Langkawi - A Gem of Nature

Langkawi is a tropical island paradise in Malaysia, located in the Straits of Malacca, about 30 km off the coast of the state of Kedah. The main attraction of the island is its pristine natural heritage of virgin jungles, cascading waterfalls, white beaches and clear seas, not to mention the many endemic creatures found here. The inhabitants of the island still depend on fishing, rubber tapping and agriculture for a livelihood, although tourism is fast replacing them.

Resorts had sprung up all over the island and it won't be difficult to find a nice place to stay in. The pace of life is generally slow on the island, and this would be greatly welcomed by those looking for a great place to unwind and relax. There are many cool things that can be done in Langkawi. Such activities include jungle trekking in the virgin rainforests, taking a dip in the cool waters of a waterfall, taking a heart-thumping yet breath-taking cable car ride up Mt. Mat Cincang, driving around the island, caving in the many natural caves around the island, fishing, diving and eagle-feeding to name some of the many activities offered by the island. Langkawi can be reached by air or sea. There are daily flights from Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor Bahru and Singapore to Langkawi by Malaysia Airlines. Langkawi can also be reached via ferry from the state of Perlis and Kedah.

Quick Tips:

Langkawi can be very warm and humid sometimes. It is recommended that you wear light and comfortable clothing. A hat, sunglasses and plenty of sun block lotion would also come in handy. Avoid touching the head or pointing your index fingers and toes at anyone as this is considered very rude. The locals are not averse to photo-taking.

Nonetheless, it will be polite to ask first before taking pictures of the locals. When you arrive at the Langkawi airport (or ferry terminal), you'll likely be swarmed by locals offering you resort packages or offering to rent you their cars at an unbelievable rate. It is highly recommended that you take up your resort packages with reputable travel agents or with the resorts directly. Those offered by the locals at the airport or terminal can be dubious and are generally higher-priced than that quoted by the local travel agents.

With regards to car renting, despite the very attractive rates offered, it is illegal to rent a car from an unlicensed local. There is also no car insurance provided and you run a risk of paying a huge sum should you get into a car accident.

Best Way To Get Around:

The easiest way to get around the island is to rent a car from a licensed dealer. Most resorts offer cars for rent, or can arrange for you to rent one. The price is around 150 RM (approx. 42 USD) per day depending on the type of car you rent. Unlicensed ones offer around 50 RM but you run the risk of running afoul of the local laws. A cheaper alternative is to rent a motorcycle or scooter. They are not expensive and is definitely a great choice if you know how to ride a motorcycle - its cheap, convenient and will get you anywhere you wish, without the need to hire a cab! The next best way is to hire a cab. Many cabs ply the streets, resorts and places of interest so there isn't too much difficulty in flagging one down. Cabs can be arranged to go any place on the island. Some price haggling is possible with the taxi drivers - you'll get a small discount if you are persistent enough.

Burau Bay Resort is nicely tucked away in a more secluded part of Langkawi island. Its seclusion is not a disadvantage however, because here, you can truly get close to Nature, without the bustle of human activities.

The exterior look of the chalets here may not be a lot to talk about but the interior is actually very comfortable, nice and clean. The bed is however, slightly lower than normal, and look as if it is just a single mattress laid on the floor. There is air-conditioning, hot shower, TV, phone, and kettle within the chalet—the usual facilities.

The chalets are actually built in such a way that they blend in with the surroundings nicely. informative signs are placed next to local plants of interest, or at places where certain animals frequent, providing very interesting information on these organisms. The resort had one of the better beaches, which is clean and white. The water here is very clear too!

Quite a few interesting spots are within walking distance from the resort. These include the Oriental Village (where one can take a cable car up a nearby mountain—Gunung Mat Chincang )and the Telaga Tujuh Waterfalls (Seven steps waterfall).

All in all, the resort is very eco-friendly and is a nice spot to get some peace and quiet, and at the same time, enjoy the offers of Nature!

Oriental Village is situated on the western side of the island, within walking distance from Burau Bay Resort. It is a collection of some restaurants and inns. There aren't really anything interesting there except for the cable car ride up Gunung Mat Cincang (Mount Mat Cincang).

