Fun and easy hike in Penang National Park, Malaysia

Penang National Park holds a curious record, it’s one of the world’s smallest national parks. However, it is home to a vast spectrum of tropical plants, animals, and geographical features. It contains six different types of habitat: a meromictic lake, wetlands, mangroves, mudflats, coral reefs, and turtle nesting beaches.

All of this in only 2500 hectares… which means it’s an excellent place for hiking as you will never get bored. As they say: “Good things come in small packages.” So, Hiking in Penang National park is a pleasure, but it has its peculiarities; let’s explore the best way to hike this trail!

Penang National Park Hiking

There are two main trails in Penang National Park. One goes through the jungle to Pantai Kerachut aka Turtle Beach, while the other goes through the coast to Teluk Duyung aka Monkey beach.

Everywhere I read about them says that it’s impossible to do both on the same day. So, you have to choose between them… or do you? Well, even if you are extremely fit, it would be very difficult and mainly a little foolish. What’s the point of rushing through everything only to walk through the jungle for 7 or 8 hours?

Yet, we hiked both trails in one day, and it was fun, relaxed, and fairly easy! It took us less than 4 hours of hiking… How did we do it?

1. We hiked the trail to turtle beach;
2. Later, we took a boat from turtle beach to Monkey beach;
3. Finally, we hiked back to the Penang National park entrance from Monkey beach;

Easy-peasy right? 🙂

The canopy walk in Penang National Park

Note that there is a Canopy Walk in the Park, but it was closed when we went there. Supposedly this Canopy allows you to walk among the rainforest treetops and costs only 5 Rm per person.

We did other Canopy walks in Malaysia, and it was very cool, so if they open up this Canopy make sure you give it a try… If it’s closed, check the one in the Kuala Lumpur guide!

1) The Pantai Kerachut trail (Turtle Beach)

If we really had to choose only one trail, we would have chosen this trail. Within minutes you are right in the middle of the tropical lush jungle. The path is clear and easy to follow, but it’s hard work, with some steep and slippery parts.

This is a true jungle trail, but with a few concrete stairs to help climb the steeper parts. Along the trail, there are a few huts to rest and some information about the trail, the fauna, the flora, and the park.

The meromictic lake in Penang National Park

The meromictic lake is one of the big attractions in Penang National park. It’s a rare natural feature composed of two separate layers of unmixed freshwater on top and seawater below.

Right before arriving at turtle beach, you will have to cross the suspension bridge over the meromictic lake or a muddy plain because this rare lake only exists during the rainy season. Unfortunately, this was our case…

Pantai Kerachut, aka Turtle Beach

In our opinion, turtle beach is the most pristine of Penang; however, it has a big downside you aren’t allowed to swim there. Anyhow, it’s a beautiful beach to enjoy the sun, the sand, and the relative solitude.

This beach is a turtle nesting reserve, thus the name. While it’s challenging actually to see the turtles on the beach, you can visit the turtle center, where they have some information and a few turtles to show you.

You should note that you can continue this hike for about 5 km, which should take about 2 hours. You’ll need to return the same way, so we decided to rest on the beach and see the turtles instead. After all, we still wanted to go to monkey beach and hike the other trail…

2) Taxi boat from Turtle beach to Monkey Beach (Teluk Duyung)

From Pantai Kerachut, you can get a taxi boat to Teluk Duyung / Monkey Beach. Though it’s safer if you book it at the park’s entrance, we just tag along with a girl we met during the trek and paid for our way.

Several taxi boats are doing this route, so it’s fairly easy to go to one of them and haggle your way. The trip itself is enjoyable, and you get to see the park from a different view. It takes about 15 minutes to reach Monkey beach.

Monkey beach aka Teluk Duyung

We were expecting Monkey Beach (Teluk Duyung) to be very different. Why? We were expecting it to look like turtle beach or Koh ta Kiev. However, with the number of boats, water sports, and people, it really didn’t look like a National Park. It was just an average beach…

Unfortunately, both the water and the sand weren’t very clean. We rested a bit, enjoyed a swim, and continued our hike, now returning to the Park Entrance.

3) The trail between Monkey Beach and the park entrance

Although this last trail is always close or by the shore, it’s still a forest trail that gets narrow and a bit challenging, with the occasional boulder or fallen tree to vault over. We saw several monkeys and two scary monitor lizards along the trail.

