Langkawi the Jewel of Kedah

Langkawi is made up of 104 islands in the Andaman Sea, only 30km off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia. 

The islands are a part of the state of Kedah which is adjacent to the Thai boarder (in fact the closest Thai islands are only 5kms away).

The largest of the islands is Langkawi Island with a population of approximately 65,000 of which 90% are Malays while the other ethnic groups consist mainly of Chinese, Indians and Thais.

Langkawi is also a duty free island (very handy!). 

There are many Duty Free Shops dotted around the main hubs and to give you an example of prices, a large bottle of Absolute Citron Vodka cost 40MYR ($12nz) and a large bottle of Tanqueray Gin cost 58MYR ($17nz).  There is also duty free beer, perfume and of course chocolate.

An Obvious Choice For Us

We had some time to spare between house sits and as we needed to be in Thailand for the start of our next assignment, staying in Malaysia as long as possible was the best option.  Our special 60 day Thai Tourist Visa starts the day we arrive in Thailand so we didn’t want to land there any sooner than we needed to beforehand.

Malaysia allows us to stay there for up to 90 days so it made sense to stick around as long as possible.

Langkawi has always been on our ‘wish list’ and it was such a short distance from Penang.

How to Get to Langkawi From Penang

There are a couple of options from Langkawi to Penang.

The first is by boat.  There are a couple of ferry companies running from George Town to Langkawi and will only cost you 70MYH ($22nz) each one way.  Depending on the weather conditions it can take between 3.5hrs to 6 hours and some of the feedback isn’t that flash.

The second option is to fly.  Airasia run a few flights a day and cost 124MYH ($40nz) and only takes 35-45 minutes.

Based on feedback and comments regarding the ferry service we decided that we would fly both ways and have more time to spend when we get there instead of wasting an entire day on travelling and also not having to worry about weather conditions.

Accommodation Options

As with most tourist destinations, there are a myriad of accommodation options available depending on your budget.

The most central and touristy is Pantai Cenang beach.  It seemed to have the most going for it so we found some accommodation which was close enough to walk to the hub but didn’t cost us the same as if we were right in it.

Langkawi Chantique was quiet as all the individual units are set off the road with a lovely swimming pool right on our doorstep.  It provided us with a quiet and cool sanctuary from those long hot days spent exploring the island.  We paid 173MYR ($55nz) per night including breakfast.

This was a little above our normal budget for accommodation but was great value for money for a tourist island.  Once again, you can go cheaper but you do get what you pay for and sometimes it comes down to comfort and location.

The staff were 10/10, right from the Front Desk, to the cleaning crew and the grounds men.  We booked through Bookings.com and managed a good rate since we were in low season during the month of Ramadan.

So What’s on Offer in Langkawi

Hire a Scooter/Car

Langkawi is a small island but to really get to see the whole island, I would recommend your own mode of transport.  We hired a scooter at 35MYR ($11nz) per day.  You may get one cheaper but we decided after reading some feedback on some dodgy scooter hire companies to book through our accommodation, then if there were any problems we would be dealing with them rather the company direct.

If you aren’t comfortable with riding a scooter, then a hire car will cost you around 70MYR ($22.50nz) per day.  Of course with any rental agreement, take photos prior to driving off and also check insurance policy.

The third option is to use GrabTaxi.  We have used this app throughout Asia and never once had a problem.  They also have Uber on the island.  They are both a lot cheaper than the taxi’s here and you agree to the price before pickup.

Cable Car and Sky Bridge

No visit to Langkawi would be complete without a visit to the Cable Car and Sky Bridge.  Unfortunately, every other tourist on the island knows this so either get there when it opens (9am or 10am depending on day of the week) or be prepared to queue.  It would also pay you to check the Cruise Liner schedule and try not to pick a day that a ship is in port.  We witnessed coach load after coach load and van after van make the trip the day before our visit so we were relieved that we chose the day we went.

They claim that the cable car is the steepest ride in the world and takes visitors up 708m above sea level to the second highest peak of Mt Machinchang, where the view of the surrounding islands is simply breath taking.

