How to get from Taman Negara to Penang

Why visit Penang?

Penang is a cultural melting pot on the northwest coast of Malaysia. For such a small island, it has so much to offer — vibrant culture, colourful heritage, amazing food, urban wonders, and untouched rainforest.

At its heart is George Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a city rich in history. Famous for its street art, you can easily spend hours exploring its alleys. Sure, the island can be touristy. Yet somehow, it is able to maintain a laidback vibe and a charm that you can only find in Penang.

There are 3 ways to travel the 540 kilometers (336 miles) from Taman Negara to Penang. You can choose between the bus via Cameron Highlands, taxi and bus via Temerloh. The journey takes 8 hours 10 minutes to 12 hours and the quickest way is by bus via Temerloh. If you're on a budget, the cheapest option is by bus via Temerloh with tickets starting at 61 MYR ($14.40).

Although the bus via Temerloh is the cheapest option for this route, we don’t recommend it because it can eat up too much of your time. We’re still giving you a detailed guide, though, so that you can decide for yourself if it’s worth it!

From Taman Negara, you’ll first have to take a “jungle bus” to Jerantut, a town located 70 km south of the national park.

Bus Latiff and Pahang Lin Siong provide affordable transfers from Taman Negara to Jerantut three times a day and you can get a ticket for 7 MYR ($1.70). Alternatively, you can take the NKS shuttle coach for a few dollars more.

Below are our recommended bus schedules if you want to take a connecting bus from Jerantut to Temerloh on the same day:

From Jerantut Bus Terminal, you’ll have to travel further south to Temerloh, a town in Central Pahang.

Transnasional operates one to two bus trips for this route daily. You’ll have to check their schedules online to know how many trips are available for your desired date. Fortunately, you can do that easily through BusOnlineTicket, where you can also already book your ticket. Travel time is around 1h 30m.

At Temerloh, you can finally take a bus bound for Butterworth, the nearest mainland town to Penang Island, just 3 km away.

There are four available bus trips for this route daily. However, with the schedules of the first two buses you’ll have to take from Kuala Tahan to Temerloh, you’ll have to wait until 23:00 for your connecting bus to Butterworth. That’s at least a 6-hour wait in this quiet town.

Still want to take on this adventure? You can book your tickets beforehand via BusOnlineTicket.

A 10-minute walk from Penang Sentral will take you to Pangkalan Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal. From here, you can take a ferry bound for Penang Island. These depart twice almost every hour from 05:20 to 00:10. A ticket costs 3 MYR ($0.70) and the journey takes 10 to 20 minutes.

The ferries dock at Weld Quay, which is just 2 km away from George Town. You have two choices to reach the town centre: a 5-minute taxi that costs around 13 MYR ($3.10) or a 20-minute bus (Line 101) worth 5 MYR ($1.20).

Although this option takes around 10 hours, you can travel from Taman Negara to Penang in three easy steps.

From Taman Negara, you first have to take a minibus to Cameron Highlands. Han Travel and NKS Hotel and Travel, are the two companies operating this route—a ticket costs 80 MYR ($18.90).

NKS Hotel & Travel (Kuala Tahan)

Standard

Tanah Rata Bus Terminal

10:00

5h 30m

15:30

8:00

7h

15:00

NKS Hotel & Travel

From 80 MYR ($18.90)

Compare prices

Taman-negara-nks

80 MYR ($18.90)

8:00

7h

15:00

Check on Taman-negara-nks

• 24/7 customer support

83 MYR ($19.60)

10:00

5h 30m

15:30

Check on BookAway

Next, you’ll need to take another bus to Butterworth, a mainland town located just 3 km east of Penang Island.

Two companies offer daily trips from Cameron Highlands to Butterworth: Perak Transit and Unititi Express. Note that although Perak Transit is 4.20 MYR ($1) more expensive than Unititi, it is also faster and more comfortable. Both companies are available to book online through BookAway.

A 10 to 15-minute walk from Penang Sentral will take you to Pangkalan Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal. From here, ferries bound for Penang Island depart twice an hour from 05:20 to 00:10. You can get a ferry ticket for 3 MYR ($0.70).

After a 10 to 20-minute journey, the ferries dock at Weld Quay. If you’re heading to George Town, you have two choices: a 5-minute taxi or a 20-minute bus (Line 101). Fares start from 13 MYR ($3.10) and 5 MYR ($1.20), respectively.

Are you travelling with your family from Taman Negara to Penang? If so, then you’re probably hoping to make the journey a bit easier by renting a long-distance taxi.

Unfortunately, the route from Taman Negara to Penang is not common, which is why not a lot of taxi drivers will be willing to take on this journey. You can still try asking your hotel for assistance, but you’re looking at rates starting from 280 MYR ($66) for the long journey that lasts 8 hours 30 minutes.

In case no one agrees to take you all the way, you can also try getting a taxi from Taman Negara to Cameron Highlands (a more common route) and then transfer to another taxi from there.