This part of the trail is also dirtier, particularly right in front of the building of the University of Malaysia Marine Research Station.  It’s very disappointing that the university is contributing to the pollution of the park instead of helping clean it.

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Penang National Park hiking tips

How to go to Penang National Park?

Get bus 101, which runs from Georgetown’s jetty to the National Park. It’s the last stop, where the bus turns around. This bus travels along Chulia Street, KOMTAR, then out of town along the coast through Batu Ferringhi beach. There’s a bus every 10 minutes, and it takes about an hour for the full way.

Price/Entry fee to Penang National Park

The park has no entry fee; however, you must register at the entrance. The bus costs 2.7 Ringgit (0.5 USD) each way. If you fancy our suggestion of making both trails and connecting them by boat, then you obviously have to pay for the boat. We paid 20 Ringgit (4.2 USD) per person.

How much time does it take to hike Penang National Park

Each trail takes about 1:30, and the boat takes 10 to 15 minutes. However, overall this is a full-day activity, particularly if you want to do both beaches as we suggested!

The park is open from 8:00 to 17:00. We suggest you enjoy the most of this time.

What to pack when hiking Penang National Park

Penang national park is small, but the hikes referred to here take quite a while, and you probably won’t find anything within the Park. So you’ll need to take everything you need with you. Here’s our list of things you should bring to a full day of hiking in Penang National Park.

• Lots of water – Remember that you’ll be hiking in the jungle and may get dehydrated quickly. Have a look at the best travel water bottles.
• Snacks – There were people selling snacks on monkey beach, but I wouldn’t count on it;
• Walking or running shoes with good grip – it’s a jungle trek, after all;
• Light daypack – We strongly advise you to take a small, light backpack to take everything you’ll need;
• Bug repellent – As you would expect in any tropical destination with diverse wildlife, bugs are everywhere. They are also the most dangerous thing you’ll encounter. Don’t go hiking without repellent.
• Travel towel – Don’t forget to bring a towel. You’ll be at some nice beaches, and it’ll be very nice to rest and sunbathe after those long walks.
• Sunscreen – This is completely mandatory! The sun is very strong in Malaysia during the summer!

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Where to stay in Penang National Park

There’s no accommodation in Penang National Park, and you can’t spend the night in the park. However, the park is tiny, and it’s easily accessible, so it isn’t necessary!

Are you still wondering if you should go to Penang or to Langkawi? We have got you covered!

If you are planning on going to the park, you may find accommodation in Teluk Bahang (the closest village to the park entrance) in Batu Ferringhi or even in Georgetown itself.

Teluk Bahang

The easiest way is obviously to stay in Teluk Bahang, as you can just walk into the park! In Taluk Bahang, we suggest you stay in the Hotel and Chalet Sportfishing. Click here to see the prices during your stay.

Batu Ferringhi

In our opinion, the best option is to stay in Batu Ferringhi because it’s less than 5km away, and the public bus 101 goes directly to the National Park entrance. Or you could always hire a taxi, or maybe even a taxi boat! In Batu Ferringhi, you have dozens of options, and between those, we suggest:

• For backpackers – Rasa Motel Penang – It’s a basic but comfortable motel located very close to the bus station. It has excellent value for money! Click here to compare prices!
• Mid-range accommodation – Bayview beach resort – is a good compromise between a still excellent price and an overall better hotel. Click here to check prices!
• High-end hotel – Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang – is the hotel to stay in if you only want the best! It’s clearly the best hotel in Penang… Click here to check prices!

Booking.com

In conclusion, Penang National Park has the best hiking trails on the island. It is appropriate for adventure seekers, backpackers, and even families.

The Penang National Park trails are a safe and easy way to enjoy a virgin tropical jungle. After a few minutes of hiking, you are in the middle of a jungle similar to the ones you see in the movies or pictures, and you’ll be pleased by its sounds, smells, and views.

Check the 50 things you need to know before visiting Malaysia

Furthermore, our suggested route is your best option if you want to see more of the park. Hike both trails and connect them with a small, pleasant boat ride. Instead of 2 separate linear trails, you get a circular route and don’t have to come back the same way you went.

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