Penang Countryside Cycling Tour. PPA2 by Matahari
Description
Your escapade through the bucolic side of Penang Island provides breathtaking scenery with the opportunity to connect with ordinary folks, taste the simple lifestyle or even try out your hands on local tasks and trades. Your cycling adventure in the first sector sets you off with a gradual approach and provides you with a rare opportunity to witness our diverse culture and ethnic race. Navigating on trails and back paths that run along waterways towards contrasting hamlets, villages, and farmlands lands you an opportunity to witness the local community while being entertained by our guide and the ever-gracious countryside folks. We issue excellent bicycles that work precisely as they should. Each bicycle is issued to you to suit your height.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Transfers from Georgetown to Balik Pulau by car /MPV or Van.
Wheels roll out on the first sector along paths making your way passing various hamlets to reach the goat farm. Observe the diversity of the multicultural community living in each hamlet as you embrace this authentic side of the island. The journey takes you along the village asphalt path and dirt tracks that snake along a waterway. Nutmeg processing by women folks and the products made from mangrove palm leaf “Nipah” are some of the folk’s industries available in this sector.
Your journey to Kuala Sungai Pinang, a rustic fishing village. Get an inside story of the Chinese clans in Malaysia, migration and settlement established here in the early 19th century. Proceed to the Hakka temple that serves as the epicentre of this community and understands the function and importance of this worship place to the local fishermen here. The guide elaborates on the many community celebrations here and their beliefs.
Take a break off from your bicycles as we stop to observe how closely this multiracial community lives and mingled with them as you enjoy sipping coffee/tea and tasting some delicacies with the folks at an old local coffee shop.
Arrived at Kampung Permatang Pasir, Balik Pulau, greeted by your host followed by the “Matahari Welcoming Service” which covers safety briefing, bicycle and helmet fittings, and an introduction to your lead guide and the experience ahead of you. Your lead guide presents your tour with a brief explanation of the area starting with service establishments around the villages such as the medical clinic, community centre, kindergarten, and worship- grounds. Community and folk industries especially those involving women before you head out to witness them and learn of their importance and functions.
Return to your saddle and move slowly towards the river mouth- Kuala Sungai Pinang, the bustling area filled with activities and trades.
Stop to get up close or walk on the planks built over the waters to facilitate the fishing trades. Get to know the types of fish, birds, and other animals in this habitat while you try to spot as many as possible.
Introducing you to another traditional home activity: making rice-grain powder panacea. Try it on, while your guide walks you through the steps of producing this solution widely used through generations to remedy health and beauty issues associated with hot tropical climates, from the humble beginning, listen to how exclusive beauty brands came by the valuable age-defying elements found in rice.
Take a scroll through the village and experience the living atmosphere. Walk into a small Chinese Hakka Temple to understand the function and importance of this worship place to the local fishermen here.
Return to your saddle and move slowly towards the river mouth, the bustling area is filled with activities and trades.
See the Palm Oil estates and plots of plantations while leading your way to the finishing point.
Return Transfers to your hotel.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Please let us know of your hotel or the location of your stay.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(118)
We had an absolutely amazing cycling tour with Priscilla. She was friendly, funny, incredibly knowledgeable, and made the whole experience so enjoyable. The tour was a fantastic way to experience the local culture and learn about the history of the area. We especially loved visiting the fishing community, seeing a different side of local life, and having the opportunity to connect with the people. It felt authentic and gave us a much deeper appreciation of the community and its way of life. Everything was extremely well organised from start to finish. Such a memorable and enjoyable experience, and definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Highly, highly recommend Priscilla and this cycling tour!
We had an amazing countryside tour with Matahari. It was the perfect complement to visiting George Town, showing us the rural and authentic side of Penang. Our guide was passionate, knowledgeable and made the experience both fun and educational. One of the highlights of our stay in Penang, and we would highly recommend it to anyone visiting the island.
We booked the 3 hour bike ride. The contact was very good. Fast and positive. Very kind. We were picked up at the appointed time. And we met our Super nice guides. Bikes were ready, already at the right saddle height. The trip was very informative, also learned a lot about nature and how people live. The only downside we found was that we cycled very short and very slow: we were finished after 2.5 hours of which at least an hour of explanation and coffee. As Dutch we expected a longer bike ride where we would also see more. So for a next time we would book a longer trip.
