9 Best Things to Do in Perlis You'll Absolutely Love

Malaysia’s smallest state has three things to its name that surprise most visitors. There’s a limestone range around 500 million years old, the country’s only wild stump-tailed macaques, and dolphins that turn pink as they grow up. It’s easy to treat Perlis as a stop on the way to Langkawi or Thailand, and miss some of the best things to do in Perlis entirely.

We walked the length of Gua Kelam with a guide, helmets on, past charcoal messages left on the walls by homesick tin miners. That trip sent us looking at the rest of the state: its karst, forests, paddy fields and sea.

These are the nine things to do in Perlis we’d put first, with the practical travel details for each.

Things to Do in Perlis at a Glance

Best for Wildlife: Perlis State Park, near Wang Kelian, is home to stump-tailed macaques, white-handed gibbons and hornbills.
Best for Hiking in Perlis: Bukit Chabang is a twin-peaked limestone hill where most of the climb is a rock scramble.
Best for Families: Gua Kelam has a wooden walkway through a former tin-mining cave. It’s one of the few things to do in Perlis that works in any weather.

9 Top Perlis Attractions

Spot Rare Primates in Perlis State Park

Perlis State Park, or Taman Negeri Perlis, was established in 1997 as the first state park in Peninsular Malaysia. It follows the Nakawan Range along the Thai border and meets Thailand’s Thale Ban National Park on the other side, creating a cross-border corridor for wildlife.

The park protects Malaysia’s only semi-deciduous White Meranti forest. It’s also the only place in the country where stump-tailed macaques, known locally as beruk kentoi, live in the wild.

Endangered white-handed gibbons call from the ridges, and six species of hornbill have been recorded here. Climbing Gunung Perlis, the state’s highest peak, requires a Forestry Department mountain guide and a forest reserve permit. If you only have time for one of the things to do in Perlis, give it a full day here.

Opening hours: Daily, 9am to 6pm
Ticket prices: Malaysians RM2 adults, RM1 children aged 6 to 17. Non-Malaysians RM5 adults, RM3 children aged 6 to 17. Under-6s free.
Contact number: Perlis State Forestry Department, +604 976 5966
Location: Wang Kelian, about 35 km north of Kangar

Look Out for Pink Dolphins off Kuala Perlis

Three coastal species swim off the Perlis coast. Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins are born grey and turn pink as they mature, and a group of 204 has been recorded off Perlis. Endangered Irrawaddy dolphins, including mothers with calves, have been seen along the coast between Kuala Perlis and Kuala Kedah. Finless porpoises share the same waters.

If you do head out by boat, keep a respectful distance and ask the skipper to cut the engine near the animals. Speeding boats and fishing nets are among the biggest threats to all three species.

Catch the Sea of Clouds at Wang Kelian View Point

Get to the Wang Kelian View Point as early as you can. On cool mornings, cloud fills the valleys below the Nakawan Range. From the top, you can pick out Bukit Chabang and the waters of Timah Tasoh Lake.

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Few places to visit in Perlis carry this much history. Wang Kelian was once a busy stop for tour groups heading to its border flea market. In May 2015, police found 139 graves and 28 abandoned human-trafficking camps in the hills nearby. The view is beautiful, and knowing what happened in those hills gives it weight.

Ticket prices: Adults RM2, children RM1. The buggy up costs RM3.
Location: Wang Kelian, at the Malaysia-Thailand border

Birdwatch at Timah Tasoh Lake

Timah Tasoh is a 1,300-hectare reservoir about 17 km from Kangar, finished in 1992 to supply water and prevent flooding downstream. Between 135 and 145 bird species have been recorded here. BirdLife International recognises it as an important area for birds, and a bird sanctuary protects the migrants’ habitat.

Come between October and March, when migratory birds stop over during the northern winter. Scan the open water and marshy edges for cotton pygmy geese, Eurasian coots, grey-headed lapwings, purple herons, and both bronze-winged and pheasant-tailed jacanas.

Bring binoculars and combine it with nearby Bukit Chabang, so you can tick off two things to do in Perlis in one morning.

Best season: October to March
Location: About 17 km north of Kangar, towards Padang Besar

Walk Through Gua Kelam

Gua Kelam runs for about 370 metres through the Nakawan limestone. In 1935, British mining operations used the cave’s natural waterway to carry tin ore out from beneath Kaki Bukit.

A wooden walkway now leads past rusted trolley tracks, abandoned tools and charcoal inscriptions written by Chinese miners. Helmets are required where the ceiling dips low.

Of all the things to do in Perlis, it’s the easiest with children. For the full story, read our guide, 7 Best Reasons to Visit Gua Kelam, Perlis.

Opening hours: 9am to 6pm
Ticket prices: Adults RM3 with MyKad, RM5 without. Gua Kelam 2 guided tours cost RM80 per group of up to 10.
Location: Kaki Bukit, about 40 minutes’ drive north of Kangar

Hike Bukit Chabang

Bukit Chabang rises 390 metres above sea level, about 8 km north of Kangar. Its limestone peak splits in two, which you can spot from as far away as Wang Kelian.

