How to get from Penang to Taman Negara

Why visit Taman Negara?

Taman Negara is one of the oldest tropical rainforests in the world — over 130 years old! Trekking through its lush jungle will give you a glimpse at its wide diversity of flora and fauna (some 3,000 species) and various wildlife (including the rare Malayan tiger).

You can choose from a number of trails depending on your capability — from an hour hike to Bukit Teresek to a week of jungle adventure taking you to the peak of Gunung Tahan. Other activities you can enjoy in Taman Negara include white water rafting, bird watching, caving, and of course, the 500-metre canopy walk.

There are 3 ways to travel the 540 kilometres (336 miles) from Penang to Taman Negara. You can choose between the bus via Cameron Highlands, taxi and bus via Temerloh. The journey takes 8 hours 30 minutes to 13 hours 30 minutes and the quickest way is by taxi. If you're on a budget, the cheapest option is by bus via Temerloh with tickets starting at 78 MYR ($18.50).

This bus route from Penang to Taman Negara via Temerloh can be quite complicated because of the bus schedules. However, if you’re travelling in a group and willing to add a taxi ride to this journey, it can be a convenient but more expensive option.

The first step is to travel to the mainland by ferry. Butterworth is the nearest mainland town only 3 km away.

You will find the ferries at Weld Quay, which you can reach from George Town by a 5-minute taxi with rates from 3 MYR ($0.70) or a 20-minute bus (Line 101) that costs 5 MYR ($1.20).

At Weld Quay, transfer to a ferry bound for Pangkalan Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal in Butterworth. A ride costs 3 MYR ($0.70) and takes 10-20 minutes. Ferries depart twice every hour from 05:40 to 00:40.

Next, you’ll need to take a bus to Temerloh, a quiet town in central Pahang. This leg of the journey covers 470 km around the mountainous area of Pahang.

There are several companies offering bus trips for this route. Be aware that the bus time you pick for this leg will determine the rest of your journey. A ticket costs from 45 MYR ($10.70) when you book with BusOnlineTicket.

From Temerloh, you’ll have to take a northbound bus to Jerantut, the main transport hub when visiting Taman Negara. Transnasional offers three trips every day and a ticket costs 6 MYR ($1.40) when you book online beforehand through BusOnlineTicket.

If you take a late-night bus from Butterworth, you’ll have quite a long waiting time in Temerloh. Another option that we recommend is to just travel by taxi to Jerantut. With rates from 145 MYR ($34.50), it might be worth considering, especially if you’re travelling in a group.

This way, you will arrive early in Jerantut, where you can take a cheap minibus to Taman Negara.

Similar to the earlier option, you have two choices when travelling the remaining 70 km from Jerantut to Taman Negara. You can take a minibus for 7 MYR ($1.70) or a taxi for around 125 MYR ($29.50).

There are seven minibus trips from Jerantut to Taman Negara. If you arrive early with a taxi, you can take one of the cheaper minibus trips that cost only 7 MYR ($1.70). But if you take the earlier buses from Temerloh, you’ll also have to settle for a more expensive minibus transfer to the national park.

If you arrive in Jerantut in the evening, you’ll have no other choice but to take a taxi to Taman Negara. Rates start from 125 MYR ($29.50) for the whole journey that will take you 1 hour.

The bus schedules from Penang to Taman Negara via Cameron Highlands make it hard to complete the journey on the same day – unless you’re willing to spend a fortune on taking a taxi for the 2nd half of the trip.

It does, however, give you a chance to stay a night in the beautiful Cameron Highlands. Read on for more details!

Your first step is to travel by ferry from Penang to Butterworth, the nearest mainland town just 3 km away.

Ferries depart from Weld Quay, which can be reached from George Town by a 5-minute taxi or a 20-minute bus (Line 101). Fares start from 13 MYR ($3.10) and 5 MYR ($1.20), respectively.

At Weld Quay, ferries bound for Butterworth depart twice every hour from 05:40 to 00:40 every day. You can buy your ticket at the port for only 3 MYR ($0.70). The trip takes 10-20 minutes and the ferries dock at Pangkalan Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal.

From here, you can just follow the walkway to Penang Sentral, where you can find the buses bound for Cameron Highlands.

From Butterworth, you’ll have to travel 240 km southeast to Cameron Highlands.

The buses are parked at Penang Sentral. CS Travel & Tours is the only company operating on this route. A ticket costs 51 MYR ($12.10) when you book on BookAway.

There are two minibus trips from Cameron Highlands to Taman Negara every day. However, they both depart at 08:00. With the ferry and bus schedules mentioned in the first two steps, it’s really not possible to arrive at Cameron Highlands in time for that.

So we have two recommendations: either spend a night in Cameron Highlands and then take the minibus the next day or just take a taxi to arrive in Taman Negara on the same day.

By Minibus

You’ll only be able to take the minibus if you stay the night in Cameron Highlands. We think that’s a great thing though because it’s a beautiful town.

If you arrive early, you can even enjoy its rolling tea plantations and wonderful climate. At night, you can have its famous steamboat (hot pot) for dinner! You will find many steamboat restaurants in town.

As for the minibus, you can choose from Han Travel, Eco Cameron, or NKS Hotel and Travel. Both are trusted companies for this route.

Travelling in a group? Especially if you’re on vacation with your family, you might be thinking of taking a direct taxi from Penang to Taman Negara.

Sadly, this is an uncommon route so you might have a hard time finding a driver who’s willing to take on this journey. You can always ask your hotel for assistance, but be prepared to pay at least 1,170 MYR ($275) for the taxi ride from Penang to Taman Negara that lasts for 8 hours 30 minutes.

If you don’t mind paying that much, but are not having any luck in finding a driver, you can also divide this trip into 2 taxis – one from Penang to Cameron Highlands and then another one to Taman Negara.