Cycling to Pangkor
Alternative routes for cyclists
It's a well known secret long distance cyclist do not get much attention on commercial websites. Many of the independent cyclist do find their way by themselves. However, since we live in Sitiawan, the town close to Pangkor, I found it necessary to include a short description of two nice ways for cycling to Pangkor from both directions: Kuala Lumpur and from Penang.
Coming from Kuala Lumpur you can cycle over amazingly small and quiet roads
From Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur or KL as the locals call it is NOT a nice city to cycle in. But it is not as suicidal as some sources suggest. Of course you have to take care but then again, don't you have to take care anywhere?
Don't get me wrong, I am NOT underestimating the risks of cycling in metropolis. Bangkok wasn't fun but do-able. So was Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Istanbul and Paris. Fun is a different thing. That's why I can recommend a route to Pangkor which is fine to do.
The easiest road out of Kuala Lumpur north for cyclist is along the coastline. Leave Kuala Lumpur in the direction of Rawang . Once you arrive in Sungai Buloh follow directions to Kuala Selangor which is the city of fireflies.
It's road number 9. Going this way, you will avoid Klang, an unpleasant big city on the Straits of Malacca.
However, if you come from Malacca, it's nicer to cycle through Klang than Kuala Lumpur. See my bike ride from Klang to Pangkor page here.
On the road to Port Dickson
From Selangor on, follow road number 5 direction Teluk Intan. About 7 km before Teluk Intan, take the junction to Lumut and Sitiawan (you probably have to spend a night in Teluk Intan). You're still on road 5. It's a reasonable big road but not too busy. There's no alternatives until you reach Kayan. Kayan is about 24 km from Sitiawan.
Take the junction to Kayan and follow this road. It's a back road, hardly any traffic and a few tiny kampongs. This road is about 13 km's long and will turn back to road #5..
This beautiful Malay house is to be found 9 km from Sitiawan
Once you are back at the main road #5, follow it to Lumut/Sitiawan for another 5 km. There is no marking for a junction but once you see a road marker Ipoh 90, you take the junction to the left. Just follow this road until the very end. Here's a sluice. Just cross the sluice and go right. Follow this road until the traffic lights (it's about 2 km) and turn left until the next traffic light and turn left again. Lumut is about 7 km away.
Tua Pek Kong temple to be visited if you take the junction
8km from Sitiawan coming from Teluk Intan, Klang and Kuala Lumpur
These little back waters are very quiet and very scenic with hardly more traffic then a few cars and motorbikes. Most traffic here goes by bicycle and motorbike. There's a few little road stalls in case you get thirsty or hungry.
From Penang to Taiping
Johan and I cycled the alternative road
from Taiping to Kuala Kurau
There are two main directions to cycle from Penang available. The easiest and most used follows the trunk road number 1 from Butterworth to Parit Buntar, Bagain Serai and Taiping.
You may want to leave the trunk road at Parit Buntar. Follow the direction to Kuala Kurau, a little fishing village.
After the village, cross the bridge and follow directions to Kuala Gula, the bird sanctuary. It's a surprisingly quiet road.
When you come back at the trunk road, cross to follow to Taiping. This will lead you to the road to Kamunting and Taiping and it is preferable then to follow the trunk road.
If you decide to take the road from Parit Buntar to Kuala Kurau, you will skip Bagan Serai. My little friend Johan and I cycled this road in 2006, see our report about this journey.
The second road goes to Bukit Mertajam, Kulim, Selama and then on the old road to Taiping. It's described in more details here. This is far more superiour and scenic route.
If you decide to stay a night in Taiping, which is more then worth, see our Taiping page for details about Taiping.
The amazingly quiet and beautiful road
from Kulim to Selama
Taiping to Pangkor
Leaving Taiping is easier and nicer than at first sight looks. You will get out of town following the directions to the motorway.
Follow directions to Air Kunming and Changkat Jering (which is 7 km away), which bypasses the busier roads.
