Mengkuang Dam is the only dam in Province Wellesley. Located 28km northeast of Butterworth, the main draw for visitors is its park featuring a scenic landscape with jogging trails (the best is the 10km trail that goes past orchards and rubber plantations), it has at least 300 visitors a day.
It contains up to 23.6 billion litres of water making it the largest dam in Penang. Officially opened in 1985, it is also called Empangan Mengkuang and the 81ft dam has a water-cache area of 3.9sqkm. It was officially opened by the former Governor, Dr. Tun Awang bin Hassan.
- Traditional English Afternoon Tea at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel
- City Half-Day Tour
- EZhopper Sightseeing Bus Pass
- Georgetown by Night Tour
- Island Half-Day Tour
- Private Penang Hill & Temple
- Heritage Trishaw Tour
- Private Penang Hill & High Tea at David Brown's Restaurant
- Botanic Gardens & Tropical Spice Garden Tour
- Penang Hill & Kek Lok Si Temple Tour
Penang International Dragon Boat Festival
Mengkuang Dam is the venue for Penang’s International Dragon Boat Festival, a boat race with dozens of traditional boats, with colourful dragon carvings on their prow. The noisy and colourful festival is livened not only by enthusiastic spectators but also helmsmen that beat traditional drums aboard their vessels as their boats race to the finish line.
From the Bukit Mertajam bus terminal there is a bus (number 24) that goes to Mengkuang Dam. However it may be more convenient to drive there: from KL head towards Butterworth using the North South Expressway. Upon reaching Seberang Perai exit towards Kulim using the Butterworth-Kulim Expressway then turn off at the Penanti exit.
Mengkuang Dam is closed to the public from August 2011 to July 2016 for enlargement and renovation.
Mengkuang Dam
- Highlights: advise vistors to go on morning or afternoon. It is dangerous when come to late night
- Opening Hours: Morning till late night
- Address: Mengkuang Dam, Bukit Mertajam
- Tel: +6 04 509 6509
