Penang Hill and Kek Lok Si Buddhist Temple Afternoon Tour

Penang, Malaysia

Explore Southeast Asia's largest Buddhist temple, Kek Lok Si, perched against a hill slope in Air Itam. Marvel at the statue of the Goddess of Mercy and the 30 meter high Pagoda and take a stroll through the Penang Botanical Gardens located at the foot of Penang Hill on this 4-hour tour.

Walk up the steps to Southeast Asia's largest Buddhist temple in Penang, Kek Lok Si, perched against a hill slope in Air Itam. Marvel at the statue of the Goddess of Mercy and the seven-tier, 30-meter high Pagoda tower. See the 'Pond of Longevity', home for hundreds of tortoises set free by the devotees.

Ride on the Funicular Railway up to Penang Hill. Rising 821 meters above Georgetown, you'll enjoy a bird's eye view of the city and feel the cool and refreshing air at the summit. Next, visit the century old 72-acres Penang Botanical Gardens located at the foot of Penang Hill. Stroll through the main gardens and learn about the rare species of flora and fauna.

USD $30.76

Review by: Kay	March 2012
Our driver arrived on time and was pleasant, courteous and careful; the car was clean and comfortable. Particularly enjoyed Kek Lok Si. Since our driver was Buddhist he was able to explain everything which really enhanced our enjoyment of the visit. Only negative was that the local company insisted we hand over our entrance tickets. My daughter wanted to keep hers as a souvenir and I had to email the company to confirm that we had both visited the temple so that our driver would not have to pay some 30 RM. I thought this was petty. But, other than that, a very enjoyable afternoon.

Review by: LIEN HUONG N	February 2012
Our tour was confirmed for hotel pick up @ 2PM but no one turned up !!!! After some upsetting, stressful time and many phone calls we were finally sent a (private) bus and driver/guide @ 4PM. :o) There were 2 highlights listed on the tour that we did not get to see at all : #1-Stroll through the beautiful Penang Botanical Gardens with the free roaming monkeys. #2- See hundreds of tortoises at the "Pond of Longevity" _br/_ Apart from all that, Penang Hill and Kek Lok Si were beautiful. Wish we had more time there instead of rushing through.

Review by: Monique H	February 2012
Very good tour. Guide excellent and informative. The temple is definitely worth seeing - it's beautiful and huge (although still incomplete) - and the cable car is fun and offers good views of Penang. Like all tours, it seemed a little rushed, but this is because you're seeing so much in such a short time period. Also, the air-conditioned van was a god-send haha!

Review by: Peter John N	February 2012
The journey up the hill is much more comfortable these days, though obviously crowded due to the attraction of the views from the summit. The Kek Lok Si Buddhist Temple is still an incomplete structure after all these years. You need your "walking feet" for this walk about. Again I was lucky to have david as the tour guide - such an incredible amount of information.

Review by: Kerry W	October 2011
Great afternoon out well worth the money shame there was no time to look or buy at_br/_ the shop Be prepared if you combine this tour with Penang Island discovery it can be a long day as we didn't stop for lunch in between but were informed to buy some fresh fruit from the side of the road cause we may get hungry later but otherwise nice time had by both of us

Review by: Brenda O	October 2011
This was an excellent tour, the temple was amazing and the guide was brilliant.

Review by: Damon A	May 2011
A most enjoyable afternoon. Both driver and guide were excellent.

Review by: SK T	April 2011
Misleading as there was no Penang Hill tour. Kek Lo Si Temple tour was refreshing and a nice walk at the Botanical Gardens

Review by: J C	February 2011
great tour, Philip our guide was excellent, and made it very entertaining and answered every question, we done Botanic gardens instead of Penang hill, but guide was very well up to date with everything. Very recomended

Review by: Kerrie D	January 2011
Contrary to the advice on your website, the railway is closed until March. We only chose this trip for the railway. The Botanical Gardens was not a satisfactory substitute.

