Lenggong

Lenggong is a small town in the Hulu Perak district, about an hour north of Ipoh. It sits in a valley of limestone hills, caves, lakes and waterfalls. People live and work here on land that carries one of the longest records of early human live in Southeast Asia and the world.

UNESCO listed the Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Valley as a World Heritage Site on 30 June 2012. It was Malaysia’s fourth. The listing covers four archaeological sites in two clusters, with a record spanning close to two million years. It is the oldest such record outside Africa.

Perak Man was found at Gua Gunung Runtuh, buried in a fetal position and surrounded by food and stone tools. He is the most complete prehistoric skeleton recovered in Southeast Asia. At Bukit Bunuh a meteorite struck about 1.83 million years ago, and the debris sealed hand axes that are among the oldest found outside Africa. The remains and the tools are displayed at the archaeological gallery in Kota Tampan.

On 23 April 2026 UNESCO added Lenggong to its Global Geopark network. The geopark covers 2,248 square kilometres around the archaeological valley, taking in the limestone caves, the lakes and the waterfalls. Lenggong is the only place in Peninsular Malaysia holding a World Heritage listing and a Global Geopark designation at the same time.

Tasik Raban lies below the town, with a lakeside square of restaurants and stalls. Lata Kekabu is a waterfall of more than 50 metres, reached on an 800 metre trail, and is both a geosite and a biosite. The food is kampung cooking: ikan bakar, nasi talam, nasi lemak goreng and a river breakfast at Mamu D’Sungai. Rumah Tiang 16 is the town’s boutique stay, a Perak-Malay house built in 1974 on sixteen chengal and meranti pillars.