Taiping is among the top 3 most sustainable cities in the world, according to the 2019 Sustainable Top 100 Destination Awards, right behind Ljubljana, Slovenia and Vancouver, Canada in the “Best of Cities” category!
ITB Berlin hosted the most prestigious Awards Ceremony for Sustainable Destinations. This event is dedicated to recognizing innovation and good practices in tourism management: islands, towns, regions and whole countries. The award winners have been selected by a Jury representing 12 international organizations.
Taiping rated as one of the top green destinations.
The town’s Municipal Council president Datuk Abd Rahim Md Ariff received the award.
Taiping Municipal Council president Datuk Abd Rahim Md Ariff said, “This is the first time we received a prestigious international award. This achievement is due to the hard work of the community and all relevant governmental agencies.”
“The council always works hard to make Taiping a popular tourist destination,” Abd Rahim added.
The “Best of Cities” category of the awards recognizes cities that show leadership in urban sustainability and in avoiding disruptive over-tourism.
Taiping is the second largest town in Perak after the state capital Ipoh. The town also is known as the wettest town in Peninsular Malaysia. Its unusual rainfall has also blessed its Lake Gardens with a fertile and splendid collection of flora and century-old rain trees. Itis characterized by aging buildings and clear blue skies with high chances of rain.
Green Destinations, a non-profit organization that focuses on the efforts of creating sustainable tourism, leading global cooperation between experts, listed Taiping on its 100 Sustainable Cities list in December 2018.
Taiping used to be a thriving tin-mining town that lost its luster with the rise of Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur as cities.
Taiping has previously been recognized as the Best Destination Manager 2016 by the Tourism Promotion Board for the Asia Pacific; besides having received the Malaysia Tourism Council Gold Award 2017 in Best Heritage and Eco Travel Destination Category and Malaysia Tourism Council Gold Award 2018 for the Best Tourism Promotion Campaign.
For those who have not visited Taiping, it is time to consider visiting this beautiful city!
Taiping is a charming old tin-mining town in Perak, northern Malaysia, between the strong mountains of Ipoh and the murky seas of Georgetown. This small city is not known as a popular tourist spot, but it contains such a rich history of the country, the first railway, the oldest museum, good food, and scenic views of mountains, lakes, the first zoo, the oldest prison. and centuries-old rain trees.
The name Taiping is made up of two Chinese characters (tai – ‘great’) and (ping – ‘peace’). The area developed quickly in the 19th century when tin was discovered. The discovery of tin deposits in the area attracted settlers from China.
The months of June to August may be more convenient due to the slightly warmer and drier weather.
Taiping Lake Gardens opened in 1880 becoming Malaysia’s first park, built on the site of an old tin mine, its sprawling 62-hectare forest and lake offer a perfect spot for a picnic, chill out or relax. There are plenty of well-maintained tracks around the lake or you can rent a variety of small boats from the Pusat Rekreasi Dayung. There are lots of various plants, iconic rain trees that are dramatically bent downwards towards the lake that makes walking around it a wonderful experience.
Check this video taken from DJI Phantom 3 Profession from Mode Media MY
The Lake Gardens are also popular with cyclists as well as groups of martial artists.
Taiping Zoo
Taiping Zoo is Malaysia’s oldest zoo that houses more than 1,000 animals or 180 species of amphibians, mammals and reptiles. The zoo is located nearby Taiping Lake Gardens. It is also one of the popular things to do in Taiping, and the zoo has active participation in conservation and breeding efforts.
Perak’s oldest church
All Saint’s Church along Taming Sari Street is Perak’s oldest church. It was the first church in the Federated Malay States, founded in 1886. The church features a timber facade and gothic architectural design, with a small adjacent cemetery. Its cemetery is laden with beautifully crafted tombstones of European settlers.
Muzium Perak, otherwise known as the Perak Museum, was the first museum established in Malaysia in 1883. Located at the intersection of Jalan Muzium and Jalan Taming Sari, it sits directly opposite the Taiping Prison.
The 8474 exhibits displayed show Malaysia’s history, zoology, and geology, amongst many other parts of old history that have long been forgotten. Some of the exhibits show the culture and products of the indigenous tribes of Perak, including the Senoi and Negrito tribes.
Explore Taiping for FREE with an electric shuttle bus
After Taiping was established as a Heritage town, the shuttle buses were gifted to Taiping by the Japanese government. Not only are the shuttle buses convenient for tourists to go sightseeing in, the buses are also environmentally friendly. Buses stop in a total of thirty-nine places including Taiping Museum and Taiping Lake Gardens.
Visitors can board the bus along the Taiping Heritage Trail, the Zoo, Clock Tower, or Museum.
Founded in 1884, it is the oldest hill resort in Malaysia. It is approximately 1250 m above sea level. The name Maxwell comes from the first British resident of assistant of Perak. The hill was supposed to be a tea plantation, but the tea plants didn’t grow very well here, so the British planters moved to Cameron Highlands instead.
You can see different types of trees and plants here due to the slightly lower temperatures from the rest of the mainland.
Malaysia’s first railway station was situated in Taiping and was opened in 1885 when the Taiping-Port Weld Railway Line, Malaysia’s first, was opened.
Located about an hour drive away from Ipoh, Taiping Railway Station has been a heritage building in town, in which it acts as part of the history. The station remains in the state as a heritage site and serves as a tourist attraction.
Taiping Railway Station has a gallery explaining the 33 things that happened first in Taiping.
Covering an area of more than 40,000 hectares, Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve is recognized as one of the most well-managed expanse of mangrove swamps in the world. Established in 1902, it is the largest mangrove reserve in Malaysia. Mangrove forests are considered as one of the most productive ecosystems in the world and have a well-established ecological, economic and cultural importance.
