Tucked in the northwest corner of Penang Island is the world's smallest national park.  Formerly gazetted as the Pantai Acheh Forest Reserve in 1928 and managed by the Penang Forestry Department, it was re-gazzeted as the Penang National Park (Taman Negara Pulau Pinang) on 10 April 2003 under the management of Department of wildlife and National Parks.

The 1,213-hectare metropolitan national park may be tiny but it packs a punch hosting a wealth of flora and fauna within its hilly coastal-forested area.  An ungazetted virgin jungle reserve is also nestled within its depths, which is managed by the Forestry Department.  The national park is gloriously beautiful at dusk, earning its nickname as the Bay of Glowing Amber.

Penang National Park Attractions

5 Types of Habitats
It is the only nature reserve in Malaysia with 5 types of habitats, namely the only confirmed meromictic lake in Peninsular Malaysia, lowland dipterocarp forest, montane/hill dipterocarp forest, mangroves and sandy beaches. 

The Meromictic Lake
A meromictic effect is a phenomenon that occurs when layers of water do not mix.  In the case of the meromictic lake in Pantai Kerachut (the only such lake in Malaysia), the fresh water from 5 river tributaries do not mix with the salt water flowing from sea.  The calm and current-less state of the water layer in the lakebed contrasted with the free flow state of the upper layer of water in the lake causes the cool fresh water layer (lower density) to lie above the warm salt water layer (higher density).  This occurs from April to September due to the monsoon.

Canopy Walk
The newly built 250m long Canopy Walk hovers 15m from the ground and cost RM3,000 to construct.  It allows visitors to view the lush forest from an interesting angle.

Exotic Fauna
The White-Belied Sea Eagle and their nests high atop tree canopies are easily observed at the coastal forests.  The majestic birds are often spotted in pairs and if you are lucky, you can see them swooping down to the sea waters and emerge with a captured fish struggling helplessly within their strong talons.  There are about 43 White-Belied Sea Eagle nests scattered around Penang National Park.

The Green (Chelonia mydas) and Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) turtles come to nest along Pantai Kerachut (Kerachut Beach) and Pantai Teluk Kampi anytime throughout the year.  A Turtle Hatchery and Conservation Centre was set up by the Fisheries Department at Kerachut Beach to systematically control the number of hatchlings and maintain the turtle's gender balance.  They welcome volunteers who can contribute a week of their time to assist in their efforts.  Interested parties can email them at ikanppnp@streamyx.com or call them at 04-657 2777.

A handful of Irrawaddy dolphins are also sometimes sighted in the coastal seas of the park.

In total, the national park has 243 recorded species consisting of:
- 36 mammalian species
- 44 reptilian species
- 163 bird species
- diverse insect and amphibian species

Flora
Over 1000 plant species are found in the national park.  The dominant species include the Dipterocarpaceae, Leguminoceae, Aponyceae, Euphorbiaceae and Moraceae families.  A commonly found species is the Shorea Curtisii which is the seraya tree of the Dipterocarpaceae family.

Muka Head Light House
Built by the British in 1883 atop a granite outcrop, the Light House rises to a height of 227 metres above sea level, offering visitors a breathtaking panaromic view of of the Malacca Straits.  This historical site which cost £37,000 to build is still very much in operation today and the friendly caretaker will allow you to climb up the steep steps to see the splendid view.  The climb can be strenuous so visitors need to be reasonably fit for it.  The Light House is under the jurisdiction of the Marine Department.

Teluk Duyung
Teluk Duyung, also known as Muka Head or Monkey Beach, is the most popular beach among tourists. It is private land, cultivated with coconuts and durians at one point in time. A 60-year old burial ground which resembles that of Indonesian's Acheh, could make an interesting historical research subject.

How to Get There
A nice walking trail with cemented bridges over small ravines. At normal pace, it would take about 2 hours to reach Teluk Duyung from Teluk Tukun. Larger boats would be able to reach here only during high tide.

Pantai Kerachut
Pantai Kerachut is a beautiful white sandy beach - popular as a picnic and camping site - and it has a meromictic lake where fresh water from the island's streams meets sea water. The sandy stretch is also the nesting placeof the Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) from April and August, and the Olive-Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) between September and February.

How to Get There
They often used the trail starting from Pasir Pandak and branches to the left, away from the coast at the first suspension bridge. This will take about 2 hours to reach Pantai Kerachut.

Teluk Tukun
Sungai Tukun flows into Teluk Tukun. Pulau Tukun Tengah is an island located opposite Teluk Tukun. There are several small swimming pools for campers with piped water being supplied from the reaches of the upper stream.

How to Get There
It is about a 20-minute walk from the entrance of the park on a clear and easy trail along the coast to the beach at Telok Tukun.

USM Research Station
Established in 1996 and owned by Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), it is used by researchers to carry out maritime related studies. The research station is located in Tanjung Aling where there is a jetty to receive and unload supplies from Teluk Bahang.  The station's forest bed is used for botany and other forest related research.

How to Get There
It takes about 1/2 hour to reach Tanjung Aling from Pasir Pandak.  The commonly used coastal trail is a fork from Sungai Tukun.

Location Map

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Two Entry Points
1. The National Park counter in Teluk Bahang is the main entrance to the park.  This is where visitors should register themselves and receive their entry permits.
2. The Kuala Sungai Pinang estuary in Balik Pulau is the second entrance to the park.  To enter the park, visitors need to take a boat ride on the tourist boats docked at the estuary.  The Kuala Sungai Pinang estuary is a great bird watching spot as the mangrove forest is a roosting area for many bird species including the Brahminy Kite, the Common Sandpiper, the Lesser Heron and the White-Bellied Sea Eagle.

Two Types of Permits
1. Day-Trip Visitor Permit
2. Overnight Visitor Permit - for visitors camping at the national park

Facilities
Campers are only allowed to reside at the two designated camp sites at Pantai Kerachut and Sungai Tukun.  Campers should bring their own camping and cooking gear as these are not provided.   Visitors who do not want to make camp in the park can stay at the numerous hotels at Teluk Bahang and Batu Feringghi.  Both places have an assortment of eateries, convenience stores, souvenir shops, medical clinics and other tourist related establishments. 

Other facilities at the national park include a guard post, halls, shower rooms, resting points, look-out points and surau (a place for Muslims to worship).

The campsite at Pantai Kerachut can only accommodate up to 80 campers at any one time, while the campsite at Sungai Tukun is limited to 30 campers.  This is mainly due to water supply constraints as the campsites are solely dependent on rainfall.  To avoid disappointment, interested campers need to submit an application at least 1 month prior to the visit to this address:

Superintendent
Penang National Park
Jalan Hassan Abbas
11050 Teluk Bahang
Penang
Tel: 604-881 3530/064-881 3500
Fax: 604-881 2016
Email: tnpp@wildlife.gov.my
Website: www.wildlife.gov.my/tnpp/splashpg.htm

Activities
There are lots of ecotourism activities that can be had at Penang National Park including:
- Hill climbing
- Fishing
- Swimming
- Wildlife observation
- Camping
- Bird watching
- Boating
- Team building activities such as 'Blind trail' - river trekking while being blind folded
- Jungle trekking

Entrance Fees
Entrance is currently free.  For groups (minimum of 2, maximum of 10) who are staying overnight in the national park, it is compulsory to hire the services of a guide at the rate of RM100 per guide per day.