Looking for crazy fun time in Penang? Head to the Escape Penang theme park. Here, you’ll find both a water park and a tree top adventure/ropes course area in beautiful surrounds.
Escape Penang Malaysia is a theme park with a difference. You don’t come here for roller coasters or carousels. Instead, you come here for adventure, fun and to cool down at the Escape Penang water park.
We used to live in Penang and have visited many times since. Somehow, we never seemed to get to Escape Penang. But that finally changed with our most recent visit, and we wrote this Escape Penang review all about it.
I always like to read about visiting a theme park with my kids before visiting to make sure we’ll enjoy it, it’s age appropriate and we won’t be lining up forever. Our visit was on Easter Sunday, so we were also worried that this might might mean huge crowds of foreign tourists.
However, we found Escape Penang to be awesome! It even holds two Guinness World Records for having both the longest tube water slide (at over 1.1 kilometres!) and longest zip coaster (also over 1.1 kilometres!).
Below is our full Escape Park Penang review so you can make up your own mind whether it’s somewhere you want to visit. It includes full information about all the Escape Penang activities, tons of Escape Penang photos and all our opinions in this Escape Penang blog.
I hope you find it useful when considering your own adventure at the Escape Penang park!
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Contents
Escape Penang Review
Escape Penang was created by Sim Choon Kheng, a Penang born man who built a company, Sim Leisure, in Dubai. They designed over 50 theme parks worldwide before he returned to Penang to create Escape.
As mentioned above, this isn’t a theme park with mechanical rides. It’s about connecting with nature and some of the rides are created in the style of games played in Malaysian villages by kids.
There are two quite distinct parts of the theme park, Adventureplay, with ropes courses and treetop adventure-like activities and Waterplay which is like a traditional water park.
You enter at Waterplay (near the bridge) and then Adventureplay is over a bridge. The one exception to each part being quite separate is that The Longest, the world’s longest tube water slide, starts in Adventureplay and ends in Waterplay. You need to get a chairlift up to start this attraction.
People generally start at Adventureplay and then head to Waterplay in the afternoon. However, you don’t have to do so – the water park was open from opening time. In one sense, it is understandable people start in Adventureplay – it’s cooler earlier in the day while doing the more active Adventureplay activities and then you can cool down in Waterplay in the afternoon.
However you will enjoy shorter queues if you swap that order, or at least leave it not too late to go to Waterplay and then go back to Adventureplay later in the afternoon.
I visited Escape with my 11 and 12 year olds. Here’s my full Escape theme park Penang review.
Click here to buy discounted tickets now.
Adventureplay – Escape Penang Adventure Park
The main activities in Escape Penang are based around a massive ropes course area. There are different levels with different routes. It works well when you are with friends and family and want to try different levels of difficulty. The different courses can vary in duration from 15 minutes for an easy option to over an hour for the toughest. The Escape Penang Monkey Business is great.
Head to Monkey School for younger kids to get started with ropes courses.
There are also ziplines, trampolines, trapeze (you can be an Aerobat) and so much more. You can fall into an Airbag, leap off buildings, ride a bull, climb trees, rock climb, swing through the jungle, go in slingshot, ski (yes, you read that right – Malaysia’s first and probably only ski slope is here) and make sure you Zoom around like a Bug on this fun activity on four wheels.
And, of course, there is the world record holding Zip Coaster. Zipping round the jungle for over a kilometre on this was definitely the top Escape Penang game for the day with the crowds.
There are so many Escape Park Penang activities here that I think you could be happy here for the day in itself.
If you come early, I recommend doing the Zip Coaster first, or leave it as late as possible.
We got here not long after opening and were the 14th group in line (they have a ticket system so you don’t have to wait in the queue as much – this queue is at the end of the Zip Coaster, underneath the bridge between the two sections of Escape).
Even with the ticket system, there is a lot of queueing with the Zip Coaster.
Even when it was our turn, we still had a little wait to get fitted with a harness. After the harness, there is a chairlift to take you up the hill which starts a short walk away and also involves a bit of a wait. Then at the top, there is more waiting in another queue to get on the Coaster itself.
Each couple takes a few minutes to get set up so it is not a quick process.
The Zip Coaster had a catch in that kids can’t go without an adult and so I would need to queue twice to take my two kids which would have taken way too long. This was quite frustrating and seems unnecessary for older kids.
First time round, it took almost 2 hours from getting the first queue ticket until we got to the end. Remember, that we went here first and were only 14th in queue.
We did it much later in the day and didn’t wait at all.
But was it worth it? I don’t know. The ride is long, but the first time round, we went so slow we got stuck at several places and had to provide our own momentum. It felt like it took a while to do it and not in a great way. To be fair, second time around it was much faster – no getting stuck this time.
It’s hard on the arms and shoulders, too, or it was for me. There is a handlebar to hold on to, but there is a lot of rocking about and my natural instinct was to tense up, putting strain on the shoulders in particular.
I don’t think it was worth the queueing time but other than that, a ride of this length just has to be done 🙂 My biggest advice is don’t spend much time queuing. If there is much of a queue then try again later.
