MY · Pahang · 3.82°N 103.33°E

kuantan

East coast city trip: Teluk Cempedak beach, keropok lekor and seafood nights.

Best time
March to October for calmer seas. The north-east monsoon, roughly November to February, brings heavy rain, rough water and sometimes floods.
How long
2 days, 1 night
Getting there
About 3 hours' drive from KL on the East Coast Expressway, or about 45 minutes' flight to Kuantan airport. Express buses run from TBS in KL.
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MY · Pahangkuantan3.82°N 103.33°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,East coast city trip: Teluk Cempedak beach, keropok lekor and seafood nights.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingKuantanMY, Pahang
KLkuantan
≈ 197 km from KL, as the crow flies
View northwards from the observation deck of the Menara Kuantan 188 tower at blue hour

Photo: Dominic Nelson · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

Pahang's capital and the biggest city on the peninsula's east coast, near the mouth of the Kuantan River. It's an easy base for the city beach at Teluk Cempedak, good seafood, and day trips to cave temples, an old mining town and Cherating.

Makan

  1. Ikan patin masak tempoyakPahang's signature dish: silver catfish in a rich, sour fermented durian curry.Map ↗
  2. Keropok lekorEast coast fish sausage, fried and dipped in chilli sauce.Map ↗
  3. Seafood dinnerThe seafood restaurants across the river at Tanjung Lumpur are a local favourite.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Teluk CempedakThe city beach, with a boardwalk trail through the forest on the headland.Map ↗
  2. The riverfrontWalk along the Kuantan River in the evening; the big state mosque is close by.Map ↗
  3. Gua CharasA cave temple inside a limestone hill outside the city, with a reclining Buddha.Map ↗
  4. Sungai LembingAn old tin-mining town about 45 minutes away, with a mining museum and a sunrise hike up Bukit Panorama.Map ↗
  5. CheratingA laid-back beach village about 45 minutes north, for a day by the sea.Map ↗

Good to know

  • The monkeys at Teluk Cempedak grab food and bags. Keep snacks zipped away.
  • For Bukit Panorama, start in the dark with a torch to catch the sea of clouds at sunrise.

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