The cable car ride cost RM15 for adults and RM10 for kids. The ride can be a heart-thumping, breathless, palm-sweating and seemingly never-ending journey for those afraid of heights, even though it only lasted for around 12 minutes. Initially, the car slowly and gradually ascend the slopes of the mountain but soon it climbed at a steep 45º. The ground suddenly seemed so far below while you cruised along in mid-air. It can be rather frightening experience—I actually broke into a cold sweat.

Wild thoughts of the car dropping into the jungled slopes below crept into my mind and I had to consciously force those thoughts out of my head to stay calm! But before long, I was distracted from the thoughts of my personal safety by the fantastic aerial view of the Langkawi island and its surrounding isles. A nearby waterfall locally known as the Telaga Tujuh Falls (or Seven Steps Falls) is clearly visible against the forested backdrop. Granite outcrops on the mountain slopes, created from weathering over the years, can be very interesting to look at. One can only wonder in awe at these craftworks of Nature.

Before long, the middle cable car station comes into view. One can exit here to visit a curved bridge suspended over a chasm or take a jungle track up the top cable car station. The suspension bridge is an engineering marvel, and I can't help but wonder how the locals managed to build that bridge. Its a long way up the mountain and there doesn't seem to be any road that leads up from the mountain foot. Its really amazing, given the huge difficulties involved in logistics, transportation of materials and the building of the bridge over such a precarious chasm. The view here on the bridge is fantastic too and provides many photographic opportunities. As for the jungle track, it will take around 20 minutes to half an hour to reach the top cable car station. The track is reasonably well-paved and should not pose too much difficulties to old and young.

The top cable car station is only a 3-minutes ride away. Here are two, 360º viewing platforms built on the mountain top, 708m above sea level. One can have an unobstructed view of Langkawi island and the Andaman Sea. On a clear day, the view offered here cannot be fully described using words alone. One has to experience it for himself or herself!

All in all, the cable car ride is an unforgettable experience and all visitors to Langkawi are strongly recommended to take a ride there!

Telaga Tujuh Falls (or Seven Wells Falls) is located on the western side of Langkawi, near to the Oriental Village. It is easily accessible by car via a well-paved tar road. There is an open space at the end of the road with a few shops selling souvenirs and drinks. Visitors would need to proceed on foot from this point onwards. There are many monkeys here, and visitors are advised to keep all belongings in a sturdy bag and hold tightly to it.

A climb up is required to reach the waterfall. Visitors should take a small road running in front of the shops. There are well-laid concrete steps beside this small road as well if one chooses to use them. The road up is gradual at first but become pretty steep after a while. A 15-minute climb up will place you at the end of the road: a around-about with a huge tree in the middle. A jungle track to the left will lead you into the rain forest and very probably, to the base of the waterfall. We did not take this trail during our visit, but rather, took a flight of stairs to the right. This flight of stairs is rather long and leads to the top of the waterfall. It took us 25 minutes or so to reach the top of the stairs. Along the way, visitors will pass beneath towering rain forest trees with very thick trunks, amidst the symphony put up by the elusive forest cicadas. The sights and sounds of the rain forest can easily distract the visitor from the tiring climb up, such that the top seem to be reached much earlier than expected.

At the top of the stairs is an open space with some buildings and a toilet. The river that feeds the waterfall runs on the right before disappearing down the cliff. As a safety precaution, a metal fence is erected over the river before it plunges 90m down into the forests below. The view behind the fence is superb and one can have a bird's eye view of the jungle below and the sea in the far distance. It is said that this is the second best place in Langkawi to have a wonderful view from above, the best being the cable car station on Mount Mat Cincang. Moving upstream, there is a large rock pool where visitors can swim and relax in the cool, crystal clear water. Visitors can also opt to go further upstream where the water is shallower and runs slower. There are nice little rock pools here where visitors can lie down and let the running water massage the legs or the whole body. The calming sound of running water and singing cicadas, together with the gently-massaging water, can easily lead the relaxed visitor into a lazy afternoon nap...

This place is definitely a good choice for someone seeking a nice natural spot to relax in, or to cool off during the warm afternoons in Langkawi!

A half-day island hopping trip can be arranged with the many local tour operators found along Pantai Kok. Price can range from RM 40 to 60 depending on the package and tour operators.

