The southern part of Penang Island is very hilly, with peaks like Bukit Genting, Bukit Papan and Bukit Gambir rising up gently from a strip of flat land along the sea front. These hills are collectively called the Relau hills and rise up to about 400m above sea level forming the southern end of Penang’s hilly spine.
While there is no mouth-watering ice kacang waiting at the end of your hike or a fast train ride down to “civilisation” from these hills, they are no less interesting as they offer a very unique experience: fruits galore!
The Relau hills have been farmed for over a century, with records as early as the 1860s showing the existence of large spice plantations here. While these famed spice plantations have disappeared altogether, they have been replaced by crops no less attractive: acres and acres of fruit trees, supplying Penang’s finest durians, mangosteens, jackfruits and the like.