The Monkey Business wire courses were worth the (much shorter) wait, though. There are three courses, getting progressively bigger and harder. The first is suitable for quite young kids (the minimum was 120cm, but it looked like that wasn’t too strictly applied).
The second is for slightly older kids and the third for older kids and adults looked the most fun. This third course went through the trees up and parallel with the chairlift before rope bridging and zip lining across the valley.
We did the first two and thought that was enough, so didn’t try the third course. I regret this. It does look great!
The kids’ favourite ride was the Tubby Ride. Consisting of several tires tied together in a chain and weighted with some water ballast to add momentum, this ride slid down the hillside at quite a speed and was a lot of fun. It required taking (and maybe queueing for) the chairlift, but otherwise ,we never had to wait much when we went on it.
Crowd-wise, Adventureland was busiest from opening until about 2pm when queues and crowds began to lessen. We went back around 4pm and there was virtually no queue for anything (other than the Zip Coaster) although some of the attractions began to close well before closing time, like the Acrobatic trapeze.
It gets busy, fast, in the morning and even shortly after opening there were lots of people. On busy days, it would start to be an issue.
Throughout our time here, staff were helpful and we felt safe. Some of these attractions seem risky but in practice we never worried as a lot of effort went into taking every practical precaution against any issues.
Initially, due to the long wait – especially for the Zip Coaster – we were a bit down on Adventureplay. I’m glad we came back because despite missing some attractions as they shut mid-afternoon, we had a great time on the ones that were still open.
Note that closed toe shoes are mandatory to enjoy the attractions in Adventureplay.
Waterplay – Escape Penang Water Park
There is a lot to love about this water park, and we had fun cooling off here after all the adventure in Adventureplay.
Firstly, we had to change and store our stuff like shoes. Then, we were set to go!
The highlight has to be The Longest – the world record length 1,111m water slide.
How to ride it requires a bit of explanation. First, collect single or double tubes to ride from near The Longest finishing line. Then, like the Zip Coast and Tubby Ride, you need to take the chairlift in Adventureplay up to the top of the hill. This means carrying your tubes over the bridge and on the chairlift.
Once there, if you are in a group, you have the chance to have your rafts tied together to form a train of up to five people. It’s perfectly fine to do it barefoot (you’re not meant to take sandals on the ride with you).
So is it worth all that effort? Yes! The Longest was great!
There are plenty of rapid parts as you whiz through the jungle canopy. A pack of monkeys jump between or out of the trees as you pass, or sit on the edge of the slide and watch you slide by. One even jumped over us from one tree to another! It’s not just a much longer, normal water slide – It’s a tube load of fun!
We spent some time watching Atan’s Jump and Banana Flip for awhile. They are very cool! The Banana Flip is a nearly vertical slide so people come down fast then it rises people up at the end so they go flying in the air. Some riders were getting quite into it and doing some tricks.
Atan’s Jump involves jumping off high diving boards, and it was also fun to watch the divers. There was a high dive show where you can watch volunteers jump from the 10 metre platform.
There are also tons of other Escape Penang water slide options which were all really good. There’s also a lazy river (my personal favourite after all the action in Adventureplay) and a big wave pool. There’s a fun dunk tank where your friends and family can throw balls at a target to try to get you wet.
Younger kids will love the massive water playground. With tipping buckets, slides and things that squirt out water, it was as big a hit as its size.
There was even a Dead Sea simulation pool with mineral rich water to help you float. It’s not as good as the real thing, but it does give you an idea of what it would be like.
The water slides were a big hit with the kids, especially the racing slide. After the lazy river, these were my favourite too.
I wouldn’t say any of these attractions are unique or original in the way Adventureplay feels. Some weren’t that amazing (the wave pool barely cranked out a gentle swell) but most of the attractions were very fun.
The water slides may not thrill the adrenaline junkie, but for the rest of us, they were lots of fun. And with the capacity of most of the activities bigger than in Adventureplay, there was far less waiting around.
In summary, we loved Waterplay a lot more.
A big part of this is down to that extra capacity. Because The Longest required use of the chairlift, it did get a queue happening (which peaked between 3 to 4pm). However, other than a couple of minute long waits on waterslides throughout the day, we did what we wanted when we wanted (the weekday helped).
Escape Park Penang Food
There are food court areas in both Adventureplay and Waterplay. Both these food courts were the same as each other in terms of options.
The Escape Penang food courts do not have a lot of options though. Each have an outlet of American chain A&W Burgers and Costa Coffee. These is also some vending machines as well as a shop selling ice creams and drinks right at the entrance.
The A&W has a range of burgers and hot dogs at prices from 15 to 25 MYR, depending on if you get a meal combo or not. These prices are – in the circumstances – almost generous in their lack of markup over regular outlets and help make up for the lack of range.
There was nothing to stop anyone bringing in their own food and drink and we should have brought more water. Water is sold for 3 MYR a 600ml bottle, and we spent a over 20 MYR on water.
