Halvdagstur til Balik Pulau i Penang

We had a wonderful morning with Ken. She brought us to a nutmeg plantation, a belacan shop, the container murals in a padi field and we also tried crispy hor fun, asam laksa, belacan chicken and white nutmeg juice. Along the way she regaled us with interesting tidbits about the places we were visiting. The final destination was Pulau Bentong where we took pictures on an infinity staircase overlooking the sea. Well worth the time to see the other side of Penang 👏

Thank you to our wonderful tour guide Lim for a great tour filled with memorable experiences! We enjoyed some really delicious Malaysian food that we would otherwise not have known to order. Special experiences were the fishing village and sighting the weaver bird and its remarkable nest. We love to chat to the locals whenever we can and Lin was happy to wait patiently while we did so. He was also a treasure trove of information about the history of the area and cultural practises. It was a great day!

We had gone for the Evening tour a few days before this, so when we went for this Morning tour, Jenny tweaked our itinerary to add in other places so that there was no overlap :) Really enjoyed having breakfast like a local, before heading to the nutmeg farm and belacan shop. Once again, a very fun experience, highly recommended!! Thanks Jenny 🤩

Jenny is extremely knowledgeable about the entire place (Balik Pulau), sharing little tidbits of info as we went along to the different places in the itinerary. We were also extremely lucky to have had the last two bowls of super delicious assam laksa at Kim Laksa, even though it was not in the itinerary I think! The sunset was also beautiful - we tried to see the sunset from Georgetown the next day and it was impossible because it was blocked by this Pulau. Hence, the entire tour was a very enjoyable experience. Thank you!

På dagen for turen, selvom vejret skiftede mellem overskyet og solrigt, ødelagde det ikke vores humør. Tværtimod, det gav os mulighed for at nyde en stærk landlig atmosfære! Vi takker vores guide, James, for hans omhyggelige forklaringer og vejledning undervejs. På køreturen fik vi et dybdegående indblik i Penangs samfund, UNESCOs verdensarvsområde i George Towns gamle bydel samt sameksistensen og særpræget ved forskellige religioner. Vi smagte lokale delikatesser, oplevede fiskerlandsbyens atmosfære i Balik Pulau, besøgte en muskatnøddefabrik, hvor vi lærte om Malaysias unikke krydderier fra oldtiden til i dag, og en rejesaucefabrik, der producerer en uundværlig ingrediens i lokal madlavning. Vi kunne ikke kun nyde lækker muskatnødjuice, men også købe souvenirs for at tage smagen med hjem! Før hjemturen besøgte vi rismarkerne og den karakteristiske containerkunst. De frodige risplanter var allerede høstet, og rismarkerne badet i solskin efter regnen var fyldt med naturens ånd. Store og små fugle fløj rundt på himlen og gav os et fantastisk syn. Mens bilen kørte ad de små stier gennem rismarkerne, opdagede vi en meget speciel fuglerede, der hang i et træ – det var virkelig en øjenåbner! Til sidst nød vi autentisk Laksa-nudelsuppe og småretter, hvorefter vores halvdagstur sluttede, og vi vendte tilbage til George Town. Tak til James for hans professionelle vejledning og omhyggelige omsorg under hele turen!

We had an enjoyable half-day tour around Balik Pulau. Ken was a knowledgeable and friendly tour guide who shared interesting insights into Penang’s history, along with her personal experiences. She also brought us to a lovely local café where we had the opportunity to savour authentic Penang dishes. The nutmeg factory was relatively small, but it was interesting to hear the owner explain the different stages of nutmeg cultivation, from young plants to mature trees. We also bought some locally made belacan, which turned out to be quite tasty! Overall, it was a pleasant experience and a nice way to explore the local culture and flavours of Balik Pulau. However, while we enjoyed the tour, we felt that it was a little pricey for what was offered and could have provided better value for money.

I highly recommend this tour. Jenny is an excellent tour guide. She is a local and knows Balik Pulau very well. She is a very warm person making my brother and I feel welcome. Balik Pulau is a great destination to visit, a rural area perfect to escape from the daily stresses in life. Balik Pulau is rich in history and famous for its cottage Industries. I particularly enjoy the visit to the first Hakka Church, looking at some of the murals, visiting the paddy fields, mangrove area and the fishing village. At the paddy field, I enjoyed the taste of the unique drink of lime, basil and honey with the banana cake. The scenic views of the different green shades and yellow at the paddy fields with the mountain background makes it a great place to relax. At the fishing village, I was thrilled to see some huge monitor lizards. The views of fishing boats were also scenic. The last stop at Pantai malindo is also breathtaking, famous for its beautiful sunset. I highly recommend this tour.

Havde en vidunderlig morgentur med Jenny. Jenny var meget engagerende og delte meget om lokal historie og livet i Penang. En meget unik tur og anderledes oplevelse, som jeg vil anbefale, hvis du er i Penang. Balik Pulau er et smukt landskab, rejseplanen var godt planlagt, med morgenmad og frokost på lokale steder (stoppede også for chendol, der var bedre end dem i byen), muskatnøddefabrik, belachan-fabrik og rismark. Var komfortabel hele vejen i bilen og nød indsigt og samtaler med Jenny!

One of the most beautiful places in Penang! Loved the kampung vibe and enjoyed the best Red Prawn durian! Shout out to our professional guide Mr Law who went above and beyond in ensuring we are well taken care of and in sharing his knowledge. ☺️

Vi nød vores tur på landet med hr. Law. Han var meget vidende og tog sig fremragende af os. Han tilføjede nogle ekstra stop, som ikke var på rejseplanen, og besvarede alle vores spørgsmål om Malaysia og mere til. Jeg kan varmt anbefale hr. Law og denne afslappende tur for at få en pause fra byen og se øen mere detaljeret.