Planning a Trip to Langkawi, Malaysia in 2019? Here are the 10 Best Places to Visit in Langkawi

Located on the northwest coast of Malaysia in the Andaman Sea, Langkawi is an archipelago of 99 Islands and is also a district of Malaysia. Also known as ‘Langkawi The Jewel of Kedah’, this area is around 30 kms from mainland coast of Malaysia in the state of Kedah, Malaysia; and is close to the Thailand Border. Spread in an area of 478 sq. km, this duty free island has a population close to 100,000 people. Kuah is the largest town of Langkawi, and Pentai Cenang its most popular tourist destination and beach attracting thousands every year.

You can shop for duty free chocolates, cigarettes and alcohol here and the blue-green sea surrounding the island is a delight to watch and picturesque views are spread everywhere. The interior parts of the main island has serene and beautiful blend of widespread paddy fields and hills covered with jungles. The shoreline of this island welcomes visitors with its powdered sand and scattered coconut trees along with breathtaking beach views. Visitors have plethora of options to enjoy which includes natural beauty as well as few man made marvels.

Langkawi has two main island zones, the Southern Islands with huge traffic of tourists round the year and the Northeast Islands which are kind of secluded and tourist visit is on a lower side in this area. The famous Islands are Langun Island, which has a fresh water lake called Pregnant Maiden Lake as its main attraction and the nearby Dendang Island which has a beautiful bay where yacht tour operators from Langkawi show the wonderful water views to the tourists.

Few Popular beaches offshore Langkawi area are Pantai Cenang, Barua Bay, Datai Bay, Pantai Tengah and Pantai Kok. The meaning of Pantai is ‘beach’ in Malay language; Pantai Cenang is the longest and most popular beach along the western coast and is next to Pantai Tengah Beach. Pantai Cenang beach has many resorts and the coconut trees spread across its hemline which adds up to the beauty of the seashore. The water near Pantai Cenang beach is clean and suitable for swimming. Black Sand Beach is another magnificent beach which is popular for its black sand which has many legendary tales behind its black color sand and is worth visiting once.

The high tourist season and dry weather months with no rain and bright sunshine are the months of Jan to March. This is also the best time to visit Langkawi as you can enjoy the outdoor activities and soak in the sun on the beaches. The actual tourist inflow starts from November and continues till the month of April, but this is also hot and humid season and during the daytime mercury touches 34 degrees and humidity level is also high, so be prepared for a lot of sweating during outdoor activities. Also, during the peak season the tour packages, hotel tariffs and car rentals go northwards and hence it’s imperative to plan few months in advance if you are planning your trip during these months.

However, if you want to enjoy your vacation in a calm environment with few tourists tottering around you, then April to August is the right time. These are the months of mild rains and showers every now and then with occasional thunderstorms, but are for a short duration either in late afternoon or in the evenings and thus the temperature falls below thirties making room for a pleasant weather. You will find clean beaches and hotels, restaurants and cabs are all easily accessible and you won’t have to queue up for anything in particular. What else, you can also expect up to 50% discount on few budget and mid range hotels. But avoid a visit during the month of Ramadan; Malaysia being an Islamic Country, most of the people are fasting during this month and would close their establishments early or may remain closed.

Langkawi is an island area and hence has many water bodies and opportunities for water adventure sports are also in galore. But few man made and beautiful architectures are also among the must see places in Langkawi which include, but not limited to taking a ride on cable car, visiting the Eagle Square, Mahsuri Tomb and Museum, visiting the Taman Legenda, Langkawi or MARDI Langkawi Agro Technology Park. The natural beauties to adore and activities to indulge in are - taking a sunbathe on Tanjung Rhu Beach, zip on a segway around the Oriental Village, take a cruise to catch the sunset, cool off at the Telaga Tujuh Waterfalls or exploring the Pulau Payar Marine Park to name a few. Moving on to our main topic about the ten best places to visit in Langkawi, let’s check few details about these places which are handpicked by us.

As the name suggests, this is a sky walk bridge and definitely not meant for the weak hearted. This 410 ft long bridge is a curved structure and is an ‘only for pedestrians’ bridge built above theMat Cinchang Mountain. The views from top of this bridge are stunning and you may feel like being in another world while getting submerged in the serene landscape of the mountains and valleys. Located 2300 feet above the sea level, the weather near this steel structure is quite cold and be ready to embrace the chilly winds when you reach this bridge by the Langkawi Cable Car. The bridge is 1.8 meters wide and has two stops in form of triangular platforms, where you can stand and click photographs of the enchanting nature’s beauty or simply stand and adore the enchanting views.

The Underwater World, Langkawi is the biggest aquarium of Malaysia and one of the ‘must visit’ and most visited places in Langkawi. The huge complex spread in six acres accommodates more than 500 varieties of freshwater fishes, marine fishes and aquatic animals which include sharks, giant rays, harbor seals, rockhopper, the giant and biggest freshwater fish in the world- the Amazonian arapaima and penguins.

