Kluang
Introduction
Kluang, once spelled Keluang, is a town in Johor, Malaysia, and serves as the capital of Kluang District. Founded in 1915 by the British as the administrative capital for central Johor, it sits in the central geographical core of the state.
That central position makes the town a practical base for exploring the region: major urban hubs across Johor lie within about a 90-minute drive.
Before you go
Kluang sits in the middle of Johor, the only district in the state without a coastline, ringed by the other districts on every side but Muar. It began in 1915 as the administrative centre for Central Johor, and the north–south railway line that passed through it carried labour and tropical produce, spurring the town's growth; roads later linked it south to Johor Bahru, north-west to Batu Pahat and east to Mersing. The name comes from the Malay word *keluang*, a type of flying fox or fruit bat, though the animals have all but vanished through hunting and the clearing of their habitat; some say the town was instead named for two mountains that, seen from a distance, resemble a bat's head and wing. The district grew fast in the 1920s and 1930s as a rubber-producing area, and agriculture still anchors it: rubber and oil palm are the main crops, and there are also dragon fruit, organic vegetables, organic rice, pineapples and tea. Pottery and tiles are the other local trade, with factories around the border township of Machap and the better-known manufacturers based in the Kluang Industrial area. Industry widened from the late 1970s into polymer, porcelain, paper, textiles and electrical products, and the town was upgraded from district to municipal status in 2001. Expect a working agricultural and industrial town rather than a resort, and plan your days around its markets, farms and food.Getting there
Kluang has no airport of its own; the nearest is Senai International Airport (JHB), which serves Johor Bahru. By road, the town is reached via Jalan Batu Pahat, Jalan Mersing, Jalan Intan, Jalan Paus and Taman Indah Jaya.
Kluang Bus Terminal on Jl Bakawali handles intercity services, including Gunung Lambak O.M.O. Bus, Mersing Omnibus, Renggam Bus, Johore Motor Bus and S&S Bakti Transit Bus. KTMB operates all rail services to Kluang station. There are four daily trains from Gemas and Johor Bahru, and one daily service from Kuala Lumpur. From Johor Bahru, the four daily services depart at 8:30AM, 2:40PM, 6:05PM and 8:25PM. From Gemas, three daily services depart at 2AM, 9:30AM and 3:20PM, plus one ETS service direct from Kuala Lumpur, leaving KL Sentral at 7:45AM and Gemas at 10:05AM. A daily sleeper service runs from Tumpat, departing 8:30PM, and from Kota Bharu (Wakaf Bharu station), departing 8:47PM.
Getting around
Within the town centre, walking works well: the commercial core sits inside the Kluang Inner Ring Road and holds the major banks, retail complexes and services, so errands, meals and shopping are all navigable on foot. Beyond that core, Kluang has spread horizontally along arterial corridors, so you'll want transport for anything further out — including Gunung Lambak on the eastern outskirts and the district's eco-tourism sites.
- Local bus: Muafakat route KL001 departs from the Kluang Bus and Taxi Terminal and loops through Kluang Mall, Kluang Town Square, Merdeka Hotel, Prime City Hotel, the Kluang Golf and Country Club, the Jalan Mengkibol health clinic, several residential taman and government offices. Buses run roughly hourly, first departure around 6AM and last around 8PM — a workable daytime option, but not for a late evening out.
- Taxis and ride-hailing: Taxis operate from the Kluang Bus and Taxi Terminal on Jalan Bakawali, the same hub as the express coaches and the local bus. These are the most flexible way to reach places the bus loop doesn't cover, such as the organic farms and eco-tourism sites outside town; if you're heading to a specific out-of-town destination, arrange your return trip as well.
- Car: Kluang is reachable from the PLUS Expressway via Exit 244 at Ayer Hitam, and Federal Route 50 runs from Batu Pahat through downtown and on toward Kahang, Jemaluang and Mersing. Roads you're likely to use or hear referenced include Jalan Batu Pahat, Jalan Mersing, Jalan Intan and Jalan Paus, plus the Taman Indah Jaya area. Driving yourself is the most practical way to reach the district's farms and recreational forest.
Where to stay
Most of Kluang's accommodation clusters downtown, where banks, dining and entertainment sit within walking distance of the hotels. If you are driving, note that downtown car park rates apply from 8AM; ask your hotel reception about car park coupons or whether a dedicated car park area is available. Options here include RS Boutique Hotel, which has clean rooms, good service and an outdoor car park lot opposite the hotel that is guarded at night; The Imperial Hotel, with functional and clean rooms, opposite McDonald's and Domino's Pizza and next to a 7-11, with street parking; and Milano Hotel, run by the same management team as The Imperial and offering clean, functional rooms with street parking. Hotel Kluang Parade sits next to the Kluang Parade shopping centre, while Prime City Hotel is a three-star property with covered parking, next to BCB Plaza and the Kluang Bus Terminal. Hotel Anika provides cable TV, private toilet and bath and telephone in every room, plus a basement and adjoining car park lot, a coffee shop, wake-up call, laundry service and safety deposit boxes, and is next to The Store. White House Hotel is another downtown choice.
Around 1 km from downtown, before the railway crossing and next to Taman Tasik MPK Kluang with its jogging track, the Pusat Perniagaan Tasik (Lake Business Centre) area holds a One Stop Superstore selling cheap goods and groceries, a few restaurants and a reflexology centre. Here you will find Rail Hotel, managed by the RailCoffee restaurant below it, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with functional and clean rooms and a night guard for street parking; Starz Hotel, which has a small gym, an onsite elevator and street parking; and Hotel Mega 68, with basic rooms at affordable rates. Near the Kluang Country Club, roughly 2 km from downtown, Merdeka Hotel offers large rooms, breakfast, a patio wine bar and a private car park — ask for a quieter room facing away from the main road. In other areas you can consider GL Hotel, with clean, functional rooms and a private car park; Chinatown Hotel, with basic furnishings, next to a 7-11 and with street parking; Hotel Setia, with basic rooms and suites; and Extreme Boutique Hotel. Outside town, UK Agro Resort sits within a large goat and sheep farm and offers chalets and dorms, while Kahang Organic Rice Eco Farm, an eco tourism resort with chalets and group packages, is about 45 minutes from downtown.
