Bukit Ayer Recreational Forest

Bukit Ayer is the family picnic forest of Perlis: dipterocarp hill forest with a waterfall running into a pool, and a second, built pool downstream shallow enough for small children.

It sits at the end of state route R119, past the Sungai Batu Pahat snake farm, which makes it a straightforward drive from Kangar and an obvious pairing with that stop. The facilities are more developed than at most Perlis sites — information centre, changing and bathing areas, a multipurpose hall, camping ground, surau, toilets, tables and a playground.

Entry is nominal, in the region of RM2 for Malaysian adults and RM1 for children, free for under-sixes. It opens from 9am to 6pm.

Weekends are busy and sociable; on weekdays it is close to empty. The water is at its best after rain and correspondingly thin at the end of a dry spell — worth factoring in if the falls are the reason you are going.

Sources: Perlis Forestry Department — Taman Eko Rimba Bukit Ayer, Penang Travel Tips — Hutan Lipur Bukit Ayer