Review by: audi2111	January 2011
The tour rep was fun and had good knowledge. The tour itself did not have much to do but stopping over for fresh juice.

Review by: Joy H	December 2010
We were the only people booked on this tour on the day we went, so we had a car and tour guide David all to ourselves. David's lively and witty commentary and conversation made the tour even more enjoyable. Thanks David! Do visit Penang - it's a great little destination and this tour deserves better patronage. You could see the same things easily and much more cheaply by bus, but the price of the tour is so reasonable, why would you bother? As of time of writing, the funicular was still out of service, so we got a small refund on the day.

Review by: kim f	November 2010
Temple is a must see but unfortunately, the tram was not working so didn't do Penang Hill.

Review by: Leticia	October 2010
It is actually quite disappointing. First, we were only able to go to one section of the the Kek Lok Si . The other section had a sign that said it is closed. Our Penang Hill was replaced by the Botanica Garden which I would rate it as average. The guide was more of a driver than a guide. He does not provide us with any information of the places even during the drive. He just simply drop us at the place and said this is it and we see you at xxx time. I had the impression we are having a guide not a driver??

Review by: Mohammad A	September 2010
Good tour but too bad the penang hill part wasnt included due to works on the funicular train.

Review by: David S	August 2010
This is an excellent tour - and the guide is very good - he knows all the cultural history and where to take the best photos. Great value.

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	July 2010
When we went on this tour the cable car was having a up grade, buddist temple was good, our tour guide had us laughing so much , with his silly jokes , we had a ball

Review by: Patsy R	July 2010
Well this Penang Hill tour that was booked was actually closed till Nov 2010 but I was still able to book it on the website. I didn't find out it was closed until the day we were geting picked up. They didn't show up. Then the hotel rang the company and they were an hour late, only to let us know that the attraction is being renovated! We were still taken to the temple and the botanical gardens, the gardens are a waste of time all you see is a park, a tram and a few monkeys. The temple is a must see. Make sure you cover your shoulders for the temple tour and allow the whole day to walk the temple, make sure you wear good shoes, I walked nearly 10KM - it's huge!!

Review by: Anonymous	May 2010
Hotel pick-up on time. Tour guide was very good. The temple is certainly worth a visit and enough time provided here for a good look around. We knew that Penang Hill was closed for renovations and so were aware of the Botanic Gardens substitution. Unfortunately this was a waste - run down, poorly tended. The tram ride option at an extra, though nominal, cost only serves to highlight the Garden's poor condition. Although not stated in the intenerary, we also stopped at a CoffeeTea Honey operation outlet. Really little more than a sales opportunity, product is pricey and is not going to get through Australian customs anyway. But, tastings offered were an appreciated refreshment on a hot afternoon!

Review by: Anonymous	January 2010
Good tour but not enough time to to see Kek Lok Si or Penang Hill. Kek Lok Si needs at least twice the time, not the hour provided since only mounting to the temple takes a lot of time. Same for the Penang Hill, a good part of time on the top of this hill spent to wait for the cable car otherwise you might not find a place in it.

Review by: Anonymous	December 2009
It didn't feel like we were on a tour per se, it was more like we'd hired someone to drive us to the places and then we did our own thing once there. The sites were both worth visiting, though. Maybe the botanical gardens can be added to the tour to make it more interesting.

Review by: Marlina B, Australia	November 2009
The tour was fantastic. Our guide was very proffesional yet friendly and fun. We would do it again!

Review by: Lina B	November 2009
The tour was fantastic. Our guide was very proffesional yet friendly and fun. We would do it again!

Review by: Norma G, United Kingdom	October 2009
Too much emphasis on shopping.

Review by: Craige P	October 2009
Of the many tours I have been on in different cities, this was the most disappointing. For reasons I still don't understand, I was picked up by a private driver and driven many miles to a resort hotel to wait for the coach which, when it arrived, was completely full. I was basically driven all the way back to where I'd been picked up to join the tour! I left this tour half way through as there was so much downtime and wasted time--not due to the company itself but due to the crowds and queues for the train trip. Being one in a group of more than 40 is no way to see a new city.