Visiting Escape In Penang With Kids
If you are working out whether to bring your kids here, it really depends on their ages, sizes and how willing they are to try new things.
We chose not to visit here when we lived in Penang when our kids were aged 3 and 5. I think this was the right choice as we would have been so limited in what we could do that the Escape park Penang price woudn’t have been worth it.
On this visit, these kids were now 11 and 12. It was definitely a great choice. They loved it and wanted to spend the entire day there. We only left at closing time.
While a degree of adult supervision is naturally still required, they could go around and play on what they wanted (with the exception of the Zip Coaster) without needing me to join in if I needed a break.
We chose not to bring our 6 year old which I think was a mistake. The two main restrictions are height – a lot of things require you to be 120cm or higher – and a minimum age of usually 4. Our 6 year old would have been able to do most of the activities in both sections. While he would have needed more assistance than his older siblings, he would have been able to have a great day out as well.
Kids under 4 are particularly limited in what they can do so I wouldn’t bother bringing this age group unless they have keen older siblings. Four and five year olds may not get as much out of the park as older kids, depending on how physically capable they are (although the staff are great in helping everyone), but older kids will be fine.
Click here to buy discounted tickets now.
Escape Penang Map
Here’s an Escape Park Penang map of what you can find.
Escape Penang Location
Escape Penang Address: 828, Jalan Teluk Bahang, Teluk Bahang, 11050 Tanjung Bungah, Penang, Malaysia
The Escape Park Penang location is in Teluk Bahang. This is in the northwest of the island about a ten minute drive from Batu Ferringhi or 45 minutes from George Town. These driving times are heavily dependent on traffic. You can take a public bus here or a Grab taxi. If you have your own car, there is parking available.
Escape Penang Ticket Price 2024
The Escape Penang tickets price is RM167 for an adult and RM111 for a child (4-12 years) if you purchase at the ticket counter on arrival. This is correct at the time of publishing.
However, if you buy an Escape Penang online ticket in advance, you can get an Escape Penang ticket promotion at Klook and get an Escape Penang ticket discount.
If you click here and buy, you get adult tickets from RM155 and child tickets for RM103.
After you purchase your tickets, you’ll get an email from Klook with a link to upload a selfie. You can then enter the park by scanning your face at the turnstile. Quick and easy!
Click here to buy discounted tickets now.
Escape Penang Opening Hours
Escape Penang’s opening hours are 10am-6pm Tuesday to Sunday. The park is shut on Mondays.
Escape Penang Attire/What To Take
You need to be prepared for both Adventureplay and Waterplay. This means for Adventureplay, closed toe shoes (can be sandals as long as they are closed toe) are mandatory. I recommend you leave the dresses and skirts at home and wear pants or shorts.
For Waterplay, you must wear proper swimwear. This can be anything from a bikini to Muslim swimwear, but can’t be regular clothes. You’ll want your towel too and, of course, hat and sunscreen. Babies and toddlers will need swim nappies. Sandals or flip-flops might help walking around the gravelly paths but we didn’t bring them and got about fine barefoot.
If you forget something, there is Escape Penang swimwear rental as well as towels and shoes. These are available from one of the shops next to the entrance gate.
There are lockers to hold your things securely. These can be rented for 10 MYR for the day and you can access them as many times as you need (so it’s not a case of needing to re-rent it once you’ve opened it). The downside is that they are small, and we needed to rent two to fit our bag and shoes in.
Escape Penang Base Camp Review
If you want to take your Escape Penang experience to another level, you can go Escape Penang camping and stay here overnight.
A Base Camp Escape Penang package gives you two days access to Escape Penang, use of a tent (you will need to bring your own pillow, air mattresses and bedding), bathroom access, wifi and access to BBQ pits and firewood.
We did not do this experience, but it sounds like a lot of fun!
Final Words
I hope you have enjoyed this Penang Escape theme park review. We loved visiting here. It’s a ton of fun.
It’s impossible to review Escape Penang without contrasting the two sides of the park – Adventureplay and Waterplay.
We enjoyed them both but did like Waterplay better due to less lining up and a bit more choice. Which one you enjoy the most could be different, it’s a personal preference, but I felt that while Adventureplay was a good outdoor adventure park with some very fun activities, Waterplay was a great water park that we could have spent all day in alone.
I use the word “queueing” a lot in the reviews, more so in Adventureplay, which I think shaped our impressions a lot. We did visit at a very busy time of year on a Sunday. Go on a week day if you can.
The two options together make for a great day out for anyone six and above.
Is it worth the money? It’s an expensive attraction by Malaysian standards. It isn’t something you’d do unless you planned to spend most, if not all, of the day. However, we had so much fun that the time flew by and I think that we got great value from our tickets – I can’t remember the last time I had such a fun day out.
Just don’t waste too much time queueing for the Zip Coaster.
Click here to buy discounted tickets now.
Looking for other things to do in Penang? Find our full guide here. You can also find our full guide to where to stay in Penang here and our full travel guide to Penang here.
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