Wild Rose Travel

Langkawi

October 2022

Situated 30km off the north-west coast of Malaysia, Langkawi is an archipelago of 99 islands in the Andaman Sea. Adjacent to the Thai border, this duty-free island boasts white sand beaches, lush green mountains and limestone cliffs.

We arrived in Langkawi with no solid plan on how long to stay, but had a little time to play with and ended up completing a full 2-week stint on the island. You could easily spend a couple of days here and tick off the majority, but it is also a beautiful island to kick back and relax.

We stayed in Villa Thai for our whole time here, situated along Jalan Bohor Tempoyak and only a 10-minute walk to the highly sought after Pantai Cenang beach. Although a little walk, it wasn’t too far and you’re far enough to be out of the hustle and bustle of the main ‘strip.’ It’s also a pretty walk through rice fields to reach the beach area. Similarly, being on one of the main roads its easy access when exploring the island by moped. Villa Thai worked out at £3.90 per person, per night for a private double, en suite room. Bargain!

You can find all details, and book Villa Thai here.

Langkawi hosts various night markets every night of the week, in different locations on the island. Little did we know when booking Villa Thai, we were right next to one of the sites for the Thursday market. Definitely another added bonus – the food is to die for!

Pantai Cenang Beach

Pantai Cenang is the main tourist beach in Langkawi, stretching over an impressive 2km. You can find posh hotel resorts one end, with beach bars and cafe’s, fire throwers, live music and games at the other. There really is something for everyone here. It is the perfect spot, because you can have a lively afternoon down one end, or place yourself at the other for an afternoon of complete peace and quiet. There are an array of watersports to enjoy everyday too. The sand is white and the waters blue – stunning!

Depending on what time of year you visit, you can actually walk to one of the neighbouring islands during low tide. For us, this was around 5am. Whilst we didn’t get around to doing the walk, we spoke to a local on the beach who told us all about it, and did see others taking the plunge. It looked very cool, but if you go, do be careful! We were warned about sting rays that submerge under the sand in the low tide areas, so watch your footing. The local advised us to wear sea shoes, and shuffle rather than take big steps. Also look out for jellyfish – we spotted a few during swims here.

Pantai Cenang also boasts an amazing sunset! This beach is definitely a must visit when in Langkawi.

Dataran Lang (Eagle statue)

The giant (12-metre) eagle statue is the main sight that comes up when you first search Langkawi. It is situated on the South-East coast of the island, just below the main city of Kuah. It’s about 40-minutes by moped from the main tourist area of Pantai Cenang. It is a popular photo spot, so expect lots of tourists. The area itself is lovely to walk around too, being on the edge of a waterfront plaza. Also, if you look up, you are bound to see some real eagles flying overhead too.

Langkawi Sky Bridge/Cable Car

You can hop on the Langkawi 6-man cable car from the Oriental Village at Teluk Burau to the peak of Gunung Machinchang. It takes around 15 minutes to cover the 2.2km climb. The peak is where the sky bridge is located. This is the longest curved suspension bridge in the world at 125 metres, and holds amazing views of the island and beyond. The sky bridge costs RM6.00 per person, and tickets can be purchased from the ticket counter on site. With many tourist attractions abroad, I always recommend buying on the day tickets where you can – it nearly always works out much cheaper than pre-booked tours and tickets online. Top tip: just make sure you go on a clear day!

Island Hopping – Pregnant Maiden Island, Dayang Bunting Lake and Eagle Watching

We booked a tour from a local tour office located on the main street beside Pantai Cenang, opting for a half day boat tour. We went in the afternoon, departing around 1pm. The skies were grey and as we hopped in the mini-bus, the heavens opened. It was not the most perfect day for a boat trip, but as always we embraced the elements and boarded for the ride. We were taken to the pier approximately 10-minutes away, and boarded a small boat. From here, we explored the limestone cliffs and surrounding islands. The archipelego is huge, and definitely best explored by boat. Our first stop was Dayang Bunting Lake. You follow a trail from the boat drop off zone through the forest, before reaching an opening. The lake is freshwater, created when the limestone collapsed and fell inwards. The lake has then formed from rainwater collection over the years, despite being just a few metres from the saltwater sea, there is no contamination. Here, you have the chance to swim in a closed off area of the lake.

