Due to its strategic location, Kuala Lipis, in the old days of the British era, was an influential trading and business center. Minerals such as tin and gold, and products from the surrounding forests were actively traded.

The town grew as their reputation as a trading centre brought Chinese and locals from afar to the area. The Chinese businessmen built the atypical Chinese shop houses that still line the 400m long main street called Jalan Besar .

We passed Kuala Lipis on the way to Taman Negara, a Malaysia’s Premier National park- and one of the three embarkation points to Gunung Tahan, the highest mountain in Peninsular Malaysia standing at 2,187 meters above sea level.