Langkawi is the Jewel of Kedah comprising of a group of 99 tropical islands lying off the northwestern coast of peninsular Malaysia. The islands are shrouded with myth that a maiden had laid a curse on Langkawi and that it shall not prosper for seven generations to come. Now before 1987 when Langkawi was granted a duty-free status, little was known about the island. No one flocked here, many of the locals wanted to leave the island to find prosperity elsewhere. Since 1987 tourism has been booming. Cheap alcohol, shopping and cigarettes have fuelled Langkawi into a big shopping destination and with it came international tourism. This island is so beautiful.
In 2007 Langkawi was given the Geopark status by UNESCO for its natural beauty. The impressive karst formations, caves and waterfalls all have a ecological and archaeological importance with some being millions of years old. The tsunami in 2004 did little damage to Langkawi island all thanks to the interwinding mangroves that mitigated the damage.
In total there are 3 importance parks in Langkawi:
- Kilim Karst Geoforest Park
- Machinchang Cambrian Geoforest Park
- Dayang Bunting Marble Geoforest Park
With the rock formations and natural beauty come a place where you can relax on the beach and top up your tan or take part in some water sports activites. The best beaches being Pantai Cenang and Pantai Tengah. Cenang being the beach with fine powdery sand. However it was very busy with lots of jetskis, tractors and banana boats dotted all along the beach.
Boat trip in the mangroves
I would recommend doing a boat trip into the mangroves. We first visited the bat cave before sailing down the Kilim river learning about the nature in Langkawi and the importance of the mangroves. Tourism is great but comes with a high price as Langkawi has been faced with unregulated development and the results of tourism. It may loose it’s geopark status!
Getting around the island
There is no public transport so hire your own car or scooter or use the taxis available. Try to book your car hire in advance so you can drive straight to your accommodation and you aren’t harassed by the many car rental toots as you stop of the ferry. Our car rental cost us 130 RM for 3 days, which is really cheap!!
Car rental: Nafihantravel
Contact Hans 013 4353 413 or Effa 013 4599 008
His website is all in malay. So use google translate and text him like we did. Very cheap and a good car. Note that manual cars are more expensive to hire than automatic cars.
Kuah
Our accommodation was in Kuah for the first few days. It’s the first town you drive through from the jetty. Not much to do here. Lots of shops offering duty free goods. Local men come to Langkawi for the cheap cigarettes whereas the local women come to shop.
We visited the Tourist Information centre here to stock up on maps and flyers.
Nearby is Eagle Square – a massive statue of the reddish brown eagle. Langkawi means reddish brown eagle.
Taman Legenda – it is supposed to be a scenic park with beautiful gardens but it was run down and neglected. The river was so low you could see the layout. The trees didn’t look healthy. This is such a shame because it would be the perfect park – there are plenty of flowers, trees and places to relax and get some shade.
Spas
We decided to treat ourselves in Langkawi and there are many spas to choose from on this little island. Luxury pampering on the beach. We opted for a package from Yuan Spa, which was relaxing and fun.
Laman Paddy (rice museum)
This was a cultural museum showcasing the history of rice cultivation in Malaysia. They also do demonstrations but there was only the two of us so we couldn’t partake in any tours.
Buffalo Park
You can see first hand some of the water buffalos that were used in the agriculture in Malaysia. We also saw some wild water buffalos on the road side.
Langkawi Skycab
You can ride up in a gondola to the top of Gunung Machinchang to see the views of Langkawi and the surrounding islands and the Amadaman sea. The views are stunning. There’s also a skybridge is 660m above sea level and a platform that you can walk along to enjoy the 360 views of Langkawi.
Night Markets (Pasar Malam)
Every night of the week there are vendors setting up stalls with a vast array of foods, snacks and drinks. This is a great place to meander and sample local cuisine at a cheap price. They open from 5:30pm till 10pm.
Sunday: Padang Matsirat – large car park near field of burnt rice
Monday: Ulu Melaka next to the mosque
Tuesday: Kedawang T Junction
Wednesday and Saturday: Kuah town river
Thursday: Pantai Cenang close to Meritus Pelangi Resort
Friday: Air Hangat Roundabout to Tanjung Rhu Hotel
Langkawi is one of the most beautiful islands of Malaysia – it is definitely a must visit.