Hotels in Kuala Muda Town

Kuala Muda is a small town in the state of Kedah, Malaysia. It is located near Merdeka Beach as well as the mouth of Sungai Muda. This is on the south of Kedah. It used to be Kedah state capital back in the 17 and 18th century. It was made the state capital replacing Kota Setar that was attacked by the Siam.

Previously, the city was one of the important trading post in Asia. Traders from China, India, Portugal, Netherlands and also England came to trade goods such as silver and spices. The city had very limited land transportation therefore the prosperity of the water transportation flourished.

In 1786, Penang was opened as a trading hub. Kedah brought in silver to trade and those from Perak had to pass Kuala Kedah first. Hence, they enforced tax on ships making the city prosperous. It became a busy trade city.

The Kedah Sultanate, Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin Halim Shah who was in Alor Star saw the potential of the city in 1804 as a trade city. He later then made the decision to move to Kuala Muda and to build a castle nearby Pulau Tiga. This has caused Kuala Muda to flourish even more. In 1875, the city was also used by Raja Ismail of Perak as a hideout to run away from the English after murdering J.W.W. Birch. He remained hidden in the city for six months before surrendering himself to the English. This incident has put the city on the map.

How to Get There

By Plane

One can take a local flight such as Air Asia or Malaysia Airlines and Firefly and fly to Alor Setar which is the capital of Kedah. From there one may hire a taxi to go to Kuala Muda which will take around 1 hour car ride.

By Car

From Kuala Lumpur, one can take the North-South Expressway and drive their way north towards Kedah. By taking exit 168-Sg. Petani one can continue their journey toward Sg. Petani/Baling to get to Kuala Muda. The distance would be around 375.6 kilometre. The drive will take around 4 hours.

By Train

From Kuala Lumpur, one can take a train from KL Central and towards Sungai Petani. It is located at the city center. From there it is not very far to get to Kuala Muda. There are sleeper train as well as the journey may take a whole night long.

Tourist Attractions

Wholesale Fish Market

As this city is now relies their income on fishing, every morning the fishermen would bring in their haul from the river to the local market. The fishes will be sold as a wholesale. However one unique method of the sale would be how they bargain or inform each other of the prices. They would whisper to one another. Unlike other fish markets that are noisy, this particular fish market would be deemed rather quiet due to how they conduct their transactions. The person who conducts the sale would gather all the offers from the buyers and would sell the fish to the best bid.

Merdeka Beach

This beach is 40 minutes from the city center. The locals would come to this beach to enjoy the fresh air and the scenery. The authority has prepared facilities to make the place comfortable for the visitors. Public toilets and chalets were built in the vicinity. There are also food stalls and tourist boat service available for those who wish to take a spin around the area.

Tanjung Dawai

By driving a little further into Sungai Petani, one will find a small town called Tanjung Dawai. This is another place that sells the produce of from the fishing trip. They do not sell fresh fish however they sell dried fish and prawns or pickled fish. They also sell dried squids, prawn paste and other products made of fish, prawn and other seafood items.