Timah Tasoh Dam
- Duration
- 1-2 hours (sunset popular)
- Opening Hours
- Open shore area; no published gate hours (dam plaza and lakeside accessible in daylight)
- Ticket Price
- MYR No entry fee captured · Child No entry fee captured
- Good for
- Photographers · Birdwatchers · Families · Cyclists
A man-made reservoir of roughly 1,300 hectares about 17 km north of Kangar, formed by damming the Sungai Timah and Sungai Tasoh — the lake takes its name from both rivers. Its completion year conflicts across sources (one reference gives the dam completed in 1987; a Facebook lake guide says built from 1987 and completed in 1992) — recorded, not adjudicated. Today it is a freshwater fish sanctuary (NST, January 2024), a stopover for hundreds of migratory birds, and a quiet recreation shore with boat rides (RM50 per boat per a Trip.com resort posting), lakeside walks, free bicycle hire with parking receipts, homestays, resorts and campsites.
Highlights & Experience
A Quiet Inland Sea in Malaysia's Smallest State
The reservoir spreads across the northern Perlis plain, its calm water backing the Nakawan hills. Sunset is the headliner: the lakeside Dataran Empangan plaza and dam crest fill with photographers, and the water turns glass before dusk.
Fish Sanctuary and Bird Stopover
The lake is designated a freshwater fish sanctuary and hosts hundreds of migratory birds (NST, January 2024) — birders pair it with nearby Kampung Tasoh rice fields. On shore, homestays, a resort and campsites let visitors stay lakeside, and boat operators run cruises across the water.
- ~17 km north of Kangar via Padang Besar road; the dam plaza (Dataran Empangan Timah Tasoh) has parking — bicycles ride free with a parking receipt per visitor reports.Boat ride RM50 per boat (Trip.com resort-area posting, 2022); no entry fee captured
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Practical Q&A
When was the dam built?
Sources conflict: one reference records the dam as completed in 1987, while a lake guide page says built from 1987 and completed in 1992. Both are recorded; neither is adjudicated.
Is there an entry fee?
No entry fee is captured for the shore area. Boat rides run about RM50 per boat (2022 posting).
What is there to do?
Sunset photography at the dam plaza, boat cruises, lakeside walks, free bicycle rides with a parking receipt, birdwatching, fishing culture at the fish sanctuary, and homestay or camping stays.