During our trip with Malaysian Airlines, our first stop would be the Penang Hill.
Penang Hill is one of the oldest colonial hill station established by the British during their time in Malaysia. Explored in the late 18th century, a horse trail was cut by the Waterfall Gardens (present day Penang Botanic Gardens) to the summit of the hilly spine of Penang, allowing the British to escape from the chaos of George Town to the cooler climate on the hill.
THE HISTORY
Penang Hill comprises several hills including Strawberry Hill, Halliburton’s Hill, Flagstaff Hill, Government Hill , Tiger Hill,and Western Hill. The highest point of this range is at Western Hill, with an elevation of 833m (2,723ft )above sea level. The range also serves as the largest water catchment area on the island, and a number of tributaries to major rivers in Penang.
The earliest mode of transport to the hill was via horses, or a system called ‘doolies’, where masters were carried up the hill on special sedan chairs. To further explore the potential of the hill, systems of bridle paths were cut by Indian penal servitude prisoners for the establishment of more bungalows on the hill.
The Penang Hill Funicular Railway was the second mode of transport established for access to the summit. The first railway was constructed in 1901 and completed in 1905 but was rendered useless, due to technical faults. A second railway was commissioned in 1909, and works for the second line started in 1914 with a budget of 1.5 million Straits Dollars. On 1st January 1924, the 2,007m long funicular railway was officially opened by then Governor of Straits Settlement, Sir L.N.Guillemard. The last upgrade was in 1977, before a complete overhaul of the system in 2010.
The journey up the hill is about 15 minutes where you can get the fascinating view from the below till the above. And now, the ride is more comfort with air-condition train.
Reaching at the PEAK, you can get the glimpse of the whole view of Penang Island but pretty unlucky as due to the Haze we hardly see anything.
Captured some flora and fauna too when you are there, you can able to spot some birds or even some monkeys when you are there. We spotted the monkeys there and time capturing them but becareful of your belonging as they may snatch them
For a better view, you can walk to the Sky View to capture the glance of the whole island. Snap your selfie or group picture with the view of the island here.
Take a breathtaking walk around the hill where you can get to see an Indian Temple above the hill, with cannon in front. Around there, there is also owl museum where you can visit to learn about the different types of owl. Note: Don’t expect to see any owl there.
For those who wanna have a dine with a great view of Penang, you can visit the David Brown’s Restaurant.
FARES:
For Malaysian citizens, the fare for a return ticket is RM10 per adult and RM4 per child aged between three and 12. Senior citizens will enjoy cheaper fares at RM4 per person. For non-Malaysian the fare is RM30 for adults and RM15 for children.
The ride continues to remain free of charge for disabled persons holding the OKU card.
Also unchanged are the fares for Penang Hill residents, licensed traders and hawkers and workers, who can purchase monthly season pass at RM24.
HOW TO GO
You can reach Penang Hill via Rapid Penang Bus- Bus Number: 204
or
Penang Hop In Hop Off Bus. Drop at Station #5
Address:
Jalan Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah, 10200 Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
*This trip is sponsored by Malaysia Airlines Berhad. You may book your ticket to Penang at their website at anytime and the trip to Penang from KLIA only take approximately 40-50 minutes.
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