Cherok Tokun Nature Park (National forest)
Jalan Kolam, Kampung Teluk Bukit, 14000, Bukit Mertajam, Pulau Pinang
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Introduction
The tallest point on mainland Penang at 545 meters and one of Seberang Perai main attractions, this park has a beautiful jungle, the biggest trees in Penang, and hiking trails that will satisfy all visitors.
What to Expect?
Cherok Tok Kun, or Bukit Mertajam Recreational Forest, has a beautiful jungle, the biggest trees in Penang, and hiking trails that will satisfy any level of fitness. This is a Well reserved secondary rain forest less than 4 km away from the heart of the city, and designated as one of the national forests of Malaysia.
The dome-shaped peak, often called Tok Kun or To’Kun Hill by the locals, is the tallest point on mainland Penang at 545 meters and one of Seberang Perai main attractions. It towers over the vast flat plains around it making it a clearly visible landmark from miles away and is home to some of Penang mainland best hikes — check our in-depth guides to Bukit Juru, Bukit Panchor State Park, Berapit and Frog Hill. And if you are looking for an offbeat island, don’t forget Pulau Aman.
The main activity to do here is hiking. There are 3 paths going up the hill: 2 jungle trails and 1 by the tarred road.
Road Option:
Naturally the road option is the recommended way to go for beginners and first timers. Most of the locals will use the main road to go up there.
As the road are generally well paved, cycling is also an option here. Going uphill will be challenging though.
The road areand it has three pit-stops for visitors to take a rest, though the second and third stop is quite near to each other (roughly 200 meters apart).
In one of the stop visitors can have a Chinese tea break, making the rest a unique experience while being at high altitude greenaries.
Jungle Trail:
The second option - jungle trails are more challenging due to the fact that it could be steeper and more slippery after rainy day. It does require more energy to navigate, though it does come with the best a tropical forest has to offer - serene, greenary surrounding, big trees, cool shades, and breeze. It's highly rewarding, but we do recommend that you are well prepared with the right attire and water supply before taking on this route.
The jungle hiking tracks were made by both the council and local community who work as volunteers. They built the paths around the shapes of the mountain. Thereby you can see many tracks is formed up like a staircase by those tree’s roots. For a little more background, the volunteers had to manually move big rocks and tiles by hands to build up staircase the visitors can use today, something that should be well appreciated by us.
The summit offers a breathtaking view of Penang mainland. In a good day, you can see the Mengkuang Dam from the top observatory if the sky is clear.
There are two Telekom Towers that soar from the top of Bukit Mertajam summit.
A loop from the carpark to Trek 800 and returning from Trek 500 will take around 3/4 hours at a normal pace — something you may consider doing on your next visit.
Can you explore all trails in a day? We suggest not. Do consider that exploring the whole of Cherok Tok Kun through all trails in a single day is a long, tiring pursuit. Instead try to visit multiple times to try out different routes.
The Big Tree
While here, do make sure to check out the big tree. Located at the foothills of Bukit Mertajam, this tree stands as one of the marvels of mother nature, a remarkable tree with the largest buttress trunk in Penang.
Identified as a Mengkundor (Tetrameles nudiflora), it is estimated to be more than a century old with a buttressed trunk which is twice or thrice the height of an average human being.
As a safety precaution, visitors can find many monkeys in the are, so please be more careful with your belongings and do not challenge them or feed them with food.
Another interesting people do here is to fetch the spring water back for consumption purpose.
Look Around
Address: Jalan Kolam, Kampung Teluk Bukit, 14000, Bukit Mertajam, Pulau Pinang
Everyday 6:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Reviews
4.4
(1,222)
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#ryuki2517
5 months agoJust went yesterday and the main trail is CLOSED till end of the year(some said July). Can still hike up using side trails, which can be confusing. Do go there early if you want to try those side trails and follow experienced hikers.
I followed 2 hikers to climb up one of the viewpoints. It took around 30mins. -
Sylvia Lim Chui Wha
5 months agoWonderful place to get near the nature. A few hiking route and park route. I love the route along the stream. That is the nicest hiking route I had so far. A bit sad that the land slides happened at the tar road route, which causes the route a lot of stones and sands due to maintenance processes. Hope the maintenance help to prevent it happen again.
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Joel Hoo
5 months agoIt's a nice place and there are trails and tar roads available (closed for renovation). Definitely gonna go back to try out different routes, to get a different view of the ecosystem there.
The downside is there are too many trails here and can get lost easily, which I did and ended up finishing all my supplies. Luckily my phone line is still available so I can find my location using Google Maps and call for help.
So if you're a first timer, it's better to follow the locals or if you wanna explore on your own, make sure to go up and down the same exact way. Or else you might end up at Hutan Simpan Mengkuang or Hutan Simpan Seraya, which are interconnected but its the other side entirely.
[Big Tree, Tasik Mengkuang, trails leading to Hutan Simpan Seraya, aka lost] -
Vstrommer Lim
6 months agoPopular place for hiking, exercise or just to see Penang oldest tree.
Becareful of monkeys. They are pretty bold and will snatch plastic bags from your hands. -
chin hup
3 months agoMany jungle tracks once can hike up
to the top of the hill, beautiful nature,safe for hikers
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