Lighthouse of the bay of glowing amber

I recently trekked and hiked the trail of the Penang National Park, also beautifully known as “Bay of Glowing Amber” due to its scenic and spectacular sunset. But that was not what I was going after. Instead my main goal was to reach one of the park’s landmarks, Muka Head Lighthouse.

Penang National Park might be the smallest national reserve in the country but it is the only national park with five natural habitats found within a single location namely lowland dipterocarp forest, hill dipterocarp forest, mangrove forest, sandy beaches and meromictic lake. To date, the park is home to more than 1,000 recorded species of flora and 271 species of wildlife, with some nearly driven to extinction.

Now, get this, Muka Head Lighthouse which was built in 1883 is the hardest lighthouse among all the lighthouses in peninsular Malaysia to be reached! This granite sensation stood 242 metres above the sea level and offers the view of Langkawi Island and even the Sumatra Island on a clear day.

It is going to be physically exhaustive but trust me everything will all be worth it once you found yourself spectacled by the view up on the lighthouse. Wear breathable clothes and pair it up with the right shoes. If you are not an avid fan of hiking and could not find sports attire in your closet, wearing cotton t-shirt would do. You will need all the help you can get to keep you comfortable because you are going to be sweaty. Another important thing is to bring drinking water. You need to keep yourself hydrated.

No entry fee charged and all you have to do before trekking is register your personal details at the entrance counter. I believed this was to ensure that if I ever was lost, they know that I was in the jungle that day.

All geared up let us see what the trail is all about. Mainly there are two main hiking tracks and it would take two days to conquer both. The one I took lead me “straight” to the lighthouse. The other trail will lead you over the headland to Kerachut Beach. But that is for another day to tell.

The trail to Muka Head Lighthouse is mainly made of three degree of hardships. The first trek is made from the perfectly cemented pavement with a toilet stop along the 900 metres track until the wooden suspension bridge of Sungai Teluk Tukun.

From this point until the Monkey Beach, you will trekked along the jungle trail and some wooden and cement stairs. The gradient will increase at this point but you can find some help along the way with some ropes. I stumbled upon few fallen trees, keeping the trail challenging and exciting at the same time! The trail to Monkey Beach is going to take about 1 hour and 15 minutes. I advise you not to rush it and enjoy the trail instead. The interesting part is that the sea would always be on your right and the jungle would be on your left side.

Approaching Monkey Beach, there are wooden stairs elevating me down the sandy white beach. There was a carnival on the beach. The environment was lively with visitors coming in from the boat taxis, having picnic and frolicking at the beach. There are water sports activities and horse ride that you could try. However the thing that still puzzles me is how on earth they were able to get the horse there. I guess some mysteries remains a mystery.

After a good sip of a coconut drink, I was ready for the one-kilometre hike to the lighthouse. It was truly an uphill battle. The first 300 metre, I found myself gasping for air. At some point I almost gave up but if you come with the right partner as I fortunately did, then you are good to go. So make sure you bring a partner, one who can cheer for you and would never let you give up.

It is important to note that the entrance to the lighthouse will only be opened from 9 am until 3 pm. So be sure to start your journey early. As for me, I reached the lighthouse at 2 pm, one hour after starting the hike. A spiral staircase will lead you to the viewing deck. Finally, the view. It was spectacular with the green shades of the forest and beaming sun hitting the surface of the ocean and true, the Langkawi Island can be seen from there.

On a normal day, there is someone tasked to man the lighthouse but I guess the day that I went was not normal as I could not find anyone there. But it was okay, I had the lighthouse all to myself and I enjoyed every second of it. It was so windy up there too!

After spending about an hour, the journey back took less time as I was running down the hill. It was exhausting yes, but it was the single most exciting trip I have ever been and I would definitely suggest everyone to take the same challenge.