GEORGE TOWN: Thousands of tourists and locals are making their way to Penang Hill to enjoy the cool weather after suffering the sweltering heat for about a month.
The temperature in Penang can go up to as high as 33°C in the afternoon but being 833m above sea level, the temperature at the hill can go as low as 25°C in the day and as chilly as 18°C after dark.
This makes Penang Hill a charming camping spot.
Among those met camping at the hill recently were Beijing native Nicole Zhen and her nine-year-old daughter Sally; and Nigerian Drei Magnus, 34, with his girlfriend Shenny Ong, 38, who decided to camp overnight at Nature Green Farm located at the hill’s Viaduct West.
Zhen, 44, said it was their fourth time camping there and they keep returning because they loved the cool weather and enjoyed activities organised by the farm’s director, Ong Kok Peng, known on the hill as “KP”.
She said she wanted Sally, who is studying at an international school in Penang, to immerse herself in nature.
“I want her to familiarise herself with the wildlife of the hill.
“Her favourite is the night exploration walk where she gets to see animals like the colugo (a flying lemur species), scorpions, snakes and nocturnal insects,” said the single mother.
Magnus said he enjoyed the night walk very much, adding that he would love to come back again in the near future.
Kok Peng, 52, said they were lucky as it had just rained so the animals would come out to feed in the night.
Some of the animals spotted were a blunt-headed slug snake, Sunda colugo, giant forest ants and scorpions.
He said Penang Hill – which was designated a Unesco Biosphere Reserve in 2021 – has many flora and fauna species which are endemic.
“I’m a native of the hill as I stayed here until I was 12. Even after moving away, I still made regular visits so I’m very familiar with the wildlife and hiking trails,” said Kok Peng.
For more information about the camp, which is only held on the last Saturday of every month, visit the Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/NatureWalksPgHill).
Unesco describes the Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve as a mosaic of urban, agricultural and natural landscapes with one of the last coastal rainforests in Malaysia.
It supports a diverse range of floral and fauna species, including endemic and endangered species such as the Sunda pangolin and migratory birds.
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