Teluk Bahang Jetty
The day started with the group meeting at Teluk Bahang Jetty at 8 30am... almost too early for a Sunday morning. The group consisted of Nazlina, a Malay cooking expert who has a penchant for Penang heritage, Peter, a cyclist whose passion is to cycle off the beaten tracks in uncharted terrain, Rick, a wildlife buff, Veronica and John, repeat visitors from Australia, myself, an author and publisher of Penang cookbook, Earn, my entrepreneur husband , my two girls and Naz's two children.
Teluk Bahang Jetty
Muka Head Light House Soon we boarded the boat that took us to Monkey Beach ( also known as Teluk Duyong ) where we hopped off into a jungle rainforest trial where we journeyed on an uphill climb, surrounded by beautiful lush greenery and strange looking fungi with the most alluring colours. With Rick around, the trip proved to be rather fruitful in gathering jungle knowledge .We learnt about Lianas , the long wooden stems that grow especially well in tropical moist rainforests. He even did demonstrations of how one can swing from tree to tree using the famous tarzan 's trick.There were pitcher's plants galore along the jungle trail and we learnt how insects got trapped in the tubular structures that eventually got digested by the plants' enzymes . It's pretty fascinating stuff when we ventured a walk on the wild side.
Soon, we arrived after about 45 minutes' walk at the Muka Head Light House where Nazlina made prior arrangements for the group to scour the century old colonial structure built around 1883. What surprised me most was the graphic black and white interior inside the Light House tower that looked most stunning and modern. The walk up the spiral stairway to the Light House, though brief ,led us to the top of the tower that offered a panoramic view of Langkawi Island. It's a pretty awesome 360 degree view of the surrounding seas.
Pantai Kerachut
From Monkey Beach, we were ferried to Pantai Kerachut where we found a resting place to have our lunch. Though it was a simple fare of fried bee hoon and Nasi Lemak, we savoured our lunch like it was a Michelin star meal. The hike up and down the Muka Head Light House worked up quite an appetite for us and we were thankful there was enough grub to go round.
Rick swung from a Liana to demostrate what Tarzan would have done in a jungle.
After lunch, we headed towards the turtle sanctuary or Turtle Conservation Centre . This is the part of the beach where turtles swim for miles to lay hundreds of eggs. 
Unfortunately most eggs don't make it to adult turtles due to poaching by egg poachers, wild predators etc, not many eggs make it to baby turtles and even fewer grow into full adult turtles. The guide pointed out that these turtle eggs were buried in different temperatures as that bred turtles of different sex. The ones buried under the direct sunlight bred female turtles while the ones in the shade would hatch male turtles. What can I say? I suppose the female gender takes on the heat better.
Before heading back to our boat, we took a walk in the world's smallest national park to observe an ecological oddity-the meromictic lake , one of the few of its kind in the world. The lake combines seawater with freshwater without mixing, making two separate water layers. This lake does not offer any opportunity for wildlife survival as they cannot stay alive in an environment that defies the norm.
It was an eventful day in the great outdoor and a terrific way to spend quality time with family and friends. My girls certainly had an enjoyable and educational tour of Penang National Park and I had a good workout and a tan. What more I one ask for on a lazy Sunday?
North Penang Map
Penang National Park Trails
Boat Tour Services
Visitors to the park are encouraged to take advantage of boat tour services arranged from private operators. Save time by going straight to your favorite beach to spend an afternoon or just enjoy the views from sea level with an island cruise.
Here are some activities and outings offered by boat tour operators and some contacts (no endorsements):
Monkey Beach (Teluk Duyung)
Turtle Beach (Pantai Kerachut)
Remote Beach (Tuluk Kampi)
Mangrove Cruise
Sunset Cruise
Birdwatching Tour
Fishing Trip BBQ
Round Island Tour
If you're interested, you can reach the following person:
Person Phone
Ah Cuan 019 414 1996
Atan 012 473 1299
Keri 016 487 4405
Sugiman 012 586 5325
Awang 013 468 6423
Yon 017 447 9169
Akram 012 422 7913
Article and pictures by Tze for PenangPassion.com