Just 9km west of George Town in Penang, Malaysia sits the famous hilltop resort of Penang Hill. It is 833 meters above sea level and offers cool weather and wonderful views of George Town, with the bonus of a funicular train ride.
History of Penang Hill
Two years after Captain Francis Light established the British settlement of Penang in 1786, Penang Hill, or Bukit Bendera as it was known, was established when he clearance-mapped a horse track to create a cool sanitarium retreat for British colonial administrators escaping George Town’s tropical heat.
He constructed The Governor’s bungalow of Bel Retiro with brick and stone construction, an imposing grand entrance gate, and manicured gardens overlooking George Town. The landmark colonial bungalows on Penang Hill represent over a century of British hill station development. Built between the late 18th and early 20th centuries, these residences served as retreats for high-ranking colonial officials, wealthy merchants, and visitors seeking rest from the tropical climate. Architectural styles adapted British estate designs to local topography and tropical weather conditions.
The Funicular Railway
Between 1901 and 1905 there was an initial attempt to build a steam-powered railway up the hill but this failed due to technical flaws and design miscalculations. The first funicular railway was eventually opened in 1924; a Swiss designed two-section track system and this revolutionised access and opened up the hill area to much wider residential and recreational development. In 1977 Swiss-made wooden cars were introduced which increased capacity and then in 2011 a significant overhaul replaced the two-section system with a single high-speed train which reduced the travel time to less than 10 minutes.
The Habitat – A Biosphere Reserve
In 2021 UNESCO designated Penang Hill as a Biosphere Reserve focused on minimal environmental impact and promoting environmental conservation and education while allowing visitors to enjoy the rich tropical biodiversity of the 130-million-year-old virgin rainforest. The Habitat is now a premier world-class eco-tourism park and one of Penang’s top eco-attractions. Within The Habitat visitors can walk the 230-meter-long Langur Way Canopy Walk suspended above the forest floor giving close-up views of the lush flora, bird life and other native species such as the black giant squirrel and the Dusky Leaf Monkey (langur) without damaging the delicate ecosystem. The Habitat has well-maintained, accessible nature trails, fragrant gardens and guided nature walks educate visitors about rainforest ecology and the wide variety of flora and fauna of the hill with its rare orchids, mammals and insects.
Curtis Crest Treetop Walk
Situated at the highest point inside The Habitat at about 820 meters above sea level, is the Curtis Crest Treetop Walk, named after a famous 19th-century British botanist and first superintendent of the Penang Botanic Gardens. This is a 100-meter long circular walkway 13 meters above the forest floor that offers stunning 360-degree panoramic views of George Town, the mainland, and the surrounding rainforest. Admission to the Curtis Crest Treetop Walk is included with the standard ticket entry to The Habitat.
Stuart Taylor of HighlanderImages Photography has been making images for over 40 years focusing on Asia with a documentary/photojournalistic style.
Stuart is available for a variety of assignments in subject areas of photojournalism, commercial, architectural, real estate, industrial, interior design, corporate, urbex, adventure, wilderness, and travel.