At the crossroads in Changkat Jering, follow the motorway signs (if you come from the trunk road, follow direction Lumut).
The junction is right at the market of Changkat Jering. There's also a little bicycle shop for some basic help.
There are two ways to follow to Pangkor. Many locals will advice you to follow the direction to Pantai Remis. And for good reasons. This road is easier to drive by car. But the road is also busier and less scenic. It's why I recommend the road to Bruas, even if you want to go to Pantai Remis.
After Trong there are 3 more opportunities to change your mind and go to Pantai Remis, none is longer distance but they're certainly much nicer
Should you continue all the way to Bruas, you have no choice than to continue to Ayer Tawar for the first hotel available. I would not recommend staying in Ayer Tawar though. It's 25 km from Bruas to Ayer Tawar and another 25 to Lumut (which makes it around 100km to cycle from Taiping to Lumut).
That said, 5 km out of the Bruas town center is Hutan Lipur Ulu Licin at the entrance of the National Park. Here you can go camping in the jungle. It's absolute beautiful, check here the details.
Hutan Lipur Ulu Licin a few km north of Bruas
Should you go to Pantai Remis, the Lam Seng Hotel on the north end of the town has clean spacious rooms for RM 50. Opposite of the Lam Send is a brand new hotel although I (haven't checked this out.
The Turtle Breeding Station
If you have a little extra time (especially if you spend a night in Pantai Remis, the following road is really cool.
Leave Pantai Remis in the direction of Seri Manjung and Lumut. After about 7 km there's a junction to the Powerplant Lumut. Take this junction and follow it for about 6 km until you reach another small junction leading to a Segari beach. There is a turtle breeding station located at the beach to your right, here is more about the turtle breeding station.
Turtles in the Segari Turtle Breeding Station
To your left there is a small forest path. Follow that for a few hundred meters until you see a path to your left. It leads into the forest. Continue until you reach a junction. Here is a small path crossing a stream into a plantation. Do NOT go right before the stream but follow the path which will turn slowly right.
This path goes through the plantations, keep following the main path until you reach a wider gravel road and turn right. You will see a "hole" in the hills in front of you. The "hole" is a passage to Teluk Senangin. Even most locals don't know there is a passage.
The plantation in between Segari and Teluk Senangin
There are two hotels and several chalets available at Teluk Senangin.
Continuing the road ultimately leads you back to Road #60 and Seri Manjung and Lumut (Teluk Senangin to Seri Manjung is 26km and to Lumut a few more km.
Damar Laut
No interest in the turtles or afraid to get lost in the plantation? I understand. Just skip the junction to the turtles and pass Segari. The next main junction will be to Teluk Senagin and Swiss-Garden resort (if you have taken the above described route, you will come here back at road #60.
Malay house in Kampong Batu Tiga on the way to Damar Laut
The next junction after the Swiss-Garden/Teluk Senangin is the Damar Laut. (not to be confused with Damai Laut). Older maps will show this is the main road to Lumut. It is NOT.
That said, you can take the road of several km's to Damar Laut and take a ferry directly to Lumut.
Damar Laut is no more then a sign board and a jetty pier. A tiny ferry brings you for RM 1 to Lumut. Ferry times are: 7.30, 8.35, 9.35 and then from 10.15 to 18.15 every hour. It saves you probably about 15 km cycling over 3 bridges and crossing 3 river arms of the Dinding river. See this page for more about Damar Laut.
A remote and alternative road to cycle, from Bota to Kampung Gaya on the way to Teluk Intan
Alternative roads
There are alternatives for coming in to Lumut/Pangkor. Most people come either from Penang or Kuala Lumpur. However, there's another, far more quiet road to cycle.
The details of this road are described here. Roughly this road goes from Hat Yai in Thailand to Betong and then south to Kuala Kangsar and Pangkor Island.
For more details about cycling in Perak including several roads leading to Pangkor Island, I suggest you have a look here.
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