The Must-Do in Penang – Hill Climb & Escape

Other than the good food in Penang, you may have heard about Batu Ferringhi and Georgetown – the world heritage city. But there are more fun things to do in Penang and here are the two things my family & I enjoyed recently in Penang :

1. Penang Hill Climb (3.5 hour)
From the Moon Gate at Botanical Garden, we took the trail on the left. So up we went on that trail through many many steep steps called the 1500 Steps. After about 45 mins of climbing, we reached Station 46. There were more than 20 hikers at that station, some weight lifting, a couple serving tea from the kettle and a group enjoying freshly-cut watermelons. It was an interesting sight. We went up further, not knowing how far we had to walk and it felt endless.

1500 Steps to Station 46

1500 Steps to Station 46

The view of Penang City on the way to Station 46

The view of Penang City on the way to Station 46

After Station 46, we saw many unique nature artifacts, but we didn’t take pictures as we were pressing for time. We passed by a big rock, little creeks and then up and down hill till we met the tarmac road, supposedly Station 84. Due to time limitation, we descended on that road till we reach the Botanical garden. You’d need at least 5 hours to climb up down the Penang Hill. We started climbing close to 3 pm and wanted to be back before it gets dark. Note : Beware of monkeys. They would come close to you to snatch your food and drinks. Bring a walking stick to be safe. You can find out more about how to climb to the top here.

Huge Rock!

Huge Rock!

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And we bumped into these little creeks

Going down on a tarmac road is not necessary easier

Going down on a tarmac road is not necessary easier

2. Escape Penang (6 hours)
If  you find Legoland and Universal Studio not as exciting anymore, or if you want to experience something adventurous & thrilling, yet safe, go to the Escape Penang. Book your tickets online and you will go through a seamless experience checking into the park. It operates everyday, 9am – 6pm except Mondays and the tickets are priced from zero to RM83. It is located  at Teluk Bahang, which is further up the road to Batu Feringghi. Bring along hand gloves because you’d definitely need them. Clean, beautiful, well-managed and safe, my family and I enjoyed every moment at the park. You need to be more than 1.2 meters tall and weigh at least 40 kg to enjoy the monkey business and flying fox. There is a good balance of activities for kids and adults so everyone has got something exciting to do. They offer a good selection of food,  sizable shower area and praying rooms all under grass-lined rooftops.

Flying Fox / Flying Lemur Escape Penang

Flying Fox / Flying Lemur from a very very tall tower

Different types of challenge & levels

Monkey Business : Different types of challenge & levels from 1-3

Monkey Business at Level 3 in a full body safety harness

Moi – Monkey Business at Level 3 in a full body safety harness

The fun park that blends into nature

The modern park that blends into nature

A family of Ayam Gajah

A family of Ayam Gajah / Elephant Chicken

The 5 of us went down the Tubby Racer together

The 5 of us went down the Tubby Racer together

I’d love to go back again! Perhaps when their waterpark is ready. Oh ya ladies, it is good to wear tights and short tops as you’d be wearing full body safety harness and you’d be floating in the air with people from below looking up. For activities like the monkey business and flying lemur, it is good to tuck in your hijab or simply wear the hooda sports hijab.