On the way to the next stop, you pass Dayang Bunting Island other wise known as ‘Pregnant Maiden island.’ This is because the shape resembles a pregnant lady lying down. The next stop takes you to an eagle feeding area, where the tour guide throws fish guts from a bucket beside the boat, and you can watch hundreds of eagles swoop down to feed. Although not natural, there are hundreds, if not thousands of eagles above. It is an amazing sight! They range from Brahminy Kites (Brown/Red colour), Black, Speckled and White-bellied.

The final stop is a private island, where you have around an hour to explore and swim. There were hundreds of hermit crabs here, and tonnes of small fish in the shallows. The island is left completely natural, with only a few beach huts and one stall to purchase fresh coconuts.

Despite the rain, the trip was amazing and definitely recommended if visiting Lankgawi.

Explore by bike

On the map below, are a few of the main spots we explored by bike. The large black circle represents the “centre,” or Pantai Cenang beach, where we were based. One of the highlights was parking at the end of the airport runway, and watching the planes land overhead – this can be seen in red. There is a layby you can pull into for easy parking, and there was nobody else there when we were! Another spot worth driving up to is Berjaya Langkawi Resort, where we saw lots of dusky leaf monkeys for the first time. This is just a bit further beyond the Langkawi Cable Car entrance, and can be seen in blue. The yellow circle shows the abandoned hotel, and purple represents Durian Perangin Waterfall. Further details of these two attractions can be found below. It is easy to follow the main roads (seen in white) and navigate your way around the island – it looks huge, but we managed the whole circuit, stopping off at various points in a day. The road around ‘Kilim Geoforest Park’ is particularly nice. We followed a little track off the main road and ended up exploring some local farming fields and mangroves, which took us out at Tanjung Rhu Beach, seen in pink.

Abandoned Hotel

D’Coconut Hill Resort is an abandoned hotel complex on the top of Gunung Raya (mountain). We found out about this place whilst searching for different things to do online, and planned to tie it into a day out on the moped. The drive itself was amazing – you head up the mountain through the windy roads through the jungle. Please note: Be careful depending on what time of year you go, as there can be landslides in this area. It’s an amazing place to see different kinds of monkeys, birds and spectacular scenic views.

When you reach the very top, you can see the abandoned complex. It is now guarded by security, that advise against entry. It is possible to sneak in at certain fence points, but of course do this at your own risk! In my opinion it is worth a visit for the drive up, and the view – you can see for miles. You can also roll pretty much all the way back downhill.

Durian Perangin Waterfall

Situated within the northern slope of Gunung Raya, Durian Perangin Waterfall is one of the best on the island. Depending on what time of year you visit (based on rainfall) the waterfall depth can vary. Named after the durian tree, the tropical fruits can be found in mass around this area (watch your head!). The highest waterfall level can be reached via a 200-metre long staircase, passing 14 different pools of varying sizes on the way up. It’s quite steep and slippery, but doesn’t take too long. The area is very secluded, and we found a lot of locals in the lower pools enjoying the sunshine. We climbed to the top and swam in the deepest pool, underneath the biggest and most impressive vertical waterfall. As we were swimming, the heavens opened and it began to rain – it was a truly magical experience.

It is worth noting the waterfall is completely free to visit!

Food/Shopping

There are tonnes of places to shop, eat and drink in Langkawi, whatever your budget. In addition to the night markets mentioned above, there is also a night food market that pops up along the main road on Pantai Cenang beach, every night. If you walk down to the main square (where you will also find fire throwers and street performers each evening), and cross over the road (away from the beach), you will find an area full of food vans and stalls. We ate here most evenings, as you can buy cheap local foods and have tonnes to choose from.

We found some cute instagrammable cafe spots during the day, that we visited a couple of times. We tend to avoid places like this frequently, as they eat into the budget quite heavily and are very Westernised. Despite this, they are a nice indulgent treat every now and again. My favourite nearby Villa Thai was ‘Smiling Buffalo Cafe’ – the mango waffles are to die for!

Overall, Langkawi is a stunning island with so much to offer. 100% recommend a visit!