Pulau Langkawi Warnings and Dangers

Be very carefull of the many car hire places in all of the resorts on Lankowi. I hired a car in Pantai Chenang last November. Most places assured me that they included full insurance cover in the price. However, when questioned closely, they admitted that only damage to the hire car was covered. In other words if you make a mistake and cause damage or injury to any person or thing you will be personally liable for damages. In the case of personal injury this could be ruinous.
I insisted on full insurance cover and paid the extra premium (as I recall about RM7- per day) which gave me third party cover. Even then the car hire company "forgot" to include the additional insurance receipt when giving me the car hire papers and I had to go back next day to insist on getting it. Curiously when I walked in to the shop next day the lady immediately said she had forgotten it and meant to send it to my hotel "later"!

We found driving on Lankowi a delight with no traffic to speak of and everywhere within easy reach, just watch out for the car hire companies.

Be careful when dealing with the wild monkeys as they can be very spiteful and dangerous. If you approach them slowly and feed them from your very tightly held bag then you should be fine but do not attempt to be aggressive with them in order to subdue them: they will only retaliate!

Beware of Car Rental companies in Langkawi!!

Firstly, there's companies with permits and without. Companies with permit have 2 stickers on the car windshield so do not be cheated into paying extra for cars without permits.

Cars with permit come with insurance and cars without don't. You might also get into trouble with police should your car be without permit but the police should help you on this one.

Secondly, READ READ READ the terms and conditions on the rental agreement. One of the clauses states that they are allowed to claim up to 2000RM from you should the damages amount to 2000RM or less. Meaning should you get into an accident and the insurance company values the damages at 2000RM or less, you HAVE TO PAY. Yes it happens to cars WITH INSURANCE.

One company that you should take note of is ANGKALAND. They gave me lousy cars after lousy cars. Despite the good rate, I was at least expecting a working car. Cars frequently gave me trouble - the window was jammed, door locks were spoilt, lights in car spoilt, car boot unable to support by itself, tyres worn out etc. Don't be taken in by their cheap rates, they were dishonest and only interested in getting your money. Best to go to Kasina rental as recommended by others.

This happened to me when I returned the car I rented and the travel agent told me to put the car in the parking lot at the Langkawi Airport.

When I asked about the parking fee, the agent said "Just tell the cashier to put it on our account!".

This proved to be a load of crap because when I told the cashier about this, she told me that all tourists got conned the same way I did.

So, when you return your rented car at the Langkawi Airport, just leave the car in front of the Arrival / Departure entrance and refuse to put it in the parking lot.

Be warned!

Even though the content of this tip has already been pointed out in many other reviews in this forum, I will add my contribution in spreading the voice of what is definitely a real danger for tourists.

Especially to foreigner visitors, who might be seeing them for the first time, the monkeys found in many tourist spots all around the island will appear cute and sweet in their incredibly human behavior. Unfortunately they can also be aggressive and harmful, especially when they are hungry and you happen to come around eating or carrying food and drinks. Be careful, put your food and drink away and avoid any approach or contact. Their teeth and their nails are very sharp and if you get scratched you shall undergo anti-rabies treatment. It is not a bad idea to get anti-rabies shot before traveling if you plan to stay long in the island and it is definitely a wise idea to be careful when approaching or being approached by these cute but potentially harmful animals.

4 more images

PULAU DAYANG BUNTING

Please do not carry plastic bags when walking around the island, especially during the walk up to the Tasek Dayang Bunting. This is because the monkeys at the island thinks that these plastic bags contain food items and will snatch it away from your hands. When they do, just let go off the bags and let them take it away. These monkeys can get rather hostile, with their super sharp teeth and claws. I have seen one monkey ripping open a can of Milo drink with his claws and teeth.

Car hire touts will approach you the moment you set foot on Langkawi. Before handing over any cash or driver's license, make sure the vehicle you are about to rent is in good condition. If Hertz or Thrifty were there, it would have been virtually hassle free, but because reputable car hire companies aren't there - exercise caution. We approached what looked to be a respectable looking car hire kiosk near the entrance to the Jetty and rented what was supposed to be a new looking proton car after being shown a photo of it. After paying the car rent for 2 days, to our horror, the final product looked like an assortment of rusted car parts on the verge of falling apart, literally. The boot was held shut by a piece of jute rope, a plywood board in place of non-existent backseats and the speedometer was not working. What was even more ridiculous was the bastards refused us a refund or a replacement with the excuse of having no more cars. It was a nightmare driving that rustbucket in the afternoon rain.

Be careful when renting cars in Langkawi, especially at the Jetty Point where we got ripped off.

When I visited the Seven Wells Waterfall that day, I felt very thirsty and bought some beverages & snacks for myself to had it while driving back to Kuah. While walking from the shop, a group of monkey charges towards me from a far distance. They're really aiming for the plastic bag that I was holding. Tried to chase them away but they did not show any sign of staying out but yet they still keep on closer until the distant between myself and these aggresive monkey is just less than a metre away. Tried to use my leg to kick 'em and that action makes them more aggresive by trying to bite my leg and showing off their sharps teeth.

At last I managed to get away to my car which is about 50 meters away. Huh, yet 2 senior members of the clan still unsatisfied and stared at me although I am already inside my car. I took a picture of 1 of them that jumped on top of a 2 wheeled dustbin.

The tips here is, not to carry any plastic bag or bag by your hand. If you need to bring foods or beverages, use a backpack. And do not let your children closer to the monkey. They are cute but hell they are really aggresive.