Tag: ipoh attractions

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HOGA Gaharu Tea Valley Gopeng in Perak

Looking for a scenic spot to visit outside of Ipoh? About 30 minutes drive from Ipoh town is HOGA, Gaharu Tea Valley Gopeng. When in Gopeng, it is a recommended place to visit, whether you’re on the way to Ipoh or from Ipoh to Kuala Lumpur.

HOGA@Gaharu Tea Valley, Gopeng is Malaysia’s first and largest organic plantation of Gaharu or Agarwood – an endangered species.

How to get there

Address: Jalan Sungai Itek, 31600 Gopeng, Perak

Operating hours:

Monday
9:15 AM – 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:15 AM – 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:15 AM – 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:15 AM – 6:00 PM
Friday
9:15 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:15 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:15 AM – 6:00 PM

As it’s outside of town, it is recommended to drive, Grab, or hire a van service. 

Since there were 15 of us in a group, we went in a hired van. We continued our journey for the day from Qing Xin Ling Leisure and Cultural Village to Gaharu Tea Valley. It was a 18 km or about 30 minutes ride.

HOGA, Gaharu Tea Valley

At the base level is the registration counter, assembly area, cafe, and souvenir shop.

There is a shuttle van ride up the hill to 3 featured attractions: viewing stage and hilltop cafe, hugging park, and lover’s park. The van ride costs RM10.00 for adults and RM5.00 for children.

Every 15 minutes, there’ll be a van to shuttle passengers to the next stop. The whole tour experience took about 45 minutes. 

The van took us to the first stop at the top: Viewing Stage and Hilltop Cafe.

At the Viewing Stage and Hilltop Cafe, you get to experience a beautiful panaromic view of the tea valley. See 300 acres with 200,000 of Gaharu Agarwood produced Aquilaria trees.

Then the second stop down was the Tree Hugging Park. There were painted animal-themed trees and trees with motivational quotes and signs. You can hug the trees to destress.

Finally, the third stop down was the Lover’s Park. A colourful staircase takes you down to the central attraction – lover’s tree. See if you can spot 2 trees hugging in love with one another.

Below is a YouTube video about my experience at HOGA Gaharu Tea Valley. Appreciate your support by liking the video and subscribing to my YouTube channel.

Gaharu Tea Valley Cafe

The cafe is back on the ground level where the assembly area and ticket counter are. 

The cafe serves meals and snacks. The chef’s recommendations for meals are Gaharu Platter, Keropok Lekor with Gaharu Sauce & Cheese, Gaharu Chicken & Mushroom Sauce Ramen, and Gaharu Tea Spaghettu with Brown Chicken Chop. Then, the recommended snacks and beverages are Gaharu Waffle, Gaharu Tea Egg, Gaharu Ice-cream, and HOGA Fruit Tea.

I had the Gaharu Ice-Cream Cup. Have a taste of Gaharu ice-cream filled with koko crunch and chocolate dips.

YouTube

During our 3D2N trip in Ipoh, HOGA Gaharu Tea Valley was one of the 10 places we visited in 1 day. Watch YouTube Short below.

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Qing Xin Ling Leisure & Cultural Village in Ipoh

Looking for a scenic spot to visit just outside of Ipoh? Just 6 km or about 12 minutes drive from Ipoh town is Qing Xin Ling Leisure & Cultural Village, which is just behind Mirror Lake Ipoh.

It is a natural area combining culture and art displays with recreational activities such as hiking, biking, and more.

How to get there

Address: 22A, Persiaran Pinggir Rapat 5a, Taman Saikat, 31350 Ipoh, Perak

Operating hours:

Monday
9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Friday
9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Sunday
Closed

As it’s outside of town, it is recommended to drive, Grab, or hire a van service.

Since there were 15 of us in a group, we went in a hired van. This is a continuation of our trip in Ipoh from GoChin Tambun Pomelo Agro Farm to Qing Xin Ling. You can scroll below to watch on YouTube about the 10 places we visited in 1 day.

