PEN Day 4 │ PENANG Botanic Gardens

A Slow Afternoon

After returning from our morning outing, we spent the rest of the day indoors. We ordered Grab take outs for lunch and caught up on chores. Evening arrived, and it was time to cross out another item on our Penang bucket list — the Penang Botanic Garden.

Getting There

We checked online and found that there was no public transport that could take us directly to the gardens. In the end, we booked a Grab car. The fare was RM21.00 (≈ USD/EUR5), and the ride took only fifteen minutes.

A Short Walk in Nature

The moment we arrived, we felt the calmness of the place. We strolled along the paths, enjoying the peace, the fresh air, and the soft sounds of nature. We thought about taking the longer scenic route, but in the end we chose the “short course” and finished our walk in about half an hour.

A Garden with a Long Story

The Penang Botanic Garden was established in 1884, around the same time as the beautiful Taiping Lake Gardens in Perak. It was once known as the Waterfall Gardens, named after the large waterfall hidden within the valley.

The first curator was Charles Curtis, a Briton who transformed an old granite quarry into these English style gardens. His name lives on today at the Curtis Crest walkway on Penang Hill. The gardens were originally used to study spices, but Curtis also focused on Penang’s native plants and helped classify many species.

During World War II, the Japanese used tunnels near the Lily Pond to store ammunition. In the 2000s, the gardens expanded to 242 hectares of protected land, now home to macaques, giant squirrels, and dusky leaf monkeys.

Until Next Time

We will surely return one day to walk the entire length of this beautiful garden. But for now, a street food stall in Batu Ferringhi was calling our name.

A Small Reminder

While masks are now optional outdoors, they are still mandatory indoors. Stay safe and considerate.

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:
Penang Botanic Gardens - https://goo.gl/maps/brPuAW4YYJbniv6z7

We do what we can to support local businesses, and it's always good to know that everyone here observes all related SOPs, it helps make us feel safer and reassured.