Pulau Langkawi Off The Beaten Path

Of the beaten path... only because it's off the main road... not because it's devoid of tourists. I'm talking about the cable car going up (and across) to Mount Gunung Macincang (708 metres high). The vertical part of the trip is quite interesting - and definitely not suited for people afriad of heights. Views from the top are spectacular, but it's only worth going there on a very clear day.

The cable car starts inside the very tacky Oriental Village, and it runs from 10/11 in the morning until 7 PM (I think). The price should be about 15 RM for adults and 5 RM for children.

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There are several tour operators who organise trips to Coral Island (Pulau Payar Marine Park). The experience will take most of the day but is a must see and do adventure for everyone. The Coral Island is the closest place to Langkawi to participate in excellent snorkeling and scuba diving.

Part of the snorkeling experience is the shark feeding which is done in waist deep water. You will also be able to swim with the sharks and some of them are quite large reef sharks. You also swim among groper, barracuda and gar fish and thousands of neon flashing shapes. It's a bit like swimming in an aqarium. Even total novices don masks and life jackets and can enjoy the experience of seeing marine life up close. The tour we took was inexpensive at 220 rm for two people. This includes snorkeling equipment hire, a modest lunch and transfers to and from the hotel to the Kuah jetty. This tour uses a large ferry and travels at about 30 knots taking around 50 minutes to reach the island. Transfers to the Island jetty are done on a dinghy. From there you are free to get your mask and snorkel and swim out among the fish. The day is relatively unstructured and you can swim in the lagoon water and clamber on to the floating pontoons or lie around on the beach. There is shade but don't forget to bring your sunscreen and drinking water. With this particular crew there was no instruction given about safety or even any indication of what we might see.

My best advice
Other outfits do offer the same trip at different prices. This trip was a great experience and all trips end up on the same Island. The differences between operators are with the quality of the instruction, the speed and comfort of the access boat and the quality of the lunch provided. So you be the judge of how much you want to spend. Children can participate in this activity. An underwater camera would be great here.
You can also climb to the top of the jungle covered Island . Another great photo opportunity, but be aware that the mosquitos are hungry up there !

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One of Langkawi's best beaches is Tanjung Rhu which is located 22km from Kuah town. A scenic area with limestone outcrops.

On the way to the beach, you can see a stretch of road with monkeys roaming freely and some tourist or photography enthusiasts even stopped by to snapped some photos of the monkeys.

I like the serenity & cleanliness of this beach. Wave is gentle for swimming. A good spot to view sunset too with limestone outcrops as backdrop.

If you staying at the Tanjung Rhu you must go on the cycle to the waterfall with the hotel guide.. Its a bit long but goes thru this cool swamp like area.. There's a bit of a hill to go up towards the waterfall and then there's a small trek.. But on a hot day its all worth it cos the water is amazing.. Very refreshing!

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If you want some privacy while enjoying the sunset by the seaside, you can pack some food, and beers, park your car by the beach beside the airport runway on the way to Pantai Cenang. Watch the sunset while drinking / eating.

You can also pack some food to Pantai Pasir Tengkorak along the way to Datai. Sit under the tree by the beach and eat while enjoying the beautiful view.

This tip is recommended for people who don't like the hot sun and crowds. You could visit the 2 places even in the afternoon when the sun is shining brightly. Both places have trees, where you can hide from the sun.

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While lying on my hammock, I noticed this funky lizard making his way very quickly up the palm tree. Everytime he moved the shiny colours on his body kept changing. He seemed very slimmy as well as if he just dipped into oil.... Have a look at the photo :o)

Burau island is a little island off the coast near Burau Bay. You can reach it from the resort, and on foot - only at low tide; so do find out the tide timetables.
It's quite interesting because the people at the hotel have built a path along and inside the island, with signs explaining all about the existing ecosystem. If you are into birdwatching this is the place to be. The island is is a roosting place for migratory birds.

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Learning history can be considered as boring to some people. But learning the history of a place to you wanted to visit or visited is an interesting fact to learn about. As per Kedah's history about Langkawi :-

A legend told that Langkawi used to be a place to a vicious 'garuda' or monster bird that destroyed the convoy of Rom's Prince except the galley of Merong Mahawangsa.

While Cheng Ho or Zheng He, the famous Chinesse explorer during his exploration to Melaka (1405) stated in his book Langkawi as 'Lang-Ya-Kiao-Yi'.

In the history of Malay, Langkawi did being mentioned in chapter that Tun Jana Khatib who was being executed to death by the Sultan of Singapura (Singapore). He said to be vanished after the execution in Singapore and his body was found in Langkawi.

In 1621, a general of King Louis XIV, Augustin De Beaulieu landed in Langkawi. He noted that "on 17th August 1621, I reached Lanchui Island, local pronounces it as 'Lancachuy' and the Aceh called this island 'Pulo Lada'.

The opening of Penang in 1786 made negative impact to Ulu Melaka port.

Started from 1821, Siam repeatedly try to conquered Langkawi. And in 1841, with helps from the British East India Company, Langkawi was beaten by the Siam. The economy was bad and local relates this disaster to Mahsuri's cursed which she condemned Langkawi to suffer until her 7th generation.

Mahsuri's history happens somewhere between the year 1817 to 1821. Mahsuri is not a legend but it actual story and history has been added with myth and untrue facts making its a legend.

Tunku Abdul Rahman (Malaysia 1st Prime Minister) became Langkawi District Officer and made many developtment in Langkawi such as the setting up roads and constructing Langkawi jetty. He also initiated in preserving Mahsuri's tomb and promoting Mahsuri's History.

The declaration of Langkawi as a Duty Free Island in 1987 boosted Langkawi as a tourism island and opens Langkawi to the world. Today, with more than 65,000 population, Langkawi has been declared as a City of Tourism.