The water of Sungai Mempelam cascades down the falls at Bukit Hijau Recreational Forest, Kedah (2 May, 2005)
Hutan Lipur Bukit Hijau is a popular picnic destination especially for people living in southern Kedah and Penang. Bukit Hijau, which means Green Hill, is most famous for the seven-level cascading waterfalls over Sungai Mempelam, the river that runs across the recreational forest.
Bukit Hijau can get very crowded especially over weekends, so it is a good idea to arrive early and find a good spot. Cement walkway and steps help visitors climb the hill side, although personally, I would prefer that the forest is left in a more pristine state. Photography enthusiasts should be delighted by the sight of the waterfall as well as its surrounding greenery.
A wall of ferns at Bukit Hijau Recreational Forest, looking like fluttering butterflies, within sight of the thundering falls (2 May, 2005)
Water of Sungai Mempelam cascading down the slopes at Bukit Hijau (2 May, 2005)
Bukit Hijau is a great place for a dip. However, like all waterfalls, please be aware that the current can be dangerous. I have actually seen a victim of drowning being carried out of Bukit Hijau. I do not know how it happened, but it reminds me to always exercise caution when playing in the water, at Bukit Hijau or anywhere else where there are waterfalls. It doesn't mean that you should stay away from Bukit Hijau - lots of people have visited it without any incidents. Yes, accidents can happen anywhere, at waterfalls or the sea or mountains, so always be careful.
The stream water at Bukit Hijau is crystal clear (2 May, 2005)
If you are travelling from Penang, take the Butterworth-Kulim Expressway. Then follow the roadsign pointing to Baling. Eventually you will see the brown signboard for Hutan Lipur Bukit Hijau. Alternatively, if you're on the North-South Expressway, you can also exit at Sungai Petani South (Exit 168). Drive through Sungai Petani town, and then take the right turn into Route 67 towards Kuala Ketil. After Kuala Ketil, be on the look out for the Hutan Lipur Bukit Hijau sign on the right side of the road.
Water of Sungai Mempelam gushing under a bridge at Bukit Hijau (2 May, 2005)
Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.
While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.