Taiping Sights and Landmarks Guide, Malaysia

Taiping was known in the 19th century as the center of tin mining in Malaysia. The name comes from two Chinese characters, 'Tai' means great and 'ping' means peace. Taiping is known for excessive rainfall, with an average of 4,000mm and is the wettest town in peninsular Malaysia. Each afternoon, thick storm clouds gather and it rains for almost about an hour, after which the weather cools down. There are arcades on both sides of the street to protect you from the rain.

Taiping is connected with the rest of the country by rail and road.

The town center is compact and can be covered on foot. You can take a stroll through the town. Old and new buildings stand side by side. To the east of the town, one can see the Bluish green hills of the Bintang range.

The Lake Gardens, with the hills in the background, are a major attraction for Taiping. They are man -made public gardens. Earlier these areas used to be tin mines. The Lake gardens are basically a series of interconnected lakes and ponds surrounded by well maintained landscape, including flower beds, paved roads and playgrounds. The park is also known for its roads lined with ancient rain-trees.

The Maxwell Hill or Bukit Larut is a quiet hill station. A narrow, single tracked paved road is used to access the hill station at 1000m. There are a couple of rest houses and a few bungalows for accommodation.

The oldest zoo in Malaysia is the Taiping zoo, known as Zoo Taiping and Night Safari. Taiping Zoo offers night safari that is an exotic experience of its kind, where you can see night animals in their natural habitats. Special lighting similar to moonlight is used to display the animals. Torch-lights and flash cameras are not allowed in night safari, as these will disturb the animals.

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