MY · Perak · 5.03°N 100.65°E

bukit merah

Orangutans on a lake island, a family waterpark and sunset over Bukit Merah lake.

Best time
Any time of year. The lake is usually fullest after the October–November rains. In long dry spells the water can drop low enough to make boating hard, as it did in early 2026.
How long
1–2 days
Getting there
About 3–3.5 hours' drive from KL on the North–South Expressway; the Bukit Merah exit is a few minutes from the lake. Taiping is about 30 minutes away and Penang under an hour. By train, take the ETS to Taiping or Parit Buntar and drive the rest.
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MY · Perakbukit merah5.03°N 100.65°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Orangutans on a lake island, a family waterpark and sunset over Bukit Merah lake.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingBukit MerahMY, Perak
KLbukit merah
≈ 240 km from KL, as the crow flies
May 2024 in Mlaysia

Photo: philip.mallis · CC BY-SA 2.0

Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

A big reservoir in the Kerian rice country, dammed in 1906, with a lakeside resort and waterpark on its shore. Families come for the slides and for Orang Utan Island, a conservation centre a short boat ride out, where you walk through a fenced walkway while the orangutans move about freely.

Makan

  1. Cucur udang and mee udangDrive down to Kuala Kurau on the coast for prawn fritters and prawn noodles.Map ↗
  2. Taiping hawker foodThe Larut Matang hawker centre in Taiping, about 30 minutes south, has something for everyone.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Orang Utan IslandBoats leave the resort jetty for the island, about 10 minutes out, home to around 15 Bornean orangutans. A guide walks you through.Map ↗
  2. Laketown waterparkWave pool, lazy river and slides on the lakeshore, the main reason many families come.Map ↗
  3. The lakeshore at sunsetMalaysia's oldest man-made lake, built for the Kerian rice fields, goes still and gold in the last hour of light.Map ↗
  4. Kuala KurauFishing boats, prawn fritters and sunset at Ban Pecah, about 40 minutes west on the coast.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Put Bukit Merah, Kerian into your map. There's another Bukit Merah near Ipoh.
  • The island boats depend on the lake level. If there's been a long dry spell, ask the Orang Utan Island Foundation whether boats are running before you build the day around it.
  • The waterpark is packed on weekends and school holidays. Come on a weekday if you can.

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