The tour usually consists of three activities:

1) Visiting the Lake of the Pregnant Maiden at Dayang Bunting Island.
2) Visiting Beras Basah Island for a swim.
3) Eagle feeding at some unknown estuary. Visitors are strongly advised to check with the operators whether there is any transport provided to bring you back to Pantai Kok after the trip. We were nearly stranded at some unknown pier after the trip ended, because the tour operator did not send a transport to bring us back.

Tour operators usually use a 10-man speedboat to bring visitors around the isles south of Langkawi Island. Dayang Bunting Island is about a 15-minute boat trip away from Langkawi. A pier was constructed on the island to allow visitors to board and disembark from the speedboats easily. There are a number of monkeys here and visitors are advised to hold on tightly to their belongings as these monkeys can snatch them away from you.

From the pier, a concrete path and a flight of stairs will bring you straight into the forested interior of the island. The path is gentle sloping and at certain points, winds its way between large boulders covered with mosses. Before long, the path leads down and the Lake of the Pregnant Maiden comes into view.

Hidden in the forested interior of Dayang Bunting Island, the Lake of the Pregnant Maiden is the largest freshwater lake in the Langkawi archipelago. The local legend goes that the lake is the favorite bathing pool of a fairy named Mambang Sari, who later got married an earthly prince. Unfortunately, their first child died seven days after birth. Deeply depressed, the fairy buried her child in the crystal clear waters of the lake. Before she departed back to the heavens, she blessed the lake such that any childless woman who drank from it will be able to conceive. Believe it or not, there are stories going around that childless locals really got their wish after drinking from the lake.

A small floating platform was constructed at the edge of the water and offers rental of life jackets and paddle-boats. Visitors can swim in the cool refreshing waters of this freshwater lake or go right to the center of the lake by renting a paddle-boat. The water is surprisingly clear and the lake bottom can be clearly seen. Sometimes a kingfisher can be seen diving into the waters for fish, other times, a sea eagle can be seen gliding by high above. It’s a quiet and nice place, surrounded by forested slopes on all sides, like a small world of its own, far away from the noise and hustle of the cities.

A very nice and peaceful place that one shouldn’t miss!

*Continued from Island Hopping – Part 1*

The next destination of the island-hopping trip after visiting the Lake of the Pregnant Maiden is the Beras Basah Island. Beras Basah Island is a small island located west of Dayang Bunting Island. Here, the boatman will drop visitors onto the white sandy beach of Beras Basah Island and allow the visitors to pursue their own activities for about 2 hours. Visitors should take this chance to fully enjoy the sun, the sea, and the sand here. The cool and clear waters here are ideal for a leisurely swim because the beach is rather sheltered and currents are not strong. The soft silky sand is also very inviting, and it’s hard to ignore the temptation for a nice sunbath here. Visitors can also opt to explore the island interior, but trails are not very clearly marked, and caution has to be exercised in order to avoid losing the way inside.

Once the 2 hours had passed, the boatman will signal the visitors to board the speedboat once more. The boat will then zip over to the next island—Singa Besar Island. This island had been designated as a wildlife sanctuary, and hence, human structures are kept to a minimum here. Paths and wooden walkways had been constructed round the edges of the island, and a round trip will take approximately 8 hours. It is said that the island has a very high diversity of birds (more than 90 species) and insects, and various small mammals and reptiles can be seen. Unfortunately, we did not get a chance to get onto the island, probably because of time constraint. Instead, the boatman steered the boat into an estuary on the island and switched off the boat’s engines. We then saw the boatman threw a bucket of small fishes into the water.

We were wondering what was happening when all of a sudden, dozens of large birds appeared out of nowhere and circled above us, shrieking. We looked more closely and those were—Eagles! Lots and lots of them! There are quite a few different ones but we were only able to identify two - the White Belly Sea Eagle and the Brahminy Kite. These eagles then started to swoop down simultaneously and grab the floating fishes thrown out by the boatman. It was such an impressive sight to see these majestic birds of prey in action, at barely a stone throw away! It was like watching National Geographic, but this was real-time and definitely felt far more intense. Those birds were fast, and I barely had time to take out my camera before the whole show is over. We asked the boatman whether he had any more fish, but he said no. We tried to fool the eagles by throwing bread and crackers, but they were too clever to take the bait. I would suggest bringing a video camera to record the fast action because normal cameras may not focus and record fast enough.

*Last Entry for Journal*