Far from Ipoh Old Town and other usual tourist hotspots, Gunung Lang still manages to draw both local and foreign tourists.
But what is there to do at Gunung Lang Recreational Park? And how long can you expect to explore everything here? Find out more from our experience below!
Activities
To be frank, there is not a whole lot to do in this area besides visit the recreational park. This residential area is not as busy as other more established areas in Ipoh.
Tip: You may want to fuel up elsewhere before or after your visit to the park as dining options are limited in this area.
But there are a few attractions close to each other. These include a manmade waterfall (part of the park), a climbing park, a petting zoo, and a jetty where you can take a boat to Gunung Lang Recreational Park.
1. Gunung Lang Recreational Park
When you enter Gunung Lang Recreational Park, the first thing you’ll see aside from the car park and jetty building, is the manmade waterfall and a nice but small children’s playground.
During our most recent visit (on weekday afternoon), the waterfall was off even though it was during the stated operation times. There is a notice by the Ipoh city council or MBI (Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh) in front of the manmade waterfall that states the operation times.
- Weekdays – 10am to 12pm and again from 4pm to 6pm
- Weekends and public holidays – 9am to 11am, 1pm to 3pm, and again from 5pm to 7pm
From our observation however, it looked like no one had turned the waterfall on in a quite a while. Instead, a family of monkeys were using the pool to cool off.
Boat Fares
You can only reach the rest of the recreational park by taking a boat ride across the lake. We ended up doing this since there was nothing else to do at this side of the park apart from a small kids’ playground.
The boat service takes you to the larger part of the park so you would be missing out on a lot if you don’t take the boat ride across.
The park opens fairly early at 8:30am. However, it closes at 6pm with the last boat departing at 5pm.
You can purchase tickets from the one-storey building that houses some stalls, a café (wasn’t open on a Wednesday), a surau and toilets, as well as the ticket counter for the boat rides.
This main visitor center is the only proper building in the park. It is right in front of the car park, and just beside the manmade waterfall.
There is a vending machine and benches facing the jetty too.
Note: Signage for the facilities and getting around the park are all in Malay.
The boat fares are very affordable. And hence, this is a great place to bring your extended family or a large group if you don’t want to spend a lot.
Or you are just looking for other things to do in Ipoh that are not food-related.
| Category | Age | Ticket Price |
| Adult | 13 to 54 years old | RM3 |
| Children | 3 to 12 years old | RM 1.50 |
| Seniors | Above 55 years old | RM 1.50 |
In comparison, the ticket prices for Qing Xin Ling Leisure & Cultural Village is RM12 for adults (including seniors).
Although we will say that the overall management of the Qing Xin Ling Leisure & Cultural Village is better than at Gunung Lang Recreational Park.
Boat Rides
To us, the boat ride is a main highlight of visiting this park. There is no entrance fee for the park (yet). And since much of the park can only be accessed by the boat, you can consider the boat fare as the entrance fee for the park.
The boat rides don’t run by any fixed schedule. It just depends on whether there’re visitors to ferry over. The driver even made a U-turn to pick up more passengers at the jetty since our boat only had 6 passengers.
Boat rides are quick (under 5 minutes), breezy and smooth but give you a good look of the surrounding hills and greenery before docking at the opposite side of the lake.
Note: Life jackets are available on the boat although it was not compulsory to wear them.
On the opposite side of the lake, the park has numerous partially shaded paths, a couple of traditional huts for taking photos, two lookout towers, a wooden bridge, another playground and the remnants of a former petting zoo.
Lookout Towers
There are two such lookout towers in the park. One at the very end of the park, directly opposite the point where the boat drops off visitors.
The second is on the immediate right after getting off the boat and the lakeside (i.e., larger) side of the park.
Both towers have obvious signs of neglect (e.g., broken rails, bird poop, etc) but if you climb the few flights of stairs up, you will get better views of the park.
Mini Zoo
The few resident animals that remain of the original zoo at Gunung Lang Recreational Park include a couple of ponies, one lonely buffalo, rabbits, an Egyptian goose, two guineafowls, and a small herd of deer.
Even though there are many enclosures around the park, very few are occupied.
Cat Fish Lake
There was not much activity at this lake during a weekday afternoon, but we suspect that you can take a boat out onto the lake during weekends. There is a large warehouse right beside the lake.
