Pantai Kerachut is a remote beach located in the Penang National Park. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
Street art, Penang Hill and Komtar are the usual suspects when it comes to Penang tourist spots. If you could spare extra days on your next trip to the Pearl Of The Orient, here are a few other things that could be of interest to you.
New Linear Garden
Visit George Town’s latest attraction: Linear Garden at the Esplanade. It is now fully open to the public and proudly bears a Unesco World Heritage Site emblem crafted by local sculptor Low Chee Peng.
It is a great place to familiarise yourself with the state’s history, as within the same area at the seafront promenade you will find historical landmarks like The Cenotaph or Penang War Memorial and Fort Cornwallis.
The Sunday market
Originally serving as a depot for buses when it was built in 1947, the Hin Bus Depot at Jalan Gurdwara, George Town, was revived in the 2010s as an arts and creative space.
Now, a pop-up market is held there every Sunday, from 11am to 5pm, usually with a different weekly theme. Here you can shop for handmade crafts or tickle your taste buds with artisanal offerings.
Sotong Viral is one of the must-haves at Hameediyah Penang. — FLOREY D. MIKIL/The Star
Delicious delicacies
Chances are the reason you’re visiting Penang – said to be Malaysia’s food capital – in the first place is to savour the local delicacies.
Nasi kandar is a must-have, understandably. Get your nasi kandar fix at Hameediyah, which entered Malaysia Book Of Records as the country’s oldest nasi kandar restaurant in 2020.
CMR 3.0, Penang’s first Chinese Muslim restaurant, is another good eatery as it serves authentic halal Chinese dishes. Its mouth-watering options include the Special Crispy Eggplant, Nestum Prawn and Feng Wei Mutton.
For dessert, head to China House, best known for its tantalising selection of cakes and artistic interior.
Turtles in Pantai Kerachut
There’s a reason that Pantai Kerachut is also referred to as Turtle Beach, as it is home to the adorable marine creature.
A visit to this beach requires a roughly 90-minute hike through Penang National Park. A less tiring and faster, but also pricier, option is to hop on a boat that will take you from the park’s entrance to the beach.
Jellyfish presence makes swimming at this beach unadvisable, but you can go and visit the Penang Turtle Sanctuary here instead to see adorable baby turtles.
Be a hobbit on a farm
If you love to know more about tropical fruits, join a walking tour at the Penang Tropical Fruit Farm. Since it is situated 244m above sea level, it means you’ll get to enjoy cool breeze as you learn and sample the fruits.
Spanning 10ha in Teluk Bahang, the farm also features a unique photo zone that has Hobbit Houses serving as backdrops – perfect for whimsical photos to commemorate your tour.
One of Penang Tropical Fruit Farm’s Hobbit Houses. — Penang Tropical Fruit Farm/Facebook
