Teluk Intan
Introduction
Teluk Intan is the capital of Hilir Perak District in Perak, Malaysia, and the largest town in that district. It is one of the bigger towns in the state, and more than half of Hilir Perak's residents live here.
Getting there
Teluk Intan is served only by local bus services; taxis are available but not cheap. Buses run from several nearby cities and towns, so you can plan your approach depending on where you're coming from.
- From Ipoh: buses leave Medan Kidd station hourly, operated by Ipoh - Telok Anson Express Sdn Bhd.
- From Kuala Lumpur: Transnasional Express Sdn Bhd runs hourly services from both Puduraya and Hentian Duta.
- From KLIA Airport: Star Shuttle covers the route via Bidor, Teluk Intan, Sitiawan and Lumut.
- From Bagan Datoh: Lower Perak Motor Service runs the route through Selekoh and Hutan Melintang.
Getting around
Teluk Intan is a compact river town, and its main sights, shophouse streets and town centre sit close together, so most of what you will want to see can be covered on foot or with a short ride. The centre is the most practical place to explore on foot: Jalan Ah Cheong runs through the middle of it, and the area around the Leaning Tower has been paved with bricks and turned into a plaza, making it an easy anchor point for a walk. Colonial buildings, Chinese shophouses, modern buildings, shopping complexes and a cinema are all part of the townscape, so a stroll through the centre gives you a good cross-section of the place. Walking is also the best way to catch the town's regular street events — a flea market selling local Malay delicacies sets up every Saturday night and Sunday morning near the Leaning Tower, and once a year, around the beginning of May or sometimes the end of April, the Chitra Pournami festival closes the whole street at the city centre, with stalls selling Hindu traditional snacks, offerings and other goods.
There is no rail, metro or tram network for visitors to use; the town once had a railway connection to Tapah and the national network, but it lost its railway facilities as economic activity declined, so trains are not an option. Local bus services are the main form of public transport, with several companies serving the town and the surrounding region. From Ipoh, Ipoh – Telok Anson Express Sdn Bhd runs from Medan Kidd station on a roughly hourly pattern through the day, and from Kuala Lumpur, Transnasional Express Sdn Bhd picks up at Puduraya and Hentian Duta on a similar hourly pattern into the evening. A regional service, Lower Perak Motor Service, covers the Bagan Datoh – Selekoh – Hutan Melintang – Teluk Intan route. Fares and timings are as listed by the operators, so it is worth confirming locally before you travel. Taxis are available but are not the cheap option, best treated as a convenience rather than a budget choice — for short hops around town, walking will usually serve you better, while a taxi is the fallback for longer trips or when you are carrying luggage.
Where to stay
Teluk Intan's hotels cluster around the city centre and along Jalan Sultan Abdullah, so you can base yourself within easy reach of the town's main streets. Expect the basics done reliably: rooms with air-conditioning, hot and cold water, and private showers are standard across the places listed here, and several add a café, laundry service, or conference and function room if you're travelling for work or an event.
- Angsoka Hotel (Jalan Changkat Jong) – near the city centre, with a swimming pool, conference/function room and credit card facilities.
- Anson Hotel (Jalan Sekolah) – in the city centre, offering a conference/function room, credit card facilities, laundry and a café.
- Hoover Hotel (Jalan Sultan Abdullah) – a simpler option with laundry and a café.
- G-City Hotel (Jalan Sultan Abdullah) – fully air-conditioned rooms with WIFI; check-in at 2PM, check-out at noon.
- Sri Bandar Hotel (Jalan Sultan Abdullah) – fully air-conditioned rooms with WIFI; check-in at 2PM, check-out at noon.
Food & drink
For halal eats, head to Mastan Ghani Mee & Rojak in the town area near the Menara Condong, or Krishnan Restaurant on Jalan Changkat Jong, known for its home-style fried chicken. Gulam Rasul is the largest Nasi Kandar stall in town and draws a lunchtime crowd for its Nasi Kandar dishes. For Chinese food, Keng Heng Kopitiam is an old traditional kopitiam serving various kinds of mee and breakfast in the morning, Nasi Kandar at lunchtime, and Wantan Mee, home-made fish balls and traditional kuih in the afternoon. It also holds a small photo gallery of the Teluk Intan Leaning Tower. Teluk Intan Chee Cheong Fun is a soft-boiled noodle stuffed with seasoned pork, served dry with green chili pickles rather than wet with shrimp as in the Hong Kong style. For something to take away, TA Sin Guan Tin sells the locally famous heong peah, fragrant pastries made with shallots, sesame seeds and malt. To drink, Keng Heng Kopitiam is the best place for specially roasted Hainan Coffee, a Robusta brew; locals prefer it sweet, so ask for less sugar. On Jalan Sekolah, the Lo Hon Ko stall sells cold drinks and snacks but is famous for its Ais Kacang. Nearby, look for Yao Yao Bing, a home-made sherbet in a local favourite flavour — the stall is not always open, and when it is, the sherbet sells out fast.What to see and do
Teluk Intan's most distinctive sight is the Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan, built in 1885 by Leong Choon Cheong to serve as a water tower and as a beacon guiding ships into Teluk Intan Port. It later housed the local Boy Scouts' headquarters and now stands as the town's tourist attraction, its tilt caused by an underground stream. The ground around the tower, once washed by the sea, has been paved with bricks to form a plaza where you can walk and take in the structure. Elsewhere in town, you can seek out Batu Tenggek, known as the Growing Rock. It is said to have been placed by a British soldier when it was only the size of a matchbox, and to have grown larger each year until it reached the size of a boulder.Three days in Teluk Intan
Day one: Arrive in Teluk Intan, a town in the Hilir Perak District of Perak, Malaysia. Buses run from Ipoh via Medan Kidd, operated by Telok Anson Express Sdn Bhd. From Kuala Lumpur, take Transnasional Express Sdn Bhd from Puduraya or Hentian Duta. From KLIA Airport, use Star Shuttle. You can also reach the town from Bidor, Sitiawan, Lumut, Bagan Datoh, Selekoh and Hutan Melintang, with Lower Perak Motor Service serving the Bagan Datoh route. Once settled, walk along Jalan Ah Cheong and see the Leaning Tower, then take in the colonial and Chinese architecture on foot.
Day two: Continue exploring the town's streets, noting the Malay and Chinese shophouses and the everyday life of Hilir Perak. If your visit falls on a Saturday or Sunday in May or April, you may encounter the Chitra Pournami celebrations, a Hindu festival observed locally. Spend the afternoon walking the older quarters and observing the mix of communities that shape Teluk Intan.
Day three: Use the town as a base for the surrounding district. Buses connect Teluk Intan with Tapah, Bidor, Sitiawan, Lumut and Bagan Datoh, so you can plan a short excursion before returning. If you are heading onward, the same express services run back to Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur or KLIA Airport.