Qing Xin Ling Leisure & Cultural Village

Entry into the village is not free and comes with a fee. You can buy the entrance pass at the entrance. Refer to the image below for the entrance pass rates.

After buying the tickets, you’ve full access to the village. So, here are 6 reasons why Qing Xin Ling was and is worth the visit.

1. Enjoy animals around

There are many tortoises and fishes in the ponds. There are many geese and ducklings around the small lakes too. You can feed and take photos of the animals.

2. Ride a free trishaw

Yes, you read that right! It is free to cycle and ride the trishaw(s).

There are bicycles and trishaws placed around, which you can ride as a couple or in a group of 4 around the village. Enjoy views of the lake, mountain, and cultural buildings while on the ride.

3. Snap insta lake photos

The lake with the mountain as the backdrop, makes for good instagram shots. You may also want to take panoramic shots of the lake from the cultural houses around the lake.

4. Snap more insta photos

There are lots of signs, cultural artifacts, antique cars, and instagrammable props which you can snap photos of and with.

5. Visit cultural houses

There are olden day kampung houses of the three main races in Malaysia. Lots of antiques and vintage collections in the small houses. 

6. Walk up Memory Lane

Memory lane is an upper area you can walk up to which is quite a nice and shady walk through a narrow walkway slightly uphill. On the lower side you will find different cultures ornaments and on the upper part you need to hike to see more antique ornaments.

All in all, the whole self-tour lasted about an hour.

YouTube

Below is a full brief experience of my tour in Qing Xin Ling. Watch YouTube below.

During our 3D2N trip in Ipoh, Qing Xin Ling was one of the 10 places we visited in 1 day. Watch YouTube below.

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GoChin Tambun Pomelo Agro Farm in Ipoh

Looking for some activities to do outside of Ipoh town? Why not visit a Pomelo farm in Tambun? There’s GoChin Tambun Pomelo Agro Farm. 

How to get there

Address: 158258A, Jalan Ampang Tambun, 31400, Ipoh, Perak Tambun, 31400 Ipoh, Perak

Operating hours:

Monday
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM

As it’s outside of town, it is recommended to drive, Grab, or hire a van service. Since there were 15 of us in a group, we went in a hired van.

Continuing our journey for the day, it was a 20 minutes ride from Restoran Choong Kee “Pokok Besar” to GoChin Tambun Pomelo Agro Farm. Scroll below to watch a YouTube Short about how we visited 10 places in a day in Ipoh (with this pomelo farm included).

GoChin Tambun Pomelo Agro Farm

At the front of the farm is the shop selling pomelos and fruits. You’ll notice the entrance to the shop and farm with the GBBS Gerai Buah Buahan Segar signboard.

Entrance to the farm is free. You can just walk-in and do a self-tour of the farm. The paths in the farm are properly routed and easy to follow. 

Pomelos can be are easily spotted on trees. Towards the end of the farm, you can also see some guavas growing.

You can buy some pomelos from the shop to eat at home or at the shop itself. We bought 1 pomelo and shared among ourselves.

Watch YouTube below to explore the pomelo farm.

YouTube

During our 3D2N trip in Ipoh, GoChin Tambun Pomelo Agro Farm was one of the 10 places we visited in 1 day. Watch YouTube Short below.

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Funtasy House Trick Art in Ipoh

Question: “So, what did you do for your holidays in Ipoh?” Answer: “Eat.”

Besides eating and on a food-only trip, there are also other (fun) things to do in Ipoh. You can take photos with the murals at the Mural Art’s Lane, visit temples, explore Kellie’s Castle, tour museums, etc.

For some fun, family activity, there’s Funtasy House Trick Art. It is an attraction featuring more than 20 illusionistic rooms and artworks for trick photo sessions. 