You can also just feed the fish in the lake. This smaller lake at the far end of the park is pretty but this area is not well maintained.
Note: Toilets at this end of the park are close to the lake.
2. Pavilion Petting Zoo
The park used to have its own petting zoo across the lake (and hence, only accessible by boat). But it seems that they are just letting the animals die off as we saw many empty cages during our visit.
However, there is currently a newer petting zoo called Pavilion Petting Zoo outside of the park. The zoo is at the far right of the jetty with its own parking lot.
Fees are separate too and inexpensive (under RM10 per person if you’re Malaysian). Opening hours for this zoo are 10am to 6pm every day. They are closed on Tuesdays.
Food for the animals is sold separately (RM2/packet) inside the indoor section of the zoo.
There are 18 staff members looking after all the animals here and there are a large variety of animals at this petting zoo. Including some we’ve never seen before (e.g., skinny guinea pigs).
There are sheep, ducks, chickens and other terrestrial birds like quails, goats, cows, ostriches, one sad emu, 3 raccoons, and small horses at the outdoor section of the zoo.
Indoors, there are blue tongued skinks, corn snakes, a few species of rabbits and guinea bigs, cats, hamsters, hedgehogs, sugar gliders, squirrels, etc.
The animals generally appear to be in good shape and their respective cages and enclosures are clean. However, it is quite clear that many of the animals don’t have enough space, or are stuck in unsuitable habitats (e.g., the pairie dogs have no digging substrate).
We don’t recommend visiting this place. Clearly, the owner has only profits in mind by trying to cram so many different animals (with different needs including non-native species that need cooler environments) in a small area.
3. Gunung Lang Community Park
Further off to the left side of the jetty at Gunung Lang, the Gunung Lang Community Park is free for the public to access. Park at the side of the road (the entrance is on the right side of the park).
Depending on when you visit it, you may see groups of climbers attempting to scale the limestone cliffs here.
Note: If you’re keen on trying some outdoor activities here, contact Ventrex Outdoor Recreation on their appropriate social media.
There are also locals taking their morning or evening walk/ jog around the park. While this park is small, the scenery is beautiful and unique. And there are benches and swings where you can take a rest.
You can also get coffee at the small café in the park. Next to the café is a kick-boxing station where you can sign up for a kick-boxing session if you want to.
Hotels & Homestays Nearby
Because the park is a distance away from other attractions, it might make sense to stay closer to it if you want to visit it as early as possible.
Or if you just want to enjoy the scenery for as long as possible as there is not much to do here other than a visit to the park.
1. Gergasi Inn
New, reasonably clean and comfortable, Gergasi Inn has quadruple rooms and family suites fitted with king sized beds as well as rooms for solo travelers. Their rooms are generally spacious.
There is parking (though not secure) and the hotel is close to the highway and thus convenient, if you have your own transport. Moreover, there are nearby eateries and malls since this is a commercial area.
However, this hotel is not elderly or wheelchair friendly.
Check the latest price at Agoda.com
- Price: From RM110 (2 pax)
2. Lang Villa
Just across the road and walking distance from Pavilion Petting Zoo, Lang Villa has a lovely outdoor pool. It is one of the first houses in the secure residential neighborhood at Desa Lang Damai.
Each of the 5 bedrooms at this spacious villa have their own bathrooms.
So, for large groups, this is a homestay worth staying at if you want to be close to the park.
Check the latest price at Agoda.com
- Price: ~ RM600 (Up to 16 pax)
Conclusion
A visit to Gunung Lang in Ipoh is not complete without stopping by the Gunung Lang Recreational Park.
Sure, the park could use some major sprucing up when it comes to older structures within the park. But considering the low fares and the natural beauty of the area, we can see how appeals to local tourists and nature lovers.
This is also one place that we think would be better to visit on a weekend too, since the atmosphere will be livelier.
Tasik Cermin (Mirror Lake)
If it’s scenery and boat rides you’re after, the management over at Tasik Cermin is a lot better than at Gunung Lang Recreational Park even though prices are much steeper.
Kek Look Tong
This temple with a large cavern has a spacious recreational park behind it (enter by going through the temple). Visitors at Kek Look Tong can rent boats or bicycles here after exploring the cave temple.
