It is here, in their ancestral hunting grounds, that long-tailed macaques, civet cats and flying lemurs forage. White-bellied sea eagles, brahminy kites and crested serpent eagles soar from high nests. Human footsteps, loud on the leaf-strewn floor of the peaceful jungle, send shy monitor lizards and squirrels suddenly skittering into the undergrowth.
At the expanses of sandy beaches that flank the park along its coastline – Pantai Kerachut, Teluk Duyung, Teluk Tukun, Tanjung Aling, Teluk Ketapang, Teluk Kampi, Pantai Mas – the lucky visitor may also spot wild dolphins or otters at play in the sea.
It is reasonably easy to get to this park, located on the north-western corner of Penang island: a 45-minute drive will transport you from the hubbub of traffic and the urban activity of George Town to this scenic natural haven. The modern, wellkept entrance to the park, which also features an information centre, belies the natural wonders within it. The trails that lead into the jungle begin easily enough, with a paved half-kilometre-long path that meanders gently along the coastline.
At the end of the paved path, a little suspension bridge signals the start of the two main trails that will take the visitor into the park proper, whether through winding trails deep into the heart of the green jungle towards Pantai Kerachut, or along the wavelapped shore towards Muka Head. At this point, the paved and landscaped path ends, and narrow dirt trails start.
The Welsh poet William Henry Davies began his 1911 poem ‘Leisure’ with a poignant couplet: ‘What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare?’
So if you ever find yourself on the trails of the Penang National Park, don’t forget to look up and perhaps stand and stare, if only for a few minutes. The majestic trees – Chengal, Meranti Seraya, Merpauh – have stood here since before the industrial revolution, seen two world wars and lived through the decline of the British empire.
It would be a pity if you did not pause to admire these quiet giants watching over their ancient kingdom as you navigate the trails in this beautiful rainforest. Here, time is not measured in human terms: These trees are only fully mature when they are a halfcentury old or more, and their lifespans may extend to hundreds of years.
With a total area of about 25 square kilometres, the Penang National Park is the smallest national park in the world. But within its boundaries, protected as a forest reserve under the 1980 National Parks Act and gazetted as a national park in 2003, this area is home to an extraordinarily wide spectrum of tropical plants, animals, and geographical features.
Here you will find lowland mangrove swamps that fringe the rocky shoreline and the ancient dipterocarp forests, named for the families of tropical hardwood trees prized for their timber and resin. Once, buffaloes dragged massive logs along the forest trails, and the deep furrows they carved into the ground can still be seen alongside some trails today. Logging was carried out in this area until 1962, but about 80 hectares of virgin rainforest remain untouched in an area now known as the Pantai Acheh Forest Reserve.