How to get there

Address: 16, Jalan Market, 30000 Ipoh, Perak

Operating hours:

Monday
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Wednesday
Closed
Thursday
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Getting around Ipoh is fairly simple; either you take the bus, take a taxi, Grab, or walk. If you’re driving, there are lots of parking lots nearby to park your cars. Even though the parking lots are nearby, you may have to walk a fair distance to the location. 

After breakfast at Ming Court, the van chauffeured us to Funtasy House. Hence, we’re back at the Concubine Lane area.

Funtasy House Trick Art

As the name goes, it is a mix of fun and fantasy. The arts play a trick on the camera lenses. 

This modern art museum is not hard to miss with it’s colorful pink, blue, and green colored sign.

It is a ticketed entry, hence you’ve to pay to enter. Tickets cost RM15 per person for Malaysian adults between 13 to 59 years old. Then, for Malaysian senior citizens, aged 60 and above, are charged RM10 per entry.

It’s a fun place to be with family and friends. 

There’s food-related, cultural, sci-fi, and fantasy-themed wall illusions. On the floor, there are markings telling you where to stand exactly and to snap the photos. On the walls, are sample photos of how the illusions will look like on camera.

YouTube

During our 3D2N trip in Ipoh, Funtasy House was one of the 10 places we visited in 1 day. Watch YouTube Short below.

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Mural Art’s Lane in Ipoh

Like Penang, one of Ipoh’s attractions is the Mural Art’s Lane. See Penang Street Art: Murals and Sculptures.

Besides eating only after eating (eventually), take a walk through this lane and explore a part of Ipoh.

How to get there

Getting around Ipoh is fairly simple; either you take the bus, take a taxi, Grab, drive, or walk. If you’re driving, there are lots of parking spaces around. 

Continuing our journey for the day, we walked from Plan B to the Mural Art’s Lane. We crossed the Jalan Sultan Iskandar Bridge over the Kinta River to get to the other side of town.

Mural Art’s Lane

The paintings were painted on old, heritage buildings. The paintings highlight the many cultures and life of Malaysia: lion dance, children skipping rope, family art, etc.

The Mural Art’s Lane is located at the back lane between Jalan Sultan Iskandar and Jalan Masjid. Search “Mural Art’s Lane” on Google Maps or use Masjid Panglima Kinta as the landmark. 

Murals can also be found around Jalan Market that area.

YouTube

During our 3D2N trip in Ipoh, Mural Art’s Lane was one of the 7 places we visited in 1 day. Watch YouTube Shorts below.

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Concubine Lane in Ipoh

After buying more than one Lou Poh Pheng (Wife’s Biscuit) from Sin Weng Fai Peanut Candy Shop, ended up at Concubine Lane in Ipoh.

Anyway, Concubine Lane is a notable street (at least according to Google Maps) – not to be missed in Ipoh.

How to get there

Getting around Ipoh is fairly simple; either you take the bus, take a taxi, Grab, or walk.

We walked from Taman Jubilee to Concubine Lane that side. We crossed the Jalan Sultan Iskandar Bridge over the Kinta River to get to the other side of town.

Concubine Lane

This is a narrow lane of at most 100 meters with both sides having shops. There are a few eateries, craft works shops, souvenir shops, and stalls selling all sorts of things in this narrow lane.

Historically, Concubine Lane was popularly known as “The Second Wife Lane” or in Chinese as Yee Lai Hong or in English as “The Mistress Lane” which existed since 1908. This area of shop houses was a centre for opium smokers, gamblers and prostitutes owned by tycoons or millionaire miners around Ipoh. The lanes were later renamed with various names such as Err Nai Xiang (Concubine Lane), Da Nai Xiang (Wife Lane) and San Nai Xiang (Market Lane). Believed by many, it can be said that this place was home to concubines and mistresses of Chinese tycoons. Present day, it has a variety of food outlets, gifts and souvenir shops

YouTube

During our 3D2N trip in Ipoh, Concubine Lane was one of the 7 places we visited in 1 day. Watch YouTube Short below.

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