Here’s something you don’t see every day! The 80+ year old traditional charcoal factory in Kuala Sepetang is still in operation. And the factory tours are popular with tourists too.
Have you ever been to a charcoal factory before? And a sustainable one, at that! The next time you are in Perak, come see this unusual place while it is still around!
Background Information
There are around 20 or so charcoal factories in Malaysia. The one in Kuala Sepetang is considered one of the largest!
3 generations of the same family have been running this charcoal factory and impressively, operation is carried out without the use of any machinery!
What Is Charcoal Used For?
But what is all the charcoal (a.k.a. black gold) for?
In Malaysia, charcoal is used for baking traditional food (biscuits or dumplings) or even to boil soup over! But that’s according to the older Chinese generations. Apparently, it’s tastier.
Activated charcoal (charcoal with added oxygen) is commonly used as air purifiers, teeth whiteners, remedies for an upset stomach. As well as for barbecues and steamboats.
And there’s a big demand for charcoal overseas too. In fact, 60% of the charcoal produced at this factory is exported to Japan.
What Our Visit Was Like
You wouldn’t think so but it’s quite beautiful at this charcoal factory. With all those textures and the factory’s proximity to nature, it is a photographer’s playground!
Besides this, you can see how charcoal is mass-produced!
The factory is not large and resembles a warehouse. We saw piles of mangrove branches around. Inside the warehouse, it is hot.
There are no fans, and this is where the wood is burned down to charcoal in large clay kilns. The factory had two kilns running on the day that we went.
There were no workers in sight during our visit. But they do have to keep an eye on the progress while the wood is left to burn for up to a month.
They have a schedule on the wall to mark and monitor the progress. This is crucial to prevent all the charcoal from burning completely.
Factory Tours
The owner, Mr Chuah offers guided tours (less than an hour for RM5 per person) where you can learn about the whole traditional charcoal-making process.
He speaks several languages too – English, Mandarin, Malay, Cantonese, Hokkien, etc.
You can contact him on Facebook here. Or call +6012-4286098. You need to make a booking in advance.
Or you can skip the tour – free admission, and just explore on your own. Which is what we did since we missed the tour.
Recommended Duration
Allocate around 1 hour to explore the factory especially if photography is your thing. Stay longer if you can stand the heat!
We think going in the morning would have been a lot more comfortable than in the middle of the afternoon!
Souvenirs You Can Pick Up Here
There are charcoal products for sale right outside the factory. We didn’t get any but they had some interesting items like:
- charcoal vinegar spray (insect repellent)
- charcoal shampoo or soap
- activated charcoal
Facilities
There are no proper visitor facilities here so we would suggest freshening up at your hotel or using the bathroom elsewhere before coming here.
There’s no on-site café or any nearby eateries either.
How To Get Here
The charcoal factory is about 30 minutes’ drive from Taiping town. And an hour’s drive from Ipoh. We found it to be a scenic drive too.
The road leading to the charcoal factory passes along mangrove groves. The water comes up quite high during rainy season.
We went during the wet season, so part of the road was flooded. We almost turned back because of this, but we are glad that we didn’t!
It is possible to drive down here from Penang too (~2 hours’ drive).
Conclusion
Visit this charocal factory in Kuala Sepetang as soon as you can to appreciate the work that goes into making a very useful but unassuming product. Traditional charcoal making is a dying art/process.
There’s plenty to see in this area of Perak too. But it is best if you have your own car though. Do mind the weather too as the road into the factory floods after a heavy rain.
Are you interested in seeing the largest traditional charcoal-making factory in Malaysia? Leave a commend below!
Other Attractions in Kuala Sepetang
While it is the most famous, the charcoal factory is not the only attraction in Kuala Sepetang that is worth seeing!
Things To Do In Taiping
Taiping is not far from Kuala Sepetang and there are more things to do in Taiping than in Kuala Sepetang. We like the museums in Taiping. You might also appreciate that there’re more dining options too!
