Tapah is a town in Perak, widely regarded as one of the main entry points into one of Malaysia’s popular hill resorts, Cameron Highlands. It leads to an older, narrow route that goes from Ringlet to Tanah Rata to Brinchang.

The town is located along the Federal Route 1, one of the trunk roads that goes through the western part of west Malaysia. There is also a Tapah Outbound toll plaza, which connects the town with the North-South Expressway (NSE), one of Malaysia’s longest highways stretching all the way from Kedah in the north to Johor Bahru in the south.

Tapah, while not as large as Ipoh and Taiping, offers a variety of facilities like a hospital, Syariah court, banks (for example Bank Simpanan Nasional, Bank Rakyat and Maybank), petrol stations, supermarkets and schools such as SK Satu, SJK (T) Tapah and Kolej Komuniti Tapah.

In December 2010, a new campus for Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UiTM) was opened in Tapah along the Tapah Road, about 8 minutes from the town centre, giving the town a boost in student rentals. It is no surprise that new developments are, slowly but steadily, being launched in the area flanking Tapah Road.

The bus terminal is in the middle of the town centre, along the main road of Jalan Besar. From here, one can travel to other destinations like Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Singapore. Bus stops can be found around Jalan Stesen in the town centre and Tapah Road, easing transportation within the town. And the nearest train station to Tapah, KTM Tapah Road, is slightly further – about 9.5km from the town centre.