Monkey Beach (Teluk Duyung) Trail Guide: Hiking, Boat, and the Lighthouse Side-Trip

Monkey Beach — properly called Teluk Duyung, but known to everyone by the macaques that live there — is Penang National Park's other beach hike, and the slightly gentler of the two.

The numbers

Distance: roughly 3.4km one-way from the park entrance, similar to the Pantai Kerachut trail.
Difficulty: moderate, but generally regarded as a bit easier than Pantai Kerachut — less overall elevation gain, though it's still a real jungle trail, not a flat walk.
Terrain: a mix of jungle path and coastal walking, including sections of wooden stairs. One stretch of the route runs directly along the beach itself before picking the trail back up.

The trail is currently open, though — as with any jungle path — sections occasionally close temporarily for maintenance after storm damage. It's worth a quick check at the park entrance counter on the day.

What's at the beach

Long-tailed macaques, the beach's namesake, are common and genuinely bold — they will go for food or open bags left unattended, so keep snacks zipped away and don't hand-feed them.

Beyond the wildlife, Monkey Beach has more visitor infrastructure than Pantai Kerachut: a beach bar, and kayak rental at around RM35 per hour if you want to get out on the water rather than just wade (the sea here has jellyfish too, so swimming isn't the main draw).

The lighthouse extension

From Monkey Beach, a lesser-known side trail climbs to Penang Lighthouse, about 240 metres above sea level, with views back across the strait. It's a genuine additional climb on top of the beach hike — worth it if you have energy and time left, but treat it as a separate decision rather than assuming it's part of the standard route.

Getting back

As with Pantai Kerachut, you don't have to walk out the way you walked in. A boat back to the park entrance runs RM70 one-way or RM100 return per boat (seats around 10, lifejackets provided) — cheaper than the Pantai Kerachut boat simply because Monkey Beach is the closer of the two. If you only want the beach and don't want to hike at all, boat-only visitors don't need to pay the trail entry fee.

Monkey Beach vs Pantai Kerachut

If you're deciding between the two and can only do one: Monkey Beach is the easier walk and has more going on at the beach itself (macaques, kayaks, the lighthouse option). Pantai Kerachut is the harder climb but has the more unusual payoff — a rare meromictic lake and a turtle conservation centre, plus a quieter beach since fewer people make the effort. Neither is a short or trivial walk; both are genuine jungle hikes.

For a full comparison built around hiking with kids of different ages, see our Penang National Park family hiking guide.

What to bring

1.5–2 litres of water per person minimum — nothing to buy on the trail itself.
Closed shoes with grip for the wooden stairs and jungle sections.
Sun protection for the beach.
A dry bag for phones and cameras if you're taking the boat — expect some spray.