Sintok

Small Kedah foothill town near the Thai border, best known as the home of Universiti Utara Malaysia.

Sintok is a small town in Kedah state, tucked into the foothills near the Thai-Malaysian border. It is home to Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), the country's management university, and most visitors are here on campus business rather than tourism. The university campus itself is attractively set among hills and a large lake, and the surrounding countryside is green paddy fields and rubber plantations.

There is little in Sintok proper to detain a tourist, but the area has its rewards if you are passing through. The nearby town of Changlun, about 15 kilometres north on the road to the Bukit Kayu Hitam border crossing, is known for good and cheap Thai food — a reflection of how close Thailand is. The night market there is worth a stop.

The Ulu Muda Forest Reserve, accessible from the broader Kedah region, is one of Peninsular Malaysia's largest remaining tracts of primary rainforest and home to elephants, tigers, and a rich variety of birdlife. Reaching it requires some planning and a local guide, but it is a genuinely wild area that sees very few visitors compared to Taman Negara or the Cameron Highlands.

Guide

Getting There

Sintok is reached via the North-South Expressway (PLUS highway) — take the Changlun exit, then follow signs to UUM. The journey from Alor Setar, the state capital of Kedah, takes about 45 minutes by car. From Penang, allow around two hours.

There is no train station at Sintok; the nearest rail connection is Alor Setar. Buses run between Alor Setar and Changlun, from where local transport can reach the university. Long-distance buses from Kuala Lumpur and Penang also stop at Changlun.

The Bukit Kayu Hitam border crossing into Thailand is about 15 kilometres north of Changlun, making Sintok a practical overnight stop if you are crossing into the Thai south by road.

Guide

Things to Do

Sintok is primarily a university town, and most of what there is to do is tied to the UUM campus or the surrounding countryside. The Kedah hills and the proximity to the Thai border give the area a distinct character — greener and quieter than most of Peninsular Malaysia's tourism circuit.