MY · Terengganu · 4.77°N 103.20°E

bukit besi

An old iron-mining town with a mining museum and Tasik Puteri, the lake left in the pit.

Best time
March to October, for a walk by the lake. The north-east monsoon brings heavy rain from about November to January.
How long
Half a day
Getting there
About 4.5 hours' drive from KL on the East Coast Expressway, leaving at the Bukit Besi exit. Dungun is about 40 minutes away on the coast.
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MY · Terengganubukit besi4.77°N 103.20°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,An old iron-mining town with a mining museum and Tasik Puteri, the lake left in the pit.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingBukit BesiMY, Terengganu
KLbukit besi
≈ 247 km from KL, as the crow flies
Dataran Piramid dekat Bukit Besi di Daerah Dungun, Terengganu

Photo: Wiki Farazi · CC0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

Until around 1970, Bukit Besi was a major iron mine, run first by a Japanese company and later a British one, with the ore sent by rail to the port at Dungun. Today there's a small museum, a few old remains and Tasik Puteri, the lake that filled the main pit.

Makan

  1. Nasi dagangBreakfast at the stalls in town or in Dungun.Map ↗
  2. Keropok lekorBuy a bag for the drive. The stalls on the coast road fry it fresh.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Bukit Besi MuseumPhotos, old machinery and the story of the mine and the people who came from all over to work it.Map ↗
  2. Tasik PuteriThe flooded mine pit is now a lake with a recreation park. Walk the shore or go out in a kayak.Map ↗
  3. The mining remainsOld rail tracks, ore buildings and the Bukit Tebuk railway tunnel near Kampung Nibong. Look, but don't climb.Map ↗
  4. DungunPair it with the Thursday night market on the coast.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Swimming is banned in Tasik Puteri. The old mine water isn't safe.
  • It's a short detour off the expressway, so it fits easily into a Dungun or Rantau Abang trip.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.