Bagan Ajam R&R

One of the newest and most picturesque outdoor recreation spots in Penang

Offering a panoramic view of the Penang Channel and the island, this coastal rest-and-recreation area lies along the Butterworth Outer Ring Road (BORR), with a hawker centre built beside a rather pristine sandy beach. 

Interestingly, this beach emerged on a foreshore specially reclaimed for the 14-km long BORR that was completed as recently as in 2006. The white sands here appear incredibly unspoilt and because this is a new beach there is an aura of spotlessness and freshness about the place. 

Standing on the beach, one is greeted by a sweeping panoramic sight that covers the inspiring splendour of nature as well as the awesome brilliance of human industry. To the north one sees the marvellous horizon of the Andaman Sea with the placid endless expanse of the ocean under a grand colourful sky. To the south one is greeted with the sight of giant cargo cranes of the North Butterworth Container Terminal rising above the numerous ships and vessels on the Penang Channel - in a veritable testament of the port’s living legacy to the development of Penang over the last two centuries. 

Gazing straight ahead one is surely transfixed by the alluring vision of Penang island, with its green bulks of hills looming behind the little buildings that dot the island’s skyline at the front.

The sandy beach is itself flecked with sea shells, and fringed on the inland side by swaying coconut and palm trees. A spacious pathway meanders alongside the beach for recreational walking and cycling. People can be seen swimming and enjoying leisure activities here, especially in the evenings when the sunny daytime heat has abated. 

Located within easy reach from urban Butterworth, this is probably the newest and least-known outdoor recreation offering that is simply waiting for the people of Penang to come and experience.

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Written by Himanshu Bhatt
Photographs by Adrian Cheah