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The limestone hills of Malaysia come in all shapes and sizes. Generally they occur as single outcrops, but in some places, e.g. in Perlis and Gunung Mulu National Park they may be formed as part of long ranges.
In Peninsula Malaysia the outcrops can be seen in all states north of Kuala Lumpur up to Thailand, except for Penang. Driving along the north-south highway in Perak takes you past many limestone hills, especially around the city of Ipoh in the Kinta Valley.
Travelling north from KL, if you take the old trunk road you see the two hills at Templers Park. However you miss these if you use the highway. The first of the Kinta Valley hills is Gunung Gajah - Tempurung. On a clear day you get a stunning view of the distant hills after the road passes close to the Tempurung massif. After another 10 km or so, you start to see these hills close up. Some are fine hills still covered in untouched rain forest, others have been damaged by quarrying which has left ugly stumps of hills. Nearer to Ipoh the highway passes through a valley with hills on either side, some of which have been desecrated by quarrying. There are many marble workings here.
Bukit Anak Takun |
Gunung Gajah |
Gua Kandu |
Some hills are blasted to obtain the limestone which is used in the cement industry and also for road building. Other hills which have marble are treated more gently, as the marble is extracted in large chunks, to be used as decorative stone. Further on, Gunung Lang has been turned into a water recreation park, although it cannot be seen from the highway. As the road winds up the hill towards the tunnel north of Ipoh, looking back you can get a magnicifant view over Ipoh and its limestone hills.
The next noticable limestone hill is Gunung Pondok which sticks up like a top hat. It has been heavily quarried on the side that faces the road. Some of the caves are actually archaeological sites. This is the last limestone hill you see from the highway until you reach Kedah and then Perlis, where some hills are visible in the distance.
Quarry at Gng Lanno |
Perak Tong |
houses close to limestone hills |
Travelling from KL to the East coast on the higway, the first hill you see (after Batu Caves) is Gua Cinta Manis near Bentong, just before Karak.
Gua Cinta Manis |
© Liz Price 2007
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