Colonial bungalows
Old rest houses in the forest.
Hanumann — CC BY 2.0 · SRTG — CC BY-SA 3.0 · SRTG — CC BY-SA 3.0 · SRTG — CC BY-SA 3.0
Malaysia's oldest hill station, set up by the British in 1884 on the forested heights above Taiping as a lookout over the tin mines and a cool retreat for their officials, long known as Maxwell Hill before it took back its local name in 1979. It receives the highest rainfall in Malaysia, which keeps it cloaked in dense forest rich in plants and birds. At the top are old colonial rest bungalows, small tea gardens and viewpoints over Taiping and the coastal plain to the sea, loveliest at sunrise and sunset above the clouds. There are none of the hotels and shops of the modern hill resorts: this is a place for those seeking quiet and nature. The road was closed after a landslide in 2019 and reopened to visitors in April 2025. It is narrow and steep and closed to private cars; since reopening, the government four-wheel-drives have been reserved mainly for guests staying in the hill bungalows, while day visitors walk up in three to four hours. Start the walk early in the morning, before the afternoon rain, bring water, a rain jacket and comfortable shoes, and ask at the hill office at the foot about the road and the vehicle service before you set off.
Old rest houses in the forest.
Sunrise and sunset over the plains.
Malaysia's highest rainfall.
The road starts at the foot of the hill near the Taiping Lake Gardens
Taiping War CemeteryA quiet military cemetery cared for by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on5 minutes walk
Zoo Taiping and Night SafariA long-established zoo that opened in 1961 in the shade of green hills beside th15 minutes walk
Perak MuseumThe oldest museum in Malaysia, founded in 1883 by Sir Hugh Low, the fourth Briti21 minutes walk
Taiping Lake GardensThe first public garden created in Malaya, laid out in 1880 on an abandoned tin 22 minutes walk
All Saints' Church, TaipingA small white timber church in Gothic style, founded in 1886 and consecrated in 22 minutes walkNo: the road is narrow, very steep and closed to private cars. You go up either on foot in three to four hours or by government four-wheel-drive if one is available to you; booking a night in the hill bungalows is the surest way to ride up.