Visiting Orangutan Island Bukit Merah from Penang

It’s a sad fact of life that orangutans are increasingly rare in Malaysia, and it’s only on the island of Borneo that you can see them in the wild. And whilst a wild encounter is always the pinnacle, there is thankfully somewhere on the mainland where you can still visit these beautiful creatures and learn a little about the efforts to keep them away from extinction.

If you’re visiting Penang, Orangutan Island (officially known as Bukit Merah Orangutan Island) makes for an easy and accessible day trip, a place where humans are in the cages and orangutans swing freely around their own little island retreat.

Where is Orangutan Island?

As the name suggests, Orangutan Island is an island that sits in the middle of Bukit Merah Lake (the oldest man-made lake in Malaysia), a thirty minute drive north of Taiping on Peninsular Malaysia. Click here for location.

This beautiful lake and island form part of the Bukit Merah Resort.

Getting to Orangutan Island from Penang

The journey to the orangutans is a two-step process from Penang: first you need to get to Bukit Merah Resort and from there it’s a short ferry ride across the lake to Orangutan Island.

The most straightforward way to get to Bukit Merah Resort from Penang Island or George Town is to drive. Expect the journey to take 1.5 hours however, in peak times (such as a Friday or weekend afternoons) the journey can take 2.5 hours when the busy traffic on Penang Island inches towards the bridge.

If you don’t have your own vehicle, you can organise a driver through your accommodation or Airbnb host. Expect to pay around RM400 return.

It’s also possible to take a Grab to Bukit Merah Resort from Penang (RM200 one way). However, there have been reports of tourists struggling to get a return Grab. You could arrange for your Grab driver to wait for you or arrange a pick up time with them. Alternatively, staff at the ticket counter will be able to call someone for you (it’s not uncommon for tourists to get stranded here).

If you wanted to make your trip to Orangutan Island from Penang Island a bit more adventurous, you could get the ferry from George Town to Butterworth (20 minutes) and then the train to Taiping (1hr), which is on the Butterworth-KL train line. From Taiping Railway Station it’s a thirty minute Grab ride to Bukit Merah Resort. As you can see, this isn’t the fastest option but perhaps an something to consider if you wanted to make a weekend of it and visit Taiping.

Arriving to Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island

From the main entrance to Bukit Merah Resort, it’s a short 100 metre walk to the jetty. You’ll notice there’s a lot more to Bukit Merah than just Orangutan Island; a waterpark, eateries and other activities are available (including kayaking and archery).

Ignore the ticket counter on the left as this is for the waterpark. Instead walk to the ticket counter at the end of the jetty right in front of you to get your tickets to Orangutan Island.

Entry fees to Orangutan Island

As with most places in Malaysia, there are separate prices for Malaysians/MyKad and foreigners. At the time of writing, ticket prices for Orangutan Island (including the return ferry) is RM40 for adults and RM22 for children aged 4-12. Under 4s are free.

The boat trip to the island

A boat leaves the jetty at Bukit Merah for Orangutan Island at set times throughout the day and takes about ten minutes. You can check times and pre-book your boat via WhatsApp (+60 19-578 3015).

At the time of writing, the times of boats were:

Depart – Return
09:45 – 11:00
11:15 – 12:30
12:45 – 14:00
14:15 – 15:30
15:30 – 16:45

Please note that the boat sometimes doesn’t run if water levels are too low. A notification is often put on the Facebook page if the boat is not running, or you can WhatsApp the number above. It will almost definitely be running during the rainy season (September to November).

What to expect on Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island

From the jetty, you will be met by a tour guide to take you through the enclosure (known as the Orangutan Tunnel). The caged walkway is about 150 metres long with some benches and shade along the way. This isn’t a circular route around the island, but rather an out and back route.

As you walk through the cage, you will begin to spot orangutans nearby. Feeding platforms are placed near to the walkway for easy viewing and feeding times nicely coincide with visiting tourists.

It may feel rather zoo-like as you walk through. However, you have to remember that it’s us humans in the cage and the orangutans are roaming free on the island. Some of them seem to enjoy interacting with humans and will come quite close to the cage, others keep their distance and exude quite a grumpy demeanour.

We found our guide to be extremely knowledgeable and they were happy to answer our many questions.

Expect to spend about 45 minutes walking around before heading to the climbing-frame area. There’s a small gift shop to walk through before you board your return ferry. In the gift shop you can purchase drinks and souvenirs, including a cuddly orangutan toy.

Tips for your visit

• take the earliest boat time (9:45am) when the orangutans are more awake and lively, it’ll also be cooler at this time.
• pre-book your boat via WhatsApp (+60 19-578 3015). Numbers are limited and it’s possible the boat will be full if you just turn up five minutes before departure.
• cover legs and arms and wear mosquito repellent to avoid getting bitten.
• please apply mosquito repellent before you board the boat as the chemicals can be harmful to the orangutans.
• take water with you for the tour as it’s very hot on the island where you’re surrounded by trees.

Are the orangutans on Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island cared for?

Yes, very much so. This is a world-class research and conservation centre, which has been operating for many years. The staff are knowledgeable about Bornean Orangutans and care passionately about them and their continued survival.

With a strong focus on education and awareness, a visit to Orangutan Island isn’t simply a wildlife viewing exercise. And do remember that the orangutans are free to move around as they wish. Indeed, it’s not uncommon for them to turn around and move in a different direction if they’re not in the mood for human interaction.

Things to do back at Bukit Merah Resort

Once you return to the mainland at Bukit Merah Resort, there is a restaurant next to the jetty that serves reasonably-priced local and Western food for lunch.

And if you want to make a day of it, there’s a good waterpark within the resort (not huge, but still great fun) as well as various activities on offer, including kayaking and archery.

Accommodation options are also available should you wish to stay even longer.

Things to do nearby

The nearest town is Taiping, which is a 30 minute drive away. This is a city that receives only a fraction of Penang’s tourists, yet offers great food, street art, heritage buildings, and stunning green spaces.

You can take in many of the heritage buildings and cultural sites on the self-guided Taiping Heritage Trail. There’s also the picturesque Taiping Lake Gardens to wander around with pretty viewpoints and bridges over ponds, or perhaps hire a paddleboat or bike for a different experience. Little ones will appreciate the modern playground.

Final thoughts on visiting Orangutan Island from Penang

We personally preferred Orangutan Island to Sepilok in Malaysia’s Borneo as there are far fewer tourists to contend with. Although the cages on Orangutan Island can make it feel rather zoo-like, you need to remind yourself that it’s the human visitors in the cages and the orangutans have a free run on Orangutan Island.

As well as an interesting tourist attraction, the centre is doing an incredible job in the conservation, education and awareness of these incredible creatures, and your visit will help support that process. It’s an easy day trip from Penang Island, and the most accessible place on Peninsular Malaysia to see orangutans.