GEORGE TOWN: A NEWLY landscaped trek on Penang Hill is attracting health buffs by the droves.
The 410m trek, which opened early this year, has concrete steps and wooden hand railings.
More attractively, it offers trekkers a lush, scenic experience and plenty of fresh, salubrious air.
The view at the step trek is spectacular, to say the least. Pretty wild flowers dot the tracks of the Penang Hill funicular train service, which runs alongside the trek.
Among the avid trekkers is Tan Gim Hin who is in his early 60s. He visits the trek three times a week.
“It takes me about an hour to ascend the hill. Many of us take the train down afterwards as the downhill trek is bad for the knee joints,” said Tan.
The upgraded trek is named Laluan Warisan (Heritage Passage) due to its long history dating back to the 1890s.
Ponies and pushcarts transporting goods and essentials for the Penang Hill residents used to ply the narrow and only passage up and down the hill.
The trek starts from ground level and reaches up to the the middle station. Trekkers continue the rest of the journey up the hilltop using an untarred road.
It serves as a safe, alternative route up Penang Hill.
Visitors also have the choice of trekking up Penang Hill via the Botanical Gardens, where they can enjoy the refreshing sight of the waterfall embarking on the uphill climb.