is Saturday only, so a visit that misses it misses the best of the town.
Map loading…
Kuala Lipis, Pahang
Open in Google MapsGetting there
Come by train. Kuala Lipis is a stop on the KTM East Coast Line, the same route that runs up through the interior to Kelantan. Services are not frequent, so check the timetable before you plan around it.
If you drive instead it is roughly 3 hours from Kuala Lumpur.
Documented on the ground. We were here with a camera. Prices and hours change — tell us if something is out of date.
Not visited on that trip, and taken from research instead: Azmi Ikan Stim Tempoyak, Md. Jamil Pulut Rendang.