Air Hitam Dalam Educational Forest is a fresh water swamp reserve in Sungai Dua, Butterworth, Penang. The park is managed by the Penang State Forestry Department and has an area of about 10 hectares. According to the park ranger, this park has opened to the public about 2-3 years ago. This park has been a centre of attraction for many bird watchers and nature lovers as this place is home to many migratory birds and various faunas.The trip to the park with my parents is one of the many off beaten tracks as this park is still very much unknown to many locals.
Prior to this trip, my parents and I have never heard of this place until I stumbled upon a website which featured the place on the internet. We decided to go there as we wanted to go for an evening walk.
Unlike many other popular parks in Malaysia where many of the facilities were damaged, and disused due to neglect and poor maintenance, much to our surprise, many of the facilities there including the concrete-paved boardwalks, suspension bridge, observation tower and the gazebos were in good condition. Besides that, there is also a dyke with a footpath that runs along the Sungai Air Hitam and Sungai Jarak which flows into Prai River. The riverbanks and swamp area are mainly covered with nipa palms. However, there was no caretaker or staff manning the information counter.
This habitat hosts a myriad of wildlife such as crab-eating macaques, squirrels, monitor lizards, otters and different species of birds.
Overall, it is a serene and tranquil park worth visiting.
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| Information board at the front car park |
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| Gazebo overlooking the swamp area |
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| Barringtonia racemosa fruit (Powder-puff tree or putat in Malay) |
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| Concrete-paved boardwalk leading towards the suspension bridge and observation tower |
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| Squirrels at the park |
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| Monitor lizard swimming in the swamp under the boardwalk |
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| Suspension bridge |
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| Boardwalk leading towards the riverbank |
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| Meandering Sungai Air Hitam with nypa fruticans (nipa palms) thriving along the riverbanks |
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| Gazebo along the riverbank |
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| Observation tower |
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| Crab-eating macaque |
Air Hitam Dalam Educational Forest can be accessible easily by the North-South Expressway (E1) via the Sungai Dua interchange. If you were coming from Penang Island or the south, turn left into Jalan Sungai Dua (P198) at the interchange. After about 1.2km from the interchange, take a left turn into a road (P205) towards Kepala Batas and Tasek Gelugor. Upon reaching a junction which after about 3km, turn right into a road (P3) towards Kubang Semang direction. After that, take a right turn into an open car park next to the park before the bridge.
More information and details about Air Hitam Dalam Educational Forest can be accessed through the Penang State Forestry Department website here.
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