Food & drink
Kluang's food scene rewards you from morning to night, and coffee is where it begins. The Kluang Railway Station Coffee Shop, trading since the 1930s, is known for roasted coffee served alongside hot toasted bread with home-made kaya and butter, half-boiled eggs, and nasi lemak. For a lunchtime institution, Yean Kee Beef Noodles has been going since 1930, serving hand-made rice noodles with tender beef in a clear soup, in either dry or soup style, lifted by peanuts, lime and chilli sauce. Teo Heng Bak Kut Teh in Taman Kluang Baru serves its bak kut teh in the morning until noon and draws a crowd, especially at weekends, while Restoran Ikan Asam Pedas is a home-town favourite for asam fish head, praised for fresh fish and good value, and gets busy at lunch and dinner.
Other names worth knowing: Star Coffee House & Restaurant, a consistent Chinese restaurant since 1979 with a notable frogs' legs dish; Barney's, a Western restaurant with a wide dessert selection and a Wagyu Prime Rib when available; One Two Eight Seafood Restaurant in Yap Tau Sah, established and known for fish soup and fresh seafood; and Ah Fu Satay near Chong Hwa High School for satay, fried chicken wings, fried rice, fried oyster with eggs, ikan bakar, ju cheong fun and chops. For lighter bites, try Hup Chup Kopitiam for won ton and curry noodles, Cafe Kit Siong for char siew pao, Yong Tau Fu at the corner of Jln Haji Manan for fish-paste-filled bean curd, eggplant and bitter gourd, and Honeyland on Jl Lambak for Nyonya kuih, puffs and Ang Ku Kuih, which fills up at high-tea hour. Milky Cake House in the middle of town offers cakes such as Oreo Cheese, Black Forest and Yam, while Taman Intan is another food haven with seafood restaurants, coffee shops, dimsum and well-known Wan Ti noodles.
What to see and do
Kluang's sights cluster around its centre, where the railway line cuts the town in two. The Kluang Railway Station has been in service since 1915, and the main road into town once closed whenever a train approached, bringing the whole place to a standstill; the station building itself rewards anyone interested in nostalgic photographs, and Kluang RailCoffee on site has been operating since 1938. Nearby, at the end of Jalan Omar, stands St. Louis Church, built in 1964 with its own distinctive architecture. Jalan Stesen is the town's Little India, lined with shops selling sarees, herbs, spices and household goods, plus Indian restaurants serving curries and the local favourite teh tarik. Opposite it, Jalan Ismail is known for traditional Chinese traders and craftsmen, including cobblers who still make shoes by hand and will work to your specification. Jalan Lambak retains a row of eight buildings marked as built in 1939, their lion mask heads facing different directions, while Jalan Dato' Teoh Siew Khor was once the heart of old Kluang, home to the old market, the Jubilee Intan Hall and the Nan Yuan textile shop. For public squares, head to Kluang Lake Square by the government offices, the Malay-themed Dataran Kampung Melayu on Jalan Kampung Melayu, or Laman Kreatif Kluang on Jalan Merdeka for street art. Masjid Jamek Kluang on Jalan Sekolah is an old mosque popular with local Muslims. For something more active, climb Mount Lambak, Kluang's highest peak, a hike of under two hours for a moderately fit person. The Kluang Modern Agriculture Project off Jalan Batu Pahat spreads across vegetable, fruit, herbal and grazing farms, with UK Agro Farm within it and pleasant dirt roads to drive. Elsewhere, the Kluang Coffee Powder Factory lets you watch traditional coffee being made and taste the results, and Tong Huat Confectionery opens its baking process to visitors, with tau sau and mooncakes among its specialities. You can also relax among the padi fields at Kahang Organic Rice Farm, roughly a forty-minute road trip away, or visit the low-rise Kahang tea plantation. Gunung Belumut is a good spot for picnics and waterfalls, and the town itself has several green spaces: Independence Park in the centre with playground and recreational facilities, Bandar Seri Impian Lake Park, Seri Lalang Recreational Park on Jalan Pasar, and Taman Delima Recreational Park on Jalan Perwira.Three days in Kluang
Day one: Arrive in Kluang, a town in Johor, Malaysia, founded during the British era. Get your bearings around the Kluang Bus Terminal, where services such as Mersing Omnibus, Renggam Bus, Johore Motor Bus and Bakti Transit Bus connect the town with Muar, Johor Bahru, Batu Pahat and Mersing. If you come by air, Senai International Airport (JHB) is the nearest gateway. Settle into the town centre and take an easy walk along Jalan Intan, Jalan Paus and Jalan Bakawali, then spend the evening in Taman Indah Jaya.
Day two: Head out along Jalan Batu Pahat or Jalan Mersing to explore the wider Kluang District. Make Gunung Lambak your main outing of the day, and look for local Malay pottery along the way. In the afternoon, pass through the Kluang Industrial area to see the town's industry at work. Return to town for a meal and an early night.
Day three: Use the KTMB rail line towards Gemas for a final morning outing, or take a bus towards Machap if you prefer the road. Back in Kluang, revisit the streets around the bus terminal for any last errands before your onward connection to Central Johor, Johor Bahru or Mersing.