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your experience with us. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed the communication before the tour, the punctual pick-up, and that our guides made such a positive impression. It's also wonderful to know that you appreciated learning about the local nature, culture, and the everyday lives of the communities we had visited. Sharing these authentic experiences is at the heart of what we do. We also appreciate your honest feedback regarding the riding time. Our 3-hour tour (PPA2) is designed to focus on the Northern sector of Balik Pulau's vast countryside and serves as an introduction to the area before progressing to our extended countryside experiences, TOUR 1.0 and TOUR 1.1. The PPA2 experience is intentionally conducted at a relaxed pace, allowing guests to stop and explore the villages, interact with the local community, enjoy traditional refreshments at a village coffee shop, and take in the stories, history, culture, and wildlife that make this part of Penang so unique. Our guides also tailor many of the commentaries to our guests' interests, making every tour slightly different. We're pleased that you recognised our longer TOUR 1.0 and TOUR 1.1 experiences, which were among the selections presented to you in the initial stages of your enquiry. These tours explore a much larger area of the countryside, include considerably more riding, and are ideal for guests who prefer a longer cycling experience while still enjoying the cultural and natural highlights of Balik Pulau. They have proven especially popular with visitors looking for a more immersive cycling adventure. Thank you once again for choosing to ride with us. We truly hope to welcome you back to Penang in the future, and next time we'd be delighted to show you even more of our beautiful countryside on one of our longer adventures.
From start to finish, the team took care of us with great attention to detail. We were fitted for our bikes and led on a path alongside canals and quiet streets travelling from hamlet to hamlet. We got to see a variety of fruit trees and vegetations along the way. The highlight for me was the morning tea break where we were treated to local drinks and kuehs and introduced to Kampung life. It was informative, humourous and warm-hearted. This is a great activity to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the rest of Penang. Highly recommended!
Our cycle tour was definitely one of the highlights of our holiday. Very professionally run with excellent bikes provided. Princilia was brilliant, a wealth of information, plus chief photographer for the day. She also gave us some great tips for the remainder of our holiday which we appreciated. Would have loved to have had more time to do some of the hiking trips they provide also. Thanks so much to SJ, Princilia and our very capable driver.
A bus trip from Georgetown took 45 minutes and greeted by 2 wonderful people Princilla and SJ who gave us our bikes and off through rise paddy field Palm oil groves where a explanation of how the workers looked after the trees We the stopped in a small fishing village for drinks and sweet and tasty treats Princilla is enthusiastic and knowledgeable about wildlife and plants SJ imparted his knowledge of the small fishing village It was an easy ride along generally well kept paths. Definitely do this tour of Penang on a bicycle You will not be disappointed except you will wish it lasted longer.
I had a great time during this tour, which was a nice addition to my visit to Penang. It was very enjoyable to cycle through the countryside and discovering aspects of local life I wouldn't have been able to access on my own. Easy cycling and great scenery. Princilia and her team were very knowledgeable, organized and kind. Definitely recommended!
The bike tour was time spend in very friendly atmosphere, stunning views,local welcoming and very interesting people with high knowledge of the the culture and history.Highly recommend.
My daughter (17) and I joined the half day cycle tour around Balik Pulau where we visited a palm oil plantation and some local hamlets. The bikes were great quality and Princilia our guide was very knowledgeable and made it wa very enjoyable and interesting experience.
We spent a morning cycling during our two day stay in Gergetown. It was a huge highlight. We were collected early from our hotel and drove to ‘another world’ of lush green countryside and tiny hamlets. The bikes were in great condition and easy to ride. The cycle tracks were quiet and definitely off the beaten track. We saw huge amounts of wildlife and varied vegetation. Princilla’s guiding was informative and helped us understand how the local community live and work the land and sea. We stopped for delicious coffee and snacks in a small hamlet and were given a fascinating tour and first hand explanation from SJ of growing up in rural Malaysia. Our group was small (6people) and we enjoyed chatting about our travels over the morning. All in all highly recommended! A great experience
