Name: Teluk Bahang
Rating: 4.2

Penang National Park, Teluk Bahang Overview

Spread over an area of 23 square kilometres, Penang National Park is Malaysia's smallest national park. Locally known as Taman Negara Pulau Pinang, it houses a seasonal meromictic lake, lovely pristine beaches, lowland dipterocarp forests and mangrove forests.

The Penang National Park is home to 417 species of flora and 143 species of fauna. Harbouring 9 beautiful beaches, it is also known as ‘Bay of Glowing Amber’ due to the shimmering sunset view at its beaches. The park's only entrance is from the gate close to Teluk Bahang bus stop. Owing to its small size, the national park is ideal for a 1-day picnic with family in the lap of nature.

Hiking in Penang National Park

There are several small trails for hiking in Penang National Park but the two main trails lead towards Pantai Kerachut (Turtle beach) and Teluk Duyung (Monkey Beach). Both these trails start right from 500 metres of the park entrance. The right turn leads to Monkey Beach and the left turn to the Turtle Beach. One has to sign up at the ranger's office at the entrance before starting the trek.

Pantai Kerachut Trail (Turtle Beach)
The 90 minutes trail to the Turtle Beach is quite easy with a few rough patches in between. The path has clearly marked sign-boards, some stairs and ropes to help in trekking. Shelter huts have also been set up for taking rest. Just before reaching Pantai Kerachut, the path opens to cross a suspension bridge across the rare meromictic lake. The lake is a seasonal wonder and there are few of its kind in the whole world.

Teluk Duyung Trail (Monkey Beach)
The 5-kilometre trail to Monkey Beach follows the shore. The trek is a bit challenging owing to fallen trees and large protruding roots on the narrow jungle path. It takes around 2 hours to reach the Monkey Beach lined with coconut trees. One may find macaques wandering over this remote beach. Also, don't miss to climb up the second oldest lighthouse of Malaysia, at Muka Head at the far end of the beach for panoramic views of the surrounding islands.

Penang National Park Beaches

Teluk Bahang
Known as the Bay of Embers, Teluk Bahang Beach is a quiet beach with pearl-like white sand. This lovely beach is popular for viewing the sunset. However, due to the deadly jellyfishes, swimming is strictly prohibited.

Teluk Tukun
Teluk Tukun beach is located near the national park headquarters. It has some small pools meant for swimming. Use the trail 1A-1B to reach the beach.

Tanjung Ailing
Tanjung Ailing beach is easily accessible via the trail 1A-1B-1C. The University Science Malaysian research centre is located at the beach using the coast as a research subject. It also houses a jetty and a resting place meant for bringing supplies from the town to the USM centre.

Teluk Duyung (Monkey Beach)
Monkey Beach is named so because of the presence of crab-eating macaques here. This remote beach houses a scenic lighthouse. Teluk Duyung is ideal for swimming and a great picnic time with family by the lovely seaside.

Pantai Kerachut
With the fascinating meromictic lake, Pantai Kerachut has some interesting kind of fauna like the gastropods, garoupas, crabs and monitor lizards. The beach is also a turtle nesting site and has the Penang Turtle Sanctuary.

Teluk Kampi
Rarely visited by tourists, Teluk Kampi is the longest beach at the national park. Many historical artefacts can be found at the beach. Use the trail 1A-6A-6B-6D-6E-8A-8B-8C via Pantai Kerachut, Tanjung Kerachut and then Teluk Kampi to reach the beach.

Pantai Mas
Meant to be a coconut plantation, this golden beach is more of an overgrown wasteland. Few visitors come here. One can walk to the beach from Teluk Bahang or from Pantai Acheh village. It's not easy to access Pantai Mas beach via the sea.

Pasir Pandak
This golden beach is surrounded by jungle and is ideal for a quiet afternoon break in the national park.

Teluk Ketapang
The beach is famous for its local food stalls but is not ideal for a stay.

Things to Do

Camping
The Pantai Kerachut Beach of the National Park has some shelter facilities at the deeper end of the beach for camping. The highlight of this camping experience is the meromictic lake nearby. It's a unique kind of a water body where fresh water and salt water do not mix. Also, the beach is a turtle nesting site and camping enables one to watch the turtles come out at night. Open fire and swimming is not allowed at the beach. For camping here, make reservations at the information window of the national park in advance.

Boating
Hire a boat at the entrance of the park to explore this little wonder. A boat trip to Monkey Beach is priced around RM 50 for the whole boat which can accommodate 8-10 people. A ride to the turtle sanctuary will cost around RM 100. Take a boat ride to the Pantai Kerachut Beach at dusk to view its beautiful sunset. This also happens to be the most popular boat ride in the national park.

How to Reach Penang National Park

The Penang National Park is located at a distance of 42 kilometres from Georgetown and 390 kilometres from Kuala Lumpur.

The nearest bus stop is Teluk Bahang, a short walk away. Take the 45-minute ride in Rapid Penang bus service No. 101 from KOMTAR bus terminal, Georgetown to reach Teluk Bahang. The ticket is priced around RM 4. This bus service runs every 20 minutes.
One can also pick a bus from other places in the city like Chulia Street, Jetty and Batu Ferringhi beach.

Car parking facility is available at RM 3 per day at the park entrance.

Need to Know

Refreshment facility is available only at the Monkey Beach. So, come packed with food items and water especially if planning to go for the tiresome trekking.
Use insect repellent cream, sunscreen and wear comfortable hiking shoes.
The Interpretation centre at the park entrance is open daily from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. There are interactive brand-new display boards, binoculars and spotting scope as well to view the fishing village.