The International Steam Pages


Penang Hills and Trails - Sungai Ara Reprise Part 2
The Blue House

This is one of a series of pages on walking the hills of Penang, click here for the index. This is a Grade 2 walk, with a short element of Grade 3. There is a sketch map at the bottom showing the route followed. 

Please visit my Penang buses page for information on accessing the starting point.


We visited the site of the Blue House in November 2023. Sadly, it is no more, there are a few bits piled up and a bare concrete base. (19th November 2023)


By December 2023, the durian orchard on the climb described below had been aggressively fenced off and it was clear that hikers would no longer be tolerated.


A day earlier we had managed largely to retrace our earlier steps in the area to the south of the Sungai Ara Valley. It was a lovely walk but the fact that we had a hire car to return nearby meant that we had an immediate chance to improve on those efforts, something that would not happen until the next time we hired a car, as this area is too far from home for us to visit normally.

This time I researched it properly having read about it long ago, here are three mountain bike reports which cover the area:

None is at all new, but I was sure they would still be broadly applicable. I ignored their initial climb from Raintree Garden at the top of Jalan Kenari as the latest report said the path was overgrown and I had my own idea for a better route, backed up by signs that the FTAC (Full Throttle Adventure Club) had been in the area.

So we took the Sungai Ara valley road from next to the Indian temple in Jalan Kenari and turned left at the first concrete trail. Not far up it is this Da Ba Gong temple, in fact Yuehong had gone up ahead while I sorted out the car and got a lift to the kicking off spot.

We continued up to the first junction. The FTAC paper went left but the trail to the right looked better used.

There was a good reason for this as that on the right very soon led to a small house. That to the left was a bit damp as a stream was running down it but it more than did the job.

Even though the FTAC paper went to the right, the path to the left at the next main junction seemed to be heading for an upward ridge, we took it and almost immediately came to a concrete road. Now this must have come off Jalan Kenari somewhere, but the thought of wasting energy going back to look where never crossed our minds. 

This was indeed the proverbial 'gift horse', we needed no second invitation and headed up. We soon came to a junction where the way ahead was overgrown.

Never mind, left looked fine and up we went until we were confronted with a familiar sign. This provoked the usual 'You cannot be serious' reaction and we did what everyone else did and went round the side to the right. No one was working here and there were no dogs. Madam was very happy, for the time being at least it was an excellent trail in a well maintained durian orchard.

There were small side trails, but the only junction which needed a check was one where the main trail ahead petered out and we had to do a steep sharp left and go back on ourselves.

Up we went and the panorama steadily got more 'interesting':

I don't think I have been to any other viewpoint which gives such a succinct view of the devastation brought to Relau and there is still more coming. Of course the politicians and developers would be proud of it.

Needless to say, eventually we got to the cleared area at the top of the estate and the paths finished, although it was easy enough to continue up until we were faced with an apparent wall of green in front of us. Such is Yuehong's confidence now that she joins in the checking. I went left and blundered my way to the top although I came to my senses and came back down through the canopy. In fact as it was only about 50 metres and not that steep being just a question of picking your spot and going for it.

Yuehong went right where she found the FTAC paper coming up and she followed it to the ridge. It was a lot easier than it looks in the picture. We had found the 'Blue House' but no one had lived here for a while. It was time for a snack and some liquid refreshment. It had taken us a very gentle 90 minutes from the Da Ba Gong temple, most hikers would have taken considerably less.

There was a somewhat overgrown trail back down towards Sungai Ara, no doubt the one used by the mountain bikers, that could wait for another time, instead we took the excellent path west roughly following the ridge. The paper was totally superfluous...

It was one of those 'more like this, please' paths, the jackfruit was just starting.

All too soon the path started to drop to the right. At the only interesting junction a path went down towards the Sungai Ara Valley, we just have to find out where another time. The descent was so gentle that no knee complained although that might have been due to the daily cod liver oil capsules. 

This 'junction' probably just led to durians and we continued past the traditional abandoned house.

There was just one real junction but the path undoubtedly led to a house as there was an electricity cable and in no time we were at the 5 way junction above Fig Tree Hill.

That was 'game over' and we ambled down to Sungai Ara where Yuehong suggested an alternative coffee shop that was rather airier and which produced an 'economy rice' array that could satisfy both of us. After a week of unaccustomed luxury we were back on the buses. The 302 meandered its way to Komtar, it's bearable occasionally but I wouldn't like to make a habit of it. Fortunately, a 102 breezed in as we arrived and as it always comes in near empty from the airport that guaranteed us a seat home.

We'd had two very enjoyable hikes, there's a bit more exploring to do but if you've got your own wheels or are based in the south of the island, they come highly recommended.


Sungai Ara Area

Key:

 ____ = Concrete Road

 ____ = Path

 ____ = Easy 'Off piste'

 ____ = Seriously 'Off piste'

(Not all paths are shown, there are many more.)

Click here for information on the maps.


Rob and Yuehong Dickinson

Email: webmaster@internationalsteam.co.uk