The trail is only 1.8 km out and back, with 257 metres of climbing, but most of it is scrambling over sharp, steep rock. Allow one to one and a half hours, and go with an experienced local guide.

It’s the toughest short climb for hiking in Perlis. The reward is a view over paddy fields and Timah Tasoh Lake.

Climb Bukit Keteri

Bukit Keteri is a 131-metre limestone tower rising straight out of the paddy fields, about 10 km from Kangar. Inside is a cave so vast it’s said to be able to hold a jumbo jet.

Its sheer walls draw serious rock climbers, and its routes were first opened by the Mammut expedition to Malaysia in 2007. Climbers aim for the Belly Button Window, a natural opening with views over the fields. For pure drama in a small package, few things to do in Perlis compare.

Entry: No permit needed
Location: Kampung Bukit Keteri, near Kangar

Look for Openbills in the Chuping Paddy Fields

Watch the flooded paddy fields around Chuping for the Asian openbill, a grey-white stork with a curious gap between its bill halves. The species has been recorded in Peninsular Malaysia since 2008, including here in Perlis.

Openbills feast on the invasive golden apple snail, a major pest in rice fields. Farmers get chemical-free pest control. Birdwatchers get a reason to add the Chuping fields to their list of things to do in Perlis.

Location: Chuping, northeast of Kangar

Watch Sunset from Kuala Perlis

Start at Bukit Kubu Recreational Forest, about 1 km from Kuala Perlis town. It’s a cluster of limestone caves and forest, home to dusky leaf monkeys, and a short trail of about 1 km reaches the top.

Then head to the waterfront. Kuala Perlis is the ferry gateway to Langkawi, and the island’s peaks darken against the evening sky across the water. Come at sunset. It costs nothing and needs no guide, which can’t be said of most things to do in Perlis.

Best time to visit: 7am to 6pm
Location: Bukit Kubu, Kuala Perlis

What Is Perlis Known For?

Most things to do in Perlis revolve around limestone. The Nakawan Range, Malaysia’s longest continuous chain of limestone hills, runs along the Thai border and dates back around 500 million years.

Around it you’ll find caves, a forest type found nowhere else in Malaysia, rare primates, paddy-field storks and dolphins off the coast.

Masjid Al Hussain Kuala Perlis: Floating Mosque of Perlis

Is Perlis Worth Visiting?

Yes, if you love the outdoors. Malaysia’s smallest state packs ancient limestone hills, caves, rare primates and paddy-field birdlife into a compact area that’s easy to explore by car.

Two days covers the best things to do in Perlis, and the ferry from Kuala Perlis makes it an easy add-on to a Langkawi trip.

Best Time to Visit

December to April is the best time for outdoor things to do in Perlis. Perlis has the most pronounced dry season in Malaysia during these months, so the trails are firmer and the caves easier to explore.

Migratory birds stay from October to March, so a trip between December and March gets you both.

Getting Around Perlis

Perlis is best explored by car, with Kangar, the state capital, as a practical base. Without a car, take the ETS train to Arau and use Grab or taxis to reach the sights. Perlis State Park is about 35 km north of Kangar, and Kuala Perlis is the ferry port for Langkawi.

By Car

Driving gives you the most freedom. Perlis State Park is about 35 km north of Kangar, and Gua Kelam in Kaki Bukit is around 40 minutes’ drive.

By Train

ETS trains run from KL Sentral to Arau, the royal town of Perlis, in about five to five and a half hours. KTM Komuter trains also run to Arau from Butterworth, in mainland Penang. From Arau station, Kuala Perlis jetty is about 19 km away, roughly RM15 to RM26 by Grab or taxi.

By Bus

Buses run from TBS in Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Perlis in around five to six hours. Locally, MyBas buses link Arau station with Kangar bus terminal, and buses run from Kangar to Kaki Bukit for Gua Kelam. Local departures are infrequent, so plan around the timetable.

By Ferry

Ferries from Kuala Perlis jetty reach Kuah, on Langkawi, in about 1 hour 15 minutes.

By Air

The nearest airport is Alor Setar (AOR) in Kedah, about 55 km from Kuala Perlis and roughly 45 minutes by taxi or Grab.

Tips for Visiting Perlis Attractions

Hire Local Guides: Several things to do in Perlis, including Bukit Chabang, Gunung Perlis and Gua Kelam 2, should only be tackled with a guide. Paying a local guide also puts money straight into the villages around them.
Keep Your Distance from Wildlife: Many of the best things to do in Perlis involve wild animals. Never feed the macaques, and never chase dolphins by boat.
Leave Cave Walls Alone: Limestone formations take decades to form, and past vandalism has already left damage near the Gua Kelam exit. Look, photograph, and keep your hands to yourself.
Eat Local: End the day with the state’s own dishes. Our guide to the best local food in Perlis lists the ones worth ordering. For more of the country, browse our Malaysia travel guides.

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