Penang National Park

RM50 for park entrance fee, for foreigners. The trail takes about 1.5-2hrs. Trail start from Hiking Area@Penang National Park (Taman Negara Pulau Pinang). There is to and/or fro boat rides from here, at a chargeable price. Trail ends at Pantai Keracut if you taking boat (follow the memorial lake sign at the split trail). The boat pick up time is pretty on time.

Cool experience but a bit expensive for all the effort and not so spectacular views. The value of the visit was mainly the monkeys at Monkey Beach, that was memorable. They asked us to register on a form at the beginning and end of the hike, which made the experience a little bit annoying, but other than that it was good. They charge you 80 ringgit for the boat trip back, so we decided to hike back.

Trekked to Pantai Kerachut. Entrance fee was RM50 per person. The start of the trek was very steep and goes up and down along the way with some rest points scattered in between. Nearer to the end point near Turtle Beach, there are no rest stops but the trek is much easier here with less elevation. Be physically prepared and bring at least 1.5L of water along as there are no water available and you will need it. Trek is 2 hours there and 2 hours back at a normal pace. Block at least a full day if you want to take it real slow. There are wildlife to see but they mostly stick to the entrance/exit of Pantai Kerachut trail. There are some greater racket tail drongos, dusky langurs and other birds as well. Managed to also spot a pair hornbill in the distance. In the jungle itself not so much. The path isn't very well maintained so I recommend good hiking and covered shoes. Expect to get soiled and muddy since yellow wet clay is expected along the trails. Trails are made by hikers themselves trotting the path so some paths are really eroded. If it rained in the previous day, expect it to be extra muddy and slippery. You have to decide if you can endure a 4-5 hour trek there and back or a 2 hour trek is all you can take before embarking on the trip as the boat ride has to be confirmed before you set off since there is no reception nearer to Pantai Kerachut. Also, they will not take you back even if you pay them there as the boats are meant for the people who already booked the boats prior. Overall still a great experience. Just remember to bring water, food, and good shoes. Good shoes are top priority here.

This is an amazing place where I want to explore tropical rainforests and beaches further. It is magical to meet different hikers, school students and company staff here, and there is also a branch campus of USM here haha. You can feel different senses of sudden enlightenment in tropical rainforests and on beaches respectively.

Nice beaches with no one there. I hiked to Pantai Kerachut (Turtle beach) and Pantai Teluk Kampi and 99% of the paths are in the shade. Paths (especially between Pantai Kerachut and Pantai Teluk Kampi could definitely use some maintenance. Time required: almost 2 hours to get there and 1h30 to get back, more tiring than expected.

So you can get a ticket until 4:30, the monkey trail is closed until further notice. I walked to the turtle beach, I would recommend to wear closed shoes. Took me like 1 hours 20 min and I didn’t walk slowly. I took the boat to monkey island and then back. Was 200 RM but they came just to pick me up (one person) which I appreciate. Turtle sanctuary was closed when I came (5pm)

National park was great. Boat tour companies enforce booking as soon as you reach the park. No option to book a trip back once you’re across the other side of the park. Also no shared boats so very expensive if you’re by yourself.

I read several blogs before heading there in order to get a better idea of what to expect and where to go and what not to be surprised by. I couldn't quite understand from some of the blogs what year they were written in but it looked like the entry fee was introduced just recently. It was introduce in 2024. Before that, entering the park was free for both foreigners and Malaysians. I don't mind paying 50 MYR if it's for a good cause, but it is already ridiculous enough that they make you pay 50 MYR if you want to hike to the Turtle beach but not if you're only going to the Monkey beach (?!) but then the amount of garbage and trash and dirt we witnessed on the Monkey beach was just not able to justify that amount a hiker has to pay so that the locals and regular visitors can litter around. The blog from last year mentioned lower prices so I got upset that even the boat prices went up whereas the more beautiful and pristine place we went to in Sarawak (Bako National Park) had more to offer but was way more reasonable in pricing. Btw, the beach and the sea on the Monkey beach are so filthy that we immediately gave up on the idea, even tho that was the reason we paid additionally to stop at the Monkey beach as well... We asked the boat driver to pick us up after 45 but he said that 1 hr is better for him. If we were able to swim, 1 hr wouldve been perfect. Just sitting there, feeling sad for the place was hard to do. And I really hope we were just unlucky with the tide bringing loads of garbage and local food places having their no-clean day. But it was really disappointing. The Turtle beach and the hike there were nice but this other leg of the trip just made it weird. Entry to the park to hike to Turtle Beach: 50 MYR per person (non-Malay) Boat (one-way) Turtle Beach - HQ: 120 MYR (whole boat) Boat (one-way) Turtle - Monkey - HQ: 150 MYR (whole boat) Boat (return) HQ - Monkey-HQ: 100 MYR

Fantastic hiking along the coast with multiple secluded beaches to stop at. The hike out to Monkey Beach is challenging, but my kids managed it (7&4 year olds). Be careful pulling out snacks at some beaches, the monkeys might stop by for a snack. I highly recommend catching a boat back to the park entrance.