Bukit Besi, Terengganu

Bukit Besi (GPS: 4.74957, 103.19183) is a small town in the Dungun district of Terengganu. Its name means "Iron Hill". This name came about because Bukit Besi was the site of old tin mines which used to operate there. The mines of Bukit Besi are now filled with water to form Tasik Puteri.

The iron ore mine which now forms Tasik Puteri once held the distinction of being the largest iron mine in the world. During the Japanese Occupation, iron mining was handled by the Nippon Mining Company. After the war was over, the British took over the mines between 1945 and 1947, when it was sold to the Eastern Mining Company.

As the iron ore of Bukit Besi became depleted in the 1960's, continual operations was no longer profitable. It was eventually shut down in the early 1970's. Today visitors to Bukit Besi can still visit the tin plants, stockpile buildings and tunnels used during the tin-mining days. The rail tracks and rail carts can still be seen in Bukit Besi.

Hows to reach Bukit Besi

Take Route 132 (Jalan Bukit Besi-Dungun) from Kuala Dungun westward until junction with Route 14 (Jalan Jabor-Al Muktafi Billah Shah). Head south on Route 14 until you reach Bukit Besi.

Bukit Besi is on the Map of Terengganu

Return to Discover Terengganu mainpage

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.