Why this ride
A 303 km round trip from George Town - roughly 4 h 42 in the saddle. It goes by way of Bukit Kepala Gajah, Bukit Gua Harimau, Bukit Jawa and Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Va.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Penang day out · Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Va
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 303 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 42
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Penang
Penang is an island of the Strait of Malacca that behaves like a small country, with its own food, language habits and pride. The British East India Company's Francis Light took possession of it in 1786 and founded George Town as a free port, and the city quickly filled with Chinese, Indian, Malay, Arab, Armenian and European traders. The grid of narrow streets with shophouses, clan houses, temples, churches and mosques, many within a few steps of one another, earned UNESCO listing together with Melaka in 2008.
Read the complete Penang write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Penang is where the day begins. Next is Bukit Kepala Gajah.
2. Bukit Kepala Gajah
Bukit Kepala Gajah, Elephant Head Hill, is one of the limestone outcrops in the Lenggong Valley of Perak, a landscape where the Malay Peninsula's earliest people left their tools in the soil. The valley lies along the Perak river in the north of the state, among steep green karst hills, rubber plantations and small villages, and UNESCO inscribed it in 2012 as a site of archaeological heritage, giving it a reputation as one of the oldest in Southeast Asia.
Read the complete Bukit Kepala Gajah write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Bukit Kepala Gajah comes up about 130 km into the recorded legs. Next is Bukit Gua Harimau.
3. Bukit Gua Harimau
Gua Harimau means Tiger Cave, and the name hints at the stories that surround this limestone hill in the Lenggong Valley. The cave was excavated by archaeologists in the first decade of this century, and what they found was remarkable: a large number of human burials from the Neolithic and later periods, buried with pottery, tools and ornaments, which helped show that people lived and buried their dead here over thousands of years.
Read the complete Bukit Gua Harimau write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
At least about 136 km into the recorded legs you reach Bukit Gua Harimau. Next is Bukit Jawa.
4. Bukit Jawa
Bukit Jawa is one of the smaller hills of the Lenggong Valley, and like its neighbours it carries traces of very old human presence under tropical growth. The valley sits in northern Perak where the river Perak winds through a plain framed by limestone ridges, and the archaeology here suggests that people came to this region repeatedly, drawn by the river, the caves and the stone suitable for tools.
Read the complete Bukit Jawa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Bukit Jawa, about halfway. Next is Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Va.
5. Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Va
Planning note
Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Va sits at 120 km, about halfway. Next is back through Bukit Jawa.
6. back through Bukit Jawa
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Bukit Jawa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Bukit Jawa comes up about 163 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Bukit Gua Harimau.
7. back through Bukit Gua Harimau
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Bukit Gua Harimau write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 167 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Bukit Gua Harimau. Next is back through Bukit Kepala Gajah.
8. back through Bukit Kepala Gajah
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Bukit Kepala Gajah write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Bukit Kepala Gajah, late in the day. Next is Penang.
9. Penang
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Penang write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 303 km.
Leg by leg
Penang to Bukit Kepala Gajah
Penang → Bukit Kepala Gajah is 130 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Bukit Kepala Gajah to Bukit Gua Harimau
Bukit Kepala Gajah → Bukit Gua Harimau is 6 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Bukit Gua Harimau to Bukit Jawa
Bukit Gua Harimau → Bukit Jawa is 3 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Bukit Jawa to Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Va
Bukit Jawa → Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Va is 12 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Va to back through Bukit Jawa
Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Va → back through Bukit Jawa is 12 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Bukit Jawa to back through Bukit Gua Harimau
back through Bukit Jawa → back through Bukit Gua Harimau is 4 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Bukit Gua Harimau to back through Bukit Kepala Gajah
back through Bukit Gua Harimau → back through Bukit Kepala Gajah is 6 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Bukit Kepala Gajah to Penang
back through Bukit Kepala Gajah → Penang is 130 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
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