The state of Perak has received various international awards for its excellent maintenance of this mangrove.
The Burmese Pool is a large rock pool along a stream at the foothills of Bukit Larut, an especially popular weekend nature attraction among locals.
The area is popular with the locals who come here to bath in the river. Burmese Pool got its name from the natural rock pool fed by a waterfall.
Opened in 2015, by Malaysia’s largest bottled water manufacturer, dedicated Kidz Zone and 18-Hole Mini Golf, an ideal family retreat, the Spritzer EcoPark has a mini-golf course, and a rainforest walk with scenic views of the park. Entry to both the EcoPark and the bottling plant is free.
Watch this video from Malaysia Truly Asia to find out what are the must visit places when you are in Taiping.
Located in the heart of Mexico, the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve is a natural protected area that covers a third of Querétaro state. The area is extremely rugged with high steep mountains and deep canyons.
The area is valued for its very wide diversity of plant and animal life, which is due to the various microenvironments created by the ruggedness of the terrain and wide variation in rainfall. The region is on a branch of the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range and consists of a series of mountain chains that run northwest to southeast. Most are made of limestone, formed by sea beds and volcanic rock.
It is the seventh-largest Reserve in Mexico and the most diverse in terms of ecosystems. In 1997 the Sierra Gorda was recognized as a protected natural area by the Environmental and Natural Resource Ministry (SEMARNAT). Since then, the region has transformed into a role model of sustainable development for Mexico and the world.
Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve is the most diverse ecosystem protected area in the country, with the largest social participation in actions for conservation. Some of its rich ecosystems include 800 species of Lepidoptera (butterflies), 339 species of Avifauna (birds), 127 species of fungi, 131 species of Herpetofauna (reptiles and anphibians) and 27 species of Ictiofauna.
From mountain tops to deep abysses, you can transverse distinct landscapes, surrounded by unique flora and fauna.
Photo credit: AlejandroLinaresGarcia / Wikipedia
The reserve begins in the dry semi desert areas in the center of Querétaro and continues north and higher into the mountain peaks of Pinal de Amoles.
The biosphere is the seventh-largest federally protected natural area and has the greatest biodiversity of all of them, including those which encompass marine areas.
The biosphere reserve in Querétaro is managed by Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas of Semarnat. Thirty percent of the reserve’s land is communally owned land with the rest privately owned, with the government issuing regulations. Conservation of the area has also attracted the attention of people such as director James Cameron, who sponsored a reforestation project on 120 hectares.
The fauna and flora include 1,718 species of vascular plants and 124 species of macromicetes. The Reserve is home to the Jaguar, the Yucatan Brown Brocket, the Mexican Black Bear, the Spider Monkey, the Otter, the Great Curassow, the Crested Guan, the Bearded Wood Partridge Dendrortyx barbatus, the Military Macaw Ara militaris, the Red-crowned Amazon Amazona viridigenalis, the Tucan, the Emerald Toucanet and the American Crocodile.
The Reserve houses a variety of cultural attractions, including five Franciscan Missions that are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The Jalpan Dam
The Jalpan Dam collects waters of the Escanela River that originate in the mountains of Pinal de Amoles. Its margins are covered partly by tropical deciduous forests and partly by areas dedicated to the cultivation of citrus trees. Powered by the Jalpan River around this dam you will enjoy a spectacular landscape.
Sierra Gorda Museum
Utensils and diverse pre-Hispanic objects from the region are displayed in this museum. It begins with a historical overview of the region and through engravings and antique and contemporary objects, offers a panorama of the inhabitants of the area.
The museum opens in 1991 display items related to the indigenous people, the history of colonialism and the Franciscan Missions, as well as of contemporary life in the region.
The Cascada de Chuvejé is a local favorite and one of the closer waterfalls to Querétaro. You can access this 35m tall waterfall by driving through around 5km of dirt road, then hiking around 30 minutes through the forest. Chuvejé Waterfall is one of the favorite destinations for those who visit the Sierra Gorda.
Pinol de Amoles
Pinal de Amoles is a town located in Pinal de Amoles Municipality in the state of Querétaro in central Mexico. It is part of the Sierra Gorda region. Pinol de Amoles is a good base to explore the nearby sites, such as Puente de Dios and Chuvejé waterfalls.
The town began as a mining camp in the 17th century, but most mining in the area has disappeared and the municipality is one of the poorest in Mexico, despite recent efforts to promote ecotourism.
Sotan del Barro is one of the largest sinkholes of the world. 455 m deep hole in the ground, formed in Lower Cretaceous limestone. Sotano del Barro is enormous, elongated hole, seen already from the distance in the slope of the mountain. It has no similarity with caves, it is rather like an enormous 455 m deep, gaping pocket.
It is home to one of the last of central Mexico’s colonies of military macaws, huge green-and-blue parrots.
Cave of Swallows
This enormous cave is surrounded by dense vegetation of the Huasteca Potosina region. 512 meters deep and 60 meters wide, with a freefall of 370 meters, the Cave of Swallows is the second-largest pit cave in Mexico and amongst the largest in the world.
Stay with Local Communities
Sierra Gorda is full of small, barely connected communities. San Juan de los Durán is another remote community, where you can book cabins with views over lush valleys. Jalpan and Conca are even more remote communities.
San Juan de los Durán
The town of San Juan de los Durán is located in the Municipality of Jalpan de Serra and it is the most populated town in the whole municipality. It is an excellent takeoff point for visiting the famous Cave of Swallows.
Featured image credit: Pavel Kirillov / Flickr
Want to learn more about other sustainable destination? Check out section sustainable travel destinations.
