Gopeng

Gopeng was a tin town - one of the earliest in the Kinta valley, worked from the mid-nineteenth century - and when the tin went the town shrank to a quiet street of shophouses with a small museum. What revived it was the ground behind: the Kampar river runs off the main range here with grade two and three rapids, the limestone hills hold caves, there are waterfalls, an Orang Asli Semai population who guide in the forest, and Rafflesia sites where the world's largest flower blooms unpredictably on the hill trails. A cluster of adventure operators now runs rafting, caving, kayaking, abseiling and jungle trekking with riverside campsites and homestays. The town itself takes half an hour; everything else is arranged through the operators.

History

Gopeng was the most important town in the Kinta Valley until 1890, when Ipoh rose, and it was mined intensively by European and Chinese miners, many of them Hakka under Chung Keng Kwee (Wikipedia, Gopeng).

What's there

• Kampar river rafting - grade two and three water off the main range.
• Rafflesia trails - guided walks to blooms when one is open.
• Limestone caves - caving trips in the hills behind the town.
• A shrunken tin town - a quiet shophouse street with a small museum.

When to go

All year; rafting is best when the river is up. Two days.

Things to know

Rafflesia blooms last only days and cannot be booked - guides know when one is open. Rafting depends on water level and is cancelled in floods. Accommodation is campsites and homestays.

Nearby

Ipoh and its cave temples are north; Kampar and Tanjung Tualang are south.

Key facts