Off The Beaten Path: Kuala Sepetang, Malaysia

Near Ipoh, Perak

Kuala Sepetang is about an hour from Ipoh, and very close to another charming town, Taiping.

Kuala Sepetang is well known for several things. Firstly, it is the place to go to to see mangroves. There is a well-kept mangrove area, the Matang Mangrove Forest. The government has built a boardwalk within the area. Thus, it is easy to walk about the area. There are several signages explaining the different varieties of mangroves. Even if you are not interested in flora, it is still a good place to stop as you can breathe in the fresh air and take a walk after a long trip in the car.

Besides mangroves, you will be able to see how charcoal is made at the charcoal factory which is just located opposite the mangrove forest. The factory is still in production. However, the owner is a very friendly man who is quite willing to answer an questions you may have, provided you ask politely and that he is around.

The factory is an interesting place to visit. The place is hot and the air is smoky due to the burning of the charcoal. In fact, part of the process involves putting the unfinished product into an igloo-like oven. It is really huge and a sight that it not easily forgotten.

Charcoal Making Factory & the Mangrove Forest

Delicious Seafood!

Besides the 2 interesting stops, Kuala Sepetang is also a great place for seafood. This is because there are fishing villages nearby. Hence, whatever seafood that you order is guaranteed fresh. And the prices are definitely suitable for all budgets including for the backpacker! My favourite restaurant there is Restoran Tepi Sungai, which literally means Riverbank Restaurant in English.

For those who would prefer halal food, there are many stalls at the roadside selling Mee Banjir Udang (which means Prawn Flood Noodles, literally) . I have not tried it personally so I can't recommend it. Nevertheless, as I pass by the stalls, it is clear which stall is the most popular one as nearby the roads, would be double parked with cars from all over Malaysia. With the huge number of customers, it is obvious that if I were to someday try this unique noodle, I would choose the shop with the most cars!

Another off the beaten path experience can be found at Pulau Ketam.

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Other Destinations in Malaysia

Links to Kuala Sepetang

Seafood at Kuala Sepetang - Restaurant Tepi Sungai
Just half way through the first dish, the waitress came by and asked us whether we wanted some flower crabs. Amazingly, the crabs just came off the fishing boat which just docked! Talk about it being fresh, this is as fresh as can be!
Kuala Sepetang Charcoal Factory Near Simpang and Taiping
We went for a walk into the forest at the back to see where the wood was bought in, behind the factory there is a lot of mangrove trees but they are protected - so they fell the trees further down the river and bring them in by boat.
Idyllic Kuala Sepetang
Port Weld or now known as Kuala Sepetang (In Mandarin, its called si pa ting or 18 sons) is about 16 km away from Taiping town and its just a long straight road after Simpang. It would take about 20 minutes to drive to Port Weld from Taiping town.
Perak - Port Weld - photos of sightseeing in Perak on Worldisround
When I was young, I used to think that charcoal is made from the after-burned wood, but after I paid a visit to a charcoal factory recently, I learnt it was not so. Charcoal is produced by removing water from the wood instead of burning them.

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rasfan 2 years ago

i just came back from Kuala Sepetang.. nice place there.. here some of my photo at my website http://www.mohdrasfan.com/?p=1529

lilian_sg Hub Author 2 years ago

wow! Nice pictures Rasfan!

Mr Nice Level 1 Commenter 2 years ago

Hi lilian_sg,

I love Nasi lamak, Nasi goreng and some other Malaysian dishes too. This summer I will be visiting Hong Kong and Thailand. I wanted to see Singapore also therefore; I have plans to visit Singapore too. May be you can give me some info.

lilian_sg Hub Author 2 years ago

Hi Mr Nice,

Sorry for late response. You can look at my hubs or my Suite101 page. If there are any questions, just ask. I'll try to answer.

KenWu 18 months ago

Heard of this place before but have yet to visit it. This sparks me up for a visit next coming holiday.

lilian_sg Hub Author 18 months ago

Hi Ken,

I would say that if you are nearby or passing by, why not just make a stop for dinner? =)

KenWu 18 months ago

Not quite nearby but will plan to go there. Remaining in city drives you crazy, so must go visit some bit rural places. :)

Ingenira Level 5 Commenter 3 months ago

Sounded like a good place for weekend getaway. Thanks for sharing !

lilian_sg Hub Author 3 months ago

Yes, it is indeed a good place for a short getaway especially if you love seafood!

Thes 3 months ago

You've missed quite many good food. The next time you go to Kuala Sepetang in the afternoon, eat the curry mee, assam laksa and red beans ice blended at the 'railway station'. The first railway station in Malaysia was built here, fka Port Weld. Unfortunately, you can no longer see the railway track now. At the same place, remember to pack some handmade buns (??). If you still can't find the place, ask the locals to direct you to the soya bean milk stall, it's the only one here. The noodles stall is just a stone's throw away from the soya bean milk stall, you can see it.

There's a Malay coffee shop called 'Ah Sang' sells very nice mee rebus.

If you want to buy souvenir, get the dried shrimps. I bet you can't find the same good quality ones elsewhere. They're made of fresh prawns. You need to ask the locals because they man the business from home. If you're lucky enough, you can buy fresh fish. They're very inexpensive.