Kuala Kubu Bharu

The original Kuala Kubu was destroyed in 1883 when a dam or bund on the river gave way and flooded it; the replacement, Kuala Kubu Bharu, was laid out in the 1920s to a garden-city plan by the British administration, with a padang, a grid of tree-lined streets, low bungalows and civic buildings around a green - which is why it looks unlike almost any other small Malaysian town and why it has a following among people who like that sort of thing. It is the last town before the climb to Fraser's Hill and the start of the Gap road, so it functions as a base for the hills; the Selangor river below is used for white-water rafting, there is a paragliding site, and the Chiling waterfall trail starts nearby. The town itself is quiet and has a good kopitiam culture.

What you actually see

• A 1920s garden-city plan - padang, tree-lined grid and low civic buildings.
• The lost original town - the settlement destroyed by the 1883 flood.
• A hill-road gateway - the start of the climb to Fraser's Hill and the Gap.
• River activities - rafting on the Selangor and the Chiling trail nearby.

When to go

All year; drier months for the river and the hills. A day.

Honest expectations

The town is small and quiet with few formal attractions - the appeal is the layout and the base it makes. The rafting and Chiling trail are separately arranged. Rain closes the river.

Nearby

Fraser's Hill is up the Gap road; Chiling waterfall and the Selangor dam are close.