The Habitat Penang Hill - Malaysia

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So, I had originally planned to head to habitat on foot via the heritage trail. (It's not an easy walk... I learned later from all the helpful staff that I probably should have done that attempt in the morning, as the heat built through the day. I also learnt that it should take at least a couple of hours, if you feel like doing it, but make sure you pace yourself, unlike me 😅)

I made it past the half way point before realising that I had been defeated and took the funicular train from the middle station point upwards (fun fact, the trip up from middle station is free). However, I will say that the views at the 400m approx mark where already stunning.

Once I did get to the top, I had the intention of going to the habitat canopy walk in the evening, but then learnt on arrival that not only did they have an evening pass (which a lot of reviews failed to point out on line), but they offered a night walk back with the staff to try to spot some of the wildlife as the darkness sets in.

You do have to get a little bit lucky with the weather, but the views were stunning, and made the walk feel worth it. You won't find views like that anywhere else.

What really capped it off though was the guide night walk. I joined two local guides, Ummu and Aisyah who were both knowledgeable and informative, on the walk back.

Thanks to their experience and keen senses, I ended up getting very lucky in spotting some of the local wildlife, including a colugo, a very rarely sighted flying squirrel, and one of the flying gecko species, along with a variety of different endemic flora and fauna examples (I did need a proper camera to get these, but left some nice pictures with this review to give you some ideas of what you can hope to see).

Both Ummu and Aisyah explained and showed the characteristics of these different animals (they both brought head lamps and UV lights to help spot examples, and then show off their bio-fluorescence), and tried their best to show specific points where they knew from their team that there had been sightings before, giving us the best possible chance of spotting something on the walk back.

For something I hadn't really planned, this ended up being a really great way to spend an afternoon and an evening. I would definitely give the night walk back a go. That and the evening pass additions on the ticket were easily worth the money spent)

Post by Travelogist | Sep 30, 2025