Along the sandy shores of Penang National Park, a safe haven for turtles exists at the Penang Turtle Sanctuary.
The government-funded conservation center is located on the beautiful Kerachut Beach. It was created to help preserve and protect the declining population of turtles in Malaysia. Among its many contributions, the focus is on promoting the survival of hatchlings.
For many years, Kerachut Beach has been a spot for various turtles to come at night to hatch their eggs.
It takes around sixty days before the little ones start to emerge from the shell. Soon after the baby turtles start making their way to the water.
If you haven’t seen videos, it’s a spectacular scene. There are sometimes hundreds of turtles hatching at a time!
However, it’s not all fun and games. There are an abundance of predators at this vulnerable stage, including humans.
That’s where the workers at Penang Turtle Sanctuary come in. They protect the eggs from threats for those sixty days, and then keep the hatchlings safe until they are old enough to brave the wild.
If you are lucky, you can see a few of the babies swimming around at the sanctuary. It’s also not uncommon to see nursing juveniles and adults.
Please don’t touch the turtles, it isn’t healthy for them.
THE TWO TURTLE HATCHING SEASONS AT PENANG TURTLE SANCTUARY
Four of the seven sea turtle species in the world call the Malaysian waters their home. Of those four, there are two who frequently climb the white sandy shore of Kerachung Beach.
- Green Sea Turtles usually come from late spring to early summer (Northern Hemisphere).
- Olive Ridley Turtles from the middle of summer and on through winter.
Along with the Green and Olive Ridley Turtles, the conservation center has information about the other two Malysian sea turtle species – Hawksbill and Leatherback.
It might be a simple little center, but it’s quite knowledgeable!
TAKE A HIKE THROUGH THE PENANG NATIONAL PARK
There are two ways to get to the Penang Turtle Sanctuary, by boat and by foot.
If you are into hiking or the outdoors, I suggest walking through the shady jungle that makes up most of Penang National Park. It’s a stunning rainforest with a diverse wildlife.
Bring plenty of water if you go trekking through the park. Malaysia is plenty humid, so you will surely have a sweat going before reaching “Turtle Beach.”
You’ll first have to sign in at the entrance gates to the national park. From there you can take one of two routes. The first is along the coast, and the second is through a canopy walkway. Although, the rainforest here is prone to mudslides and fallen trees, so don’t be surprised if one of the paths is closed.
MEROMICTIC LAKE
Emerging from the pathway leading to the turtle sanctuary you’ll notice a wooden bridge. This takes you over one of only a handful of meromictic lakes in Asia.
If you didn’t know, a meromictic lake has layers of water that don’t mix together. This one happens to have a layer of fresh water (from rainfall) and a layer of salt water from the ocean.
These lakes are rare natural phenomena, where only specific flora and fauna can live. It’s an added bonus to see something so unique next to a beach known for turtles hatching!
The combination of the two make the Penang Turtle Sanctuary a must visit when exploring Penang Island.
Just a warning: Don’t swim in the water at Kerachut Beach. It is known for its strong undercurrent and jellyfish.
