JUST OFF THE southern tip of Penang Island sits the lush tree-covered isle of Pulau Rimau. Having ticked off all the other large isles around Penang, Pulau Rimau was the only one remaining on my “Isles of Penang” hiking bucket list.

Visiting the offshore isles of Penang is more affordable when done in groups, since boat rides are charged per trip and not per person. When friends in the Hikerman group, a well-known hiking group in Penang, informed me of their plan to hike on Pulau Rimau, I immediately signed up.

Our journey starts at the small fishing jetty by the river mouth of Sungai Bayan Lepas, close to the Kampung Binjai Caltex station. We hop onto a fisherman’s boat and, in 20 minutes, reach the bay on the north coast of Pulau Rimau. As I step onto its beautiful beach, a feeling of satisfaction fills me—I have finally completed my bucket list!

This beach faces Penang Island, and looking out between the sleepy fishing boats and the thin morning mist, we can see condominiums and high rises in the distance. We head northeast, climbing on all fours up an abrupt slope which connects to an overgrown trail. A few rises and descents later, we come to a scenic rocky cape at the northern-most tip of Pulau Rimau. This looks directly towards the southern-most tip of Penang Island, Tanjung Teluk Tempoyak. It is a good photo spot and we take a few shots with the narrow channel in the foreground and the lush triangular peak of Bukit Teluk Tempoyak Besar as background.

The hike continues south along an angler’s path and we reach another beach. As we walk along the coast, we spot what looks like old structures under the lush tree cover. Taking a closer look, it turns out that these are the remains of ruined buildings, with an old well filled with murky water—evidences that Pulau Rimau once had a more permanent settlement. Shortly thereafter, we reach the Pulau Rimau jetty, where a view of the Second Penang Bridge in the distance makes a perfect backdrop for a group photo.

Behind this jetty is a series of well-kept cement stairs that lead up the slope. We trudge up, and in 10 minutes reach the Pulau Rimau Lighthouse. This functioning lighthouse is the only prominent built landmark remaining on Pulau Rimau, standing at 17m tall. As the grounds of the lighthouse are fenced up and out of bounds to the public, we admire this structure from the outside. Next to the lighthouse, we find a clear jungle trail which leads us down to the southern bay. There are some narrow, rocky passages to navigate before we finally reach our destination.

The beach is beautiful here, and the sea is much cleaner than at the northern bay. It tempts for a swim! The gentle sea breeze and the shaded beach make it a perfect mid-hike pitstop and we break for lunch here. Gazing into the waters, I remember the fabled legend of the “Pulau Rimau Monster”—in 1934, Pulau Rimau was thrown into the spotlight for sightings by a skipper of a “monster” in its waters. Apparently, this “fearsome-looking creature” had a “huge snout, wide jaws, two bulging eyes and a long tapering neck”, unlike anything seafarers had seen before! [1] Fear and curiosity took hold among the locals and search parties to locate the monster were organised. These efforts, however, were fruitless and the only thing close to a “fearsome creature” they could find were a few sharks [2] .

After a hearty lunch, we prepare to head to our next destination, the peak of Pulau Rimau. On the way, we spot an unusual tree with unique stilt roots, tufts of leaves with sharp spines and, between them, several maturing pineapple-like fruits. Turns out, this is a Screw Pine Tree (Pandanus sp.), a common coastal tree which has many uses. The leaves are good for thatching, while the fruits can be consumed once cooked.

The hike to the peak follows the slope of the hill in a north-west direction, and after skirting several thorny palms and hanging vines, we reach the modest peak of Pulau Rimau. There is an old trigonometric station here, chiselled with the alphabets T.S. This colonial relic was used in land surveying, but has since fallen into disuse. Now, only hikers visit it, using it both for navigation and as a photo pitstop while scouring the hills.

With the help of our smartphone hiking applications, we begin descending beyond this point towards the northern coast, occasionally backtracking when we realise that we are headed in the direction of the northern cape, where there is a steep cliff. We finally find our way back to the bay where we had started in the morning. Here, as we wait for our boat ride back to Penang Island, we spot two wild boars in the distance, foraging in the bushes near the beach, a sight one rarely sees on Penang Island. Wild boars are great swimmers and these two would have certainly swum across the narrow channel from the forested area in the Batu Maung hills.

As we board the boat back to Penang Island, I think about how perfect this trip has been—one with historic sights, idyllic beaches, flora, fauna and the legendary tale of a sea monster!

Hike At A Glance

Length: Three hours.

Difficulty: Difficult. The trails are overgrown, and some parts require negotiating boulders as well as going down on all fours.

Interest Level: High

Signposting: No signposting.

Likelihood of getting lost: Moderate

Number of hikers: None apart from us.