Kellie's Castle

A century-old half-deserted mining town built on a rich deposit of tin that was due to be dug up before the price of the metallic ore halved in the 1980s. In the war years, resistance fighters based themselves here as the last outpost before the inhospitable jungle terrain, even setting up an invaluable free clinic and dispensary. Nowadays nature is slowly taking its own course, with caved-in roofs and overgrown houses, though the odd elderly resident seems content in their familiar surroundings.

The last tin dredge that has not been dismantled from its old workspace is an example of how easy it was to extract alluvial deposits from the river by merely scooping up tin-bearing soil on an industrial scale and filtering out the ore. There is a small museum and tours are available for both the outside and inside of the dredge depending on pricing.

Actually a cluster of three Chinese temples in Gunung Rapat. The first temple, Ling Sen Tong is shrouded in the smokey haze of hundreds of joss sticks. Its neighbour, Nam Thean Tong, has hundreds of stairs that climb right through the mountain to high up on the other side, providing great views. Sam Poh Tong itself is the third of the row, just after the small coffee shop, where you should relax after climbing all the stairs of Nam Thean Tong. By this temple's entrance is a charming landscaped bonsai garden and fish pond; inside, a tunnel leads right through the rocks to the sanctuary of the temple and its tortoise pond; you can buy tomatoes for RM3 to feed the tortoise. On the road leading to the temples are stalls selling pomelos. Sam Poh Tong also contains a vegetarian restaurant. Local bus 94 continues to right next to these temples after passing the former Medan Gopeng Bus Terminal. RM10 in a taxi from the city should be enough, and regional buses will also get you there quickly from the centre of town.

Calm Chinese cave temple with good views on the other side of the same limestone hill as Sam Poh Tong. Being newer and a little richer than the other cave temples, the place feels much airier and cleaner. Monkeys can be found here. Accessible through Gunung Rapat housing area. Taxi from Ipoh town should cost RM10.

Gua Tempurung is the largest limestone cave in Peninsular Malaysia. Located close to the North South Highway's Gopeng Exit, it provides the opportunity to explore in detail the insides of a limestone cave. You can choose to experience a short tour of the cave or adventure into the far end of the cave by walking off the walkways and in the cave river. The wet adventures have you wading in the cold underground water, squeezing through holes and sliding over smooth rocks, but require at least 8 people to start.

Trek up one of the many trails up the Menglembu-Kledang Hills (these are the hills you can see to the west of Ipoh with the radio-TV masts on the top) to enjoy the awe-inspiring view of the limestone outcrops that surround Ipoh. If unsure of how to get to these trails, just ask the many locals who trek up daily in the early mornings and late evenings. If you have a GPS, hikes can either start from 101° 1.813'E/4° 34.577'N or at 101° 1.638'E/ 4° 34.312'N where the paved road to the summit begins. Most trails are open and hot (take a hat and water) but much of Trail 4.9 is through shady forest. There are interesting plants and some wildlife (long-tailed macaques, pig-tailed macaques, leaf monkeys, and siamang) to be seen if you are lucky.