Teluk Bahang is a a quiet fishing village at the tail-end of the coastal road on the northern side of Penang Island. The name Teluk Bahang means the "Bay of Heat Wave", probably pointing to the high temperature of the sea breeze coming in to shore. Until the Penang Mutiara Beach Resort opened, the only purpose of going to Teluk Bahang was to enjoy the seafood at the End of the World Restaurant. Sadly, the restaurant was utterly destroyed by the tsunami of 26 December. Other than that, scouts would remember the Jamboree Camp at Teluk Bahang.
Teluk Bahang is the home of the Penang Butterfly Farm and the Teluk Bahang Recreational Forest. It has a couple of batik factories and small scale orchid farms targetting the tourist market. Further inland is the Chin Fruit Farm. Completed in 1999, the Teluk Bahang Dam offers splendid views all the way to the sea. With a storage capacity of 19.24 billion litres, it is the biggest dam on Penang Island, and doubles as a regular venue for water sports. It also holds the distinction of being the only dam in Malaysia built within a few kilometres from the sea.
Located in the hills above Teluk Bahang is the Penang National Park, which covers the whole promontory on the north west part of the island. Within the Penang National Park are many jungle treks in the hills to the northwest of Teluk Bahang. One leads to Muka Head, with a left fork to Pantai Kerachut. The sea off Teluk Bahang is not suitable for swimming, due to presence of jellyfish on account of the sewage discharged by the establishments and habitations along the coast.
Teluk Bahang is one of the villages on Penang Island that is developed for Homestay programme. Visitors can arrange to visit and even stay there in the rustic surroundings. For more details on the Penang Homestay programme, contact the Koperasi Pelancongan Pulau Pinang, at 6, Jalan Kampung Kaka, 10200 George Town, or call 04-250 5500.
The Tsunami Aftermath
Teluk Bahang was one of the places affected by the tsunami of 26 December 2004. The wave arrived around 12:50pm that afternoon, causing extensive damage and some loss of lives, albeit not as severe as other countries around the Indian Ocean. When the area was surveyed on 15 January 2005, we found the village has bounced back to the best of its ability. Broken piers were mended, or at least material is already on hand for reconstruction.
Further Reading
My friend Pearly has also described Teluk Bahang which you can read here.
Stretching your budget in Penang
If you are a prudent traveller, you can spend less than $20 per day in Penang, including your accommodation! Here's some useful tips for budget travellers to Penang, to help you manage your budget and have a great time.
Penang Tour Guides
If you're on a shoestring budget, you can explore Penang using the travel articles in Penang Travel Tips. You may print them out for your own personal non-commercial use. However, nothing compares to having a professional tour guide to show you around. If you need a tour guide, contact me and I'll arrange one for you, according to your schedule and interest. If I happen to be free, I would gladly show you around too. Just write to me at:
Finding Budget Accommodation in Penang
If you're coming to Penang on a budget, you'd be pleased to know that there's quite a number of places in George Town as well as in Batu Ferringhi that offers good clean accommodation without costing you an arm and a let. If I am allowed to be biased, I would recommend Hotel Mingood, which happens to belong to a friend of mine. If it is occupied, there are plenty of other places that cost less than US$12.00 per night. Here are some suggestions:
Despite the best intentions to provide you information that is as accurate as possible, do be aware that prices may have changed and exchange rates fluctuated since I wrote this. So please personally and carefully screen through the available accommodation before making your booking, to avoid any disappointments.
Tell Penang Travel Tips about your tour plans, and we will help you with suggestions according to your requirements.
Local Tours in Penang
It is often more practical to book your tours online. You have the luxury of time to go through what are the tours you intend to take, rather than having to make a decision on your feet. Check out the local tours in Penang that you can book online. The tours are provided by Viator, a reputable international tour company.
If you are coming to Penang, you can arrange airport transfer from airport to city in advance. A van will be waiting for you to pick you at the airport. This service is very useful and cost effective if you are arriving as a group.
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Penang Travel Tips is researched and written by Timothy Tye, universally known as Tim. The text is the copyright of Timothy Tye, and may not be copied for commercial use or re-published in another website without the author's permission. Information provided is in goodwill and is believed to be correct and up-to-date at time of writing. Photographs on this website are the copyright of the author and may not be reused without prior permission. For commercial licensing of photographs, read the licensing terms. Tim is a Christian. Click here to know more about his beliefs.