The entire building is air-conditioned and the entire complex is divided into three parts: Sub-Antarctic, Temperate and Tropical Rainforest. There is also a cafeteria to comfort your hunger pangs, a 3-D theater and an Educational Resource Center. The main attraction though, will be the walk through the giant six million liters underwater tunnel which houses different species of fishes and also has green turtles.

The Wildlife Park & Bird Paradise is a dream destination for nature and wildlife lovers. This park is spread in an area of 5.5 acres and houses 150 species of animals and bird life with more than 2500 exotic birds which include eagles, ducks, canaries, parakeets, owls, toucans, flamingos and horn-bills among the few popular species. It was earlier known as the bird paradise, but later on mammals and reptiles were also added and hence the name was modified to Wildlife Park and Bird Paradise.

It’s a fully covered wildlife park with roofed pathways and hence suitable for visiting in any season. Special attraction of the park is a 15 meter tall artificial waterfall and the park has birds from South America, Russia, South Asia and Malaysia.

This Paradise 3-D Museum displays more than 200 three dimensional (3-D) artworks and they look very close to reality in the photographs and will leave you spellbound when you see them upfront. This 3-D museum is the largest in Malaysia and the second largest in the world. There are nine dedicated zones in this three story building which includes castles, landscapes, Egyptian, Malaysian, Optical Illusion, aquatic, safari, fantasy and classic zones. This museum is located close to ‘cable car ride’ and hence both of these places can be explored on the same day.

The Kilim Geo park and the beautiful Mangroves are located on the northeast end of Langkawi and are spread in an area of 100 sq. km. Also known as the Kilim Karst Geoforest Park, this Park is a natural reserve and has beautiful flora and fauna, geological formations like fossils, lagoons, caves, limestone rocks (formed 500 million years ago) and beaches.

The geo-sites provide a splendid view of the green park and the serene beauty of the Kilim River. This area is administered by Peninsular Malaysia Forestry Department and is one of the most famous ecotourism destinations in Langkawi. It’s advisable to take a guided boat tour around the Kilim Geo Park along the Kilim River, so that you can explore and experience the entire area and don’t miss out on any of the marvels.

The highest mountain in Langkawi, Gunung Raya Peak stands tall at 881 meters and its dense rain-forests are home to wildlife such as macaque monkeys, white-bellied eagles, leaf monkeys, flying foxes, great hornbills, mountain-hawk eagles and various other species of birds & animals. The view from the top of the mountain is amazing and picturesque with the mesmerizing view of the 5000 hectares of forest spread across the hill.

The mountain peak can be trekked or one can also reach by driving atop the hill in a rented car or taxi. A drive will take about half an hour to reach the peak, but you may miss some precious wildlife scenes. Whereas, this soft trek climbing will give you a chance to say hello to the unique animals like the flying fox and the flying squirrels, specially in the evening. There is folklore in this area that this mountain is the cursed form of a giant named Mat Raya, who once inhabited this island.

Moving from mountains to beaches, Palau Payar Marine Park is a place where you can enjoy swimming, scuba diving and encounter lot of fishes and marine life as this area is fisheries protected area since 1985. Also, you can enjoy the scenic beauty which includes coral reefs and marine life very similar to that found in the Indian Ocean. There are four small beaches in the marine park where you can swim or snorkel as the water is shallow and settled and the water visibility is around 40 meters.

You can encounter black tipped sharks, but nothing to worry as these are harmless aquatic creatures. This is one of the places to carry an underwater camera as you can click marine life including angel fish, parrot fish, damsel fish, butterfly fish, anemone fish, the rare rabbit fish, etc.

Also known as the Eagle Square, this place is considered one of the most visited places in Langkawi. A 12 meter tall sculpture of an eagle with its wings wide open is displayed atop and elevated platform in Kuah Jetty. Dataran Lang is located in the southeast part of Palau Langkawi and has scenic views of Kuah Bay and also has beautiful terraces, bridges and miniature fountains and thus making this a perfect place for picture perfect sceneries for your album or wall art for your living room.

The reddish brown eagle was constructed at this square as insignia of this island and as per a famous folklore, the name Langkawi is derived from two Malay words, ‘helang’ means eagle and ‘kawi’ means reddish brown and hence the name ‘Langkawi’.

Telaga Tujuh Waterfalls is also popular as Langkawi’s most amazing natural attraction. Situated on the western part of the island, Telaga Tujuh means ‘Seven Wells Waterfalls’ which has its name derived from the array of seven interconnected natural pools of water which originate from seven separate waterfalls in the Mat Cincang Mountain. The place is filled with beautiful flora and plants of sintuk and lime are found in abundance.

Pantai Tengah is among the most beautiful and popular seashore beaches in Langkawi and is technically a continuation of the largest beach Pentai Cenang, which is one of the most popular tourist destination and beach in Langkawi. This place is not for much of sightseeing, but when you are tired of all the outdoor activities and trekking and walking amidst the jungles, beaches and museums; then this is the place to unwind and relax on the seashore, gulping some beer or even visiting a spa at throwaway prices and don’t forget to witness the nightlife of this place.