We weren’t sure about paying extra to walk the Sky Bridge however, it was only another 5MYR each (if you chose to take the 320 steps) or 15MYR for the Sky Glide (cabin type transport to take you to and from the bridge).  Of course we opted for the steps!  It turned out to be the best 5MYR spent.

The Sky Bridge is a curved pedestrian bridge at a height of about 700m above sea level.  It is only suspended by a 82m single pylon and hangs at about 100m above the ground.  It swings out over the landscape which gives you a feeling of only being suspended by a few cables. 

I have to say that my height phobia was slightly challenged at times as I walked the bridge.  I did however brave the odd stop to admire the view and to glance down at the landscape below.

There are many other options available for you to do within the complex once you have ridden the cable car.  They really only offer combo entrance fees so we went for the basic combo which cost us 120MYH ($38.50nz) for both of us which included Cable Car, Sky Dome, Sky Rex, 3D Museum (definitely recommend) and Sky Bridge (payable separately at the top station).

We did spend a considerable amount of time at the 3d Art Museum which features more than one hundred 3D interactive paintings painted by renowned artists.  Proof that it appeals to all age groups!!

Beaches and Waterfalls

During our stay on Langkawi, we explored every corner of the island and found some real treasures, away from the usual tourist tracks.  Some of these included deserted fine white sandy beaches and tree surrounding waterfalls.

We took advantage of the crystal clear waters at a couple of waterfalls and took a dip at a couple of them and it was breathtaking.  We felt so privileged to be able to experience such stunning surroundings which are still untouched by the commercialism of tourism.  Long may it continue to be this way.  There are enough places on the island which hasn’t feared quite so well by advancement.

 

Dev’s Adventure Tours

Kayak Mangrove Tour

There are certainly many, many tours available and there is literally a smorgasbord of options available depending on budget, time and ability. 

Because we have done quite a few outer islands on our travels, we opted for a tour with Dev’s Adventure Tours.

They had really good reviews on Trip Advisor and two things stood out for us.  Firstly they only have a maximum of 8 people per tour for the kayak option.  Secondly, they do not condone the feeding of any wildlife.  Yes, we do visit the Eagles but they do not feed them.  We got to see plenty of other companies roaring up in their jet boats to where they ‘hang out’ and throw out raw chicken meat to attract them down so visitors could get their photos.

The kayak option gave us the opportunity to get up close and personal with eagles, viper snakes (not too close!), bats and of course paddle amongst the eerie world of tangled mangroves, that grow huge roots which form these small cannels which we paddled through. 

We were away for around 5 hours and it cost us 480MYR ($153nz) for both of us which included pick-up and drop off, boat transfers, kayak tour, bat cave and lunch.

Langkawi Wrap Up

Although Langkawi is not a large island, there is something for everyone here.

If you are a ‘resort style’ vacationer, then there are plenty of high, mid and low range resorts dotted around the island.

Into adventure activities, then you will so be well catered for with waterfalls, hikes, jungles and view points to climb.

Enjoy the beach bum style holiday?  Then you will be well looked after if you are prepared to travel to other more remote parts of the island to be treated to the deserted fine white unspoilt beaches in the north.

Month of Ramadan

Ramadan runs from 24 May to 25 June.

Langkawi is made up of 90% Malay and therefore predominately Muslim so Ramadan has a huge impact on the island.  During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast between sunrise and sunset, breaking fast at around 7.38pm (official sunset).

Four ‘calls to prayer’ could be heard sounding out across every corner of the island from the many mosques.

This is traditionally a very quiet time for the tourist industry and apart from when a passenger cruise liner was in port, the huge groups of tourists were minimal which was quite a bonus for us.

On the down side, because of so many Muslims on the island, a lot of the family run street side food stalls were closed during the daylight hours which left slim pickings for our lunches.  We would sometimes end up with instant noodles from the mini mart eaten back at our accommodation or some nibbles from the 7/11 shop.  Of course the tourist hub of Pantai Cenang beach would remain open but would often be a costly outing.

As usual, click on the link below for a few highlights of our stay on Langkawi.