Review by: Raghavendran M, India	September 2009
Value for money and the trip was enjoyable!

Review by: RAGHAVENDRAN M	September 2009
Value for money and the trip was enjoyable!

Review by: JUMAAN A	August 2009
It was crowded with very low class people. The management was very bad. They put people more than the allowed capacity.

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	July 2009
A most enjoyable and informative tour. Penang Hill and the funicular railway were very busy, but we had great views of Georgetown and across to Butterworth. Kek Lok Si temple was beautiful. We have seen a lot of temples, but this was by far the biggest and most beautiful. Our guide was very helpful, ensuring we had the best positions on the funicular and showing us the best spots for photographs. Thoroughly recommended.

Review by: Tara T, United Kingdom	May 2009
Really a good day, lots of info given to us.

Review by: Deborah D, Spain	May 2009
This was excellent and we had a really good driver who turned out to be an excellent tour guide as well.

Review by: Murali K, India	May 2009
It was a nice tour, but the train was crowded and we had to wait until 6 PM to board the train.

Review by: Esther T	May 2009
Really a good day, lots of info given to us.

Review by: Esther T	May 2009
This was excellent and we had a really good driver who turned out to be an excellent tour guide as well.

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	April 2009
I loved this tour. It was almost like travelling independently with our own personal chauffeur and just someone there to ask questions when needed. You are left on your own to explore the temple for over an hour and the same at Penang Hill. The views are very impressive. If you want to, you can combine this tour with the Penang Island Discovery Morning Tour as the same guide does both one after the other and you can stay on the bus.

Review by: Pauline T, Australia	April 2009
Would only do it once. The tram ride was very hot and packed in like sardines. The view was great and the temple was very impressive. Would have been nice to spend more time at the temple and surrounding markets.

Review by: Krishnan V, Australia	April 2009
Fantastic views of Penang from atop the hill. The funicular tram is quite a ride if you're standing. Buddhist monastery is a fantastic place.

Review by: Krishnan Vaitheeswaran	April 2009
Fantastic views of Penang from atop the hill. The funicular tram is quite a ride if you're standing. Buddhist monastery is a fantastic place.

Review by: Mark V, Australia	March 2009
Kek Lok Si Temple is amazing. Great views from Penang Hill. Our guide was the best! This tour is a must do when in Penang.

Review by: KAI LEUNG T	February 2009
Penang Hill Tour, not many good views on the peak deserving sightseeing, and the Kek Lok Si Temple isn't the biggest one in E. Asia as the tour guide said. The trams running to the other end every 30 minutes were just wasting the travellers' time.

Review by: Allan R, United Kingdom	March 2008
Very good visit, only marred by low visibility on the funicular.

Review by: Manuel N, United States of America	December 2007
A must tour when in Penang.

Review by: MANUEL N	December 2007
A must tour when in Penang.

Review by: Paris N, Australia	May 2007
If you ever visit Penang, this is a must trip. The tour was organised very well, and the climb up to Penang Hill by train was quite an experience.

Review by: David H, Switzerland	March 2007
The Hill and Temple tour was cancelled due to Chinese New Year. I was offered the _a href="http://www.viator.com/tours/Penang/Penang-City-Tour/d339-3705PEN40" title="Penang City Tour"_Penang city tour_/a_ or my money back - I took the tour. It's not possible to "do Penang" in 1/2 day but it certainly visited most of the main sights. The Pewter Showroom could have been replaced by, for example, one of the temples. However, the guide was well informed and I would never have ventured onto the clan piers alone - that alone made the tour worth doing.

Review by: Simon G, United Kingdom	September 2006
Our guide was smart, polite and very friendly, happy to answer any questions. Really looked forward to the railway trip to Penang Hill but hated being packed in like sardines. Felt very claustrophobic and couldn't see the view as we ascended or descended, which was disappointing. Very enjoyable and made more so by the guide's input.