Bukit Genting, Penang

Last Friday morning, Uncle Paul, Peter and I went out for breakfast and then took the old winding road from Bayan Lepas to Teluk Kumbar and then to Balik Pulau. It has been a while since I have been around there. I think it must have been as long for Uncle Paul since he does not come back from Melaka as often.

Development is slowly creeping up to what was once an idyllic fishing village in Teluk Kumbar. High-rise apartments and housing estates are cropping up all over the place. Fortunately, the plantations after Teluk Kumbar still retain their greenery. Nutmeg and clove are still being cultivated. And the durian trees are already fruiting.


View of Gertak Sanggul in the distance.

Peter took a left turn somewhere between Teluk Kumbar and Balik Pulau and drove up the hill on the cemented track. He had heard of a restaurant serving Thai food on the hilltop and wanted to have a look. The journey up took a good twenty minutes across durian orchards and chicken coops housing several hundred chickens each. There are several telecommunication towers just before the summit.

As we came to the top, it was bare. Trees were cleared and there was little foliage to shade us from the blistering sun. We were greeted with several chalets built atop small boats resting on stilts and the restaurant which overlooked the Straits of Melaka and the fishing villages and durian orchards of Genting and Balik Pulau. The other side of the peak commanded the sweeping view of Teluk Kumbar, which was once a small fishing village dotted with attap-roofed houses but is now being gradually replaced by towering concrete apartments.


The flooded paddy fields of Genting.

The view up there was simply breathtaking. The photographs that I took do not do justice to the splendid panorama that spread out across as far as our eyes could see. It is unfortunate that the operators of this small resort chose to adorn the structures there with garish colours and ornaments which spoilt the natural scenery somewhat.

After having taken in the extraordinary sights we never knew existed, we made our way down. The track down was extremely steep and hair-raising. From where we were, we could see paddy fields being prepared for cultivation and the steeples of a mosque rising up from the flatlands of Penang?s hinterlands and the hills of Balik Pulau. Later, we were told that recreational hikers frequent the track during the evenings and on weekends.

Author: Peter Tan

Peter Gabriel Tan. Penangite residing in the Klang Valley. Blissfully married to Wuan. A LaSallian through and through. Slave to three cats. Wheelchair user since 1984. End-stage renal disease since 2017. Principal Facilitator at Peter Tan Training specialising in Disability Equality Training. Former columnist of Breaking Barriers with The Borneo Post. This blog chronicles my life, thoughts and opinions. Connect with me on Twitter and Facebook.

20 thoughts on “Bukit Genting, Penang”

  1. This sounds like a nice place 2 bum around the next time I am on the island. Thanks 4 doin the initial check-out. :0))

  2. Yes, it is a nice place. Just make sure your brakes are working on the way down.

  3. hmm… i’ve been in penang all my life yet never heard of this place. what a shame.

    yes indeed the view looks very lovely. well one day i should make an effort to go there.

  4. I was also told that this place was just opened recently. Before that, it was just a nondescript durian orchard on the top of a hill.

  5. Actually, I need to go out more often. There are places in Penang that have been there for ages which I have not visited yet. The Tropical Fruit Farm is one of them.

  6. The view from up there is really nice. I wonder what the view will be like in the evenings.

  7. i’ve never been to this part of penang.
    gonna go there someday.
    mmm, i wonder a 25 year old car could go uphill…

  8. Pauline,
    Where is the Tropical Spice Garden situated?

    Terry,
    You can park your car by the roadside and hike up. It should take you 30mins to 45mins to reach the summit. Going uphill on a car is the least of your problems. As I mentioned in the previous comment, coming down is like a rollercoster ride. Besides, if you hike, you can take in more sights.

  9. To get to the Tropical Spice Garden, drive along the coast road…….past all the big name hotels. After the last hotel, keep a lookout 4 it on your left. You can’t miss it. It’s in Jalan Teluk Bahang, and has wheelchair access in designated areas…..ENJOY……….

  10. Will keep an eye out for that place when I am around Teluk Bahang the next time. Thanks.

  11. cool, thanks for the info.
    will keep that in mind.
    i don’t wanna stress my honda, poor old ‘guy’

  12. Peter,
    I have stayed in Penang for so many years and i have not heard of Bukit Genting. So where is the place situated?Cant imagine that Penang is so small and yet has so many places of intrest to visit.
    Ha..Ha…
    I havent finish exploring the whole of Penang Yet coz busy with many programmes and also a trip to Singapore.

    Sonia

  13. Dear Peter..yup I know this place. I’m a Penangite who unfortunately works in KL now…but I go back home once a month to maintain my sanity and get my monthly dose of Char Koay Teow & Hokkein Mee!!

    Anyways, during the Christmas holidays, some friends of the family took us up to Genting Hill to have yummy Thai Food. It’s totally excellent! The view..simply breathtaking and the whole idea and concept..the amount of work put into it..is just beautiful. It was like entering another world.

    Do you know of anymore blogs or personally have more pictures of Genting Hill in Penang? I would like to show them to all my friends. Thanks.

    Do have a good New Year. God Bless.

  14. hmm…….i visit this place before, and i think most thing is nice .but there is one thing that i always worry is the road is too narrow. try to imagine if there is two car come with opposite direction at the same time …..will the width of the road allow two car pass at the same time???

    Peter:
    The road is one way only. Vehicles going down hill uses another road.

  15. need some help here……it seems the tourism board of penang also dont know about this place………what a joke….by the way anyone have any idea…..are those chalets for rent? can i have thier contacts number?

  16. well, to response to the narrow road, i remember that 2 years back(2004), its kinda true. however now the roads have been upgraded, and as edmund said, it’s a one way up and one way down. i feel it’s a really really nice place that i can realax myself, escaping the busy city life. i saw there was foot massage too the last time i went there like 2 weeks ago. sure the owner put up a lot of hard work to make it such a nice place.

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