Hotels in Lenggong

Lenggong is a small town in one of the parliamentary constituency in Hulu Perak District, Perak. Lenggong has many archeological sites that hold the history of the state. It is considered as one of Malaysia’s important area for archeology. The previous excavations have revealed many prehistory of Peninsula Malaysia. It has also revealed the oldest site that has human activity in the Peninsula.

Lenggong is currently a rural area that has small villages. All around it are limestone hills as well as green surroundings. There is an open air museum in Lenggong where they keep the stories of the legends, skeletons, cave drawings and other findings from the excavations such as jewellery, pottery, weapons and stone tools. Besides the many fossils found, there are still caves available where it holds the evidence of the human establishment who have hunted there. UNESCO has actually declared Lenggong as a World Heritage site on June 30th 2012.

Lenggong is located in the district of Hulu Perak, Perak. It is around 50km southeast from the state of Pulau Pinang. It is also 77 km from the capital of Perak, the town Ipoh. It would take around 1 hour and 6 minutes’ drive.

How to Get There

By Plane

There is no flight that lands in Lenggong. Ipoh used to have a domestic airport called Sultan Azlan Shah Airport. Unfortunately this airport is no longer in use due to its location in the residential area. It has yet to have any news if it will be reopen.

By Car

Lenggong can be accessible using the North – South Expressway Northern Route. Jabatan Kerja Raya has ensured that the highway is maintained in good condition to ease the traffic between cities and states. This expressway connects several states such as Alor Setar, Butterworth, Taiping, Ipoh and Rawang. Therefore drivers take the exit no. 143 to the smaller village of Lenggong. Within an hour drive, one can reach Lenggong from Ipoh. The roads are filled with oil palm trees and you may be able to see cows and buffalos too.

Tourist Attractions

The main attraction of Lenggong would be the archeological site which you can visit at Kota Tampan Archaeological Museum. Visitors should definitely spend their time here as it is free of charge. All the findings during the excavation of the Lenggong Valley is displayed here including the ‘Perak Man’. ‘Perak Man’ is the evidence that shows the existence of humans back in the days as it is known to be 11,000 years old. The skeleton was discovered at Gua Gunung Runtuh, a cave located in Bukit Kepala Gajah in 1991. Based on research, the skeleton was of a man in his fifties around the height of 157 cm.

Stone tools aged around 100,000 years are also displayed here. Hence Lenggong is considered one of the most important archeological sites in Peninsula Malaysia. It deserves to be marked as one of UNESCO sites.

Another attraction that is worth visiting would be Lata Kekabu. It is a very chilling waterfall area. The forest surrounding it is untouched making the air there very fresh. Among the trees that grow there are Meranti, Kempas, Jelutong, Keruing. Visitors need not to worry as they have prepared facilities such as public toilets, camping site, halls and also praying area.

One local dish that is famous here in Lenggong is the freshwater fish dish. It is also known as perkasam. It is freshwater fish that is marinated in salt and toasted rice. It is then fermented for around 2 weeks. To eat this fish, it needs to be deep fried to get the crunchiness of the toasted rice. It is best eaten with white rice.

Since this town is a very historical town, it is highly advisable for visitors to learn the history by visiting the excavation sites. It is open for public with very minimal charges. There is always additional information that can be learned if visitors visit the place and have a conversation with the workers there.