Popular Landmark | Tanah Perkuburan Islam Kg Batu Papan, Ibu Pejabat Kumpulan Perladangan PKINK Berhad |
Galas is a town, as well as a sub-district or “mukim” and a parliment constituency located in the district of Gua Musang, state of Kelantan, Malaysia. It is bordered by the state of Pahang to the south, Terengganu to the east, Perak to the west and the Kelantanese districts of Kuala Krai and Jeli to the north. Galas is administered by the Gua Musang District Council, being the biggest district in the state of Kelantan. The whole area is named due to the nearby Gua Musang Hill which is merely a barren hill of rocks and deceptive stone-steps that are running 105 meters high.
Formerly known as a small railway town where trains are the only means of transportation available to reach here, nowadays it has been experiencing multiple developments in line with the vision to make this area as the second biggest town after the state capital, Kota Bharu. Therefore this area is expected to boom in the future with road improvement works and facilities being planned. Even the District Council has also been upgraded to the Municipal Council status recently to keep up with the development plans. In present, the area is a getaway for visitors keen to enter the National Park located in Merapoh which is accessible from Gua Musang, as well as an attraction for nature lovers where there are a lot of limestone hills and caves around the area.
Galas can be accessed by by boarding flights to Kelantan. There are flights to Kota Bharu provided by Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia. From the airport, guests may hail up a taxi or public transportation to Galas.
People driving from Kuala Lumpur may drive through the Kuala Lumpur-Gua Musang Highway and exiting at Central Spine Route 8 before continuing the journey towards Galas. The journey could take up around three hours and thirty minutes depending on the traffic situation.
There is a bus station in Gua Musang that can be accessed by entering Bandar Baru Gua Musang. Take the trip directly to Gua Musang from Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) terminal using express bus services such as Transnasional Express, Darul Naim Express or Express Mutiara.
One of the natural attractions in Galas that attracted cavers and adventurers alike. Located nearby the right side of the train station across the railway track, the trip is rather straightforward, taking an hour to reach the top and another hour for descent. Visitors could have a bird’s eye view of the town from the top as well as mesmerizing over the drawings inside the cave.
Another interesting place and definitely a must to visit when visitors are in Galas is the Kuala Koh National Park. Also dubbed as the “Kelantan National Park”, this national park is guaranteed to lead visitors to an otherworldly experience, being the world’s oldest rainforest as it is. Among activities that could be done here including bird watching of at least 300 species of birds around the area, fishing, jungle trekking, canopy walkway and night walks with a guide. Entrance permit is charged at one ringgit per person, while a fishing license would cost about ten ringgit with each camera is charged with camera license fee of five ringgit.
Also widely known as the Water and Earth Temple or Shuiyuegong Temple, the Guanyin Temple is said to be the oldest of its kind in the country. The temple is said to be built by the Hakka clan coming over to Kelantan from their Chinese hometowns in search of gold in the area. Located 10-12 kilometers away from the city center, the temple has a lot of old relics being brought by the early settlers, among them are the 15th century incense pot and the 500-year old Guan Yin potret. The nearby Pulai Village is also a traditional Hakka village which is interesting to partake for a visit to see the culture of the locals here.