Langkawi

Langkawi (6 June, 2005)


B. Melayu

Map of Langkawi, Kedah

Sights in Langkawi

Where to eat in Langkawi

Activities in Langkawi

My Langkawi Travelogue

Main towns in Langkawi

Categories of sights in Langkawi

Rivers in Langkawi

Introducing Langkawi

Langkawi (GPS: 6.3675, 99.79774) is a major tourist destination in Kedah, Malaysia. The island was officially given the title Langkawi Permata Kedah, meaning Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah, by the late Sultan Abdul Halim, in conjunction with His Royal Highness's golden jubilee celebration on 15 July, 2008.

Langkawi is an island that belongs to Kedah, and is regarded as one of the districts of the state. It comprises the main island, Pulau Langkawi, and close to a hundred surrounding smaller islands and islets - some no more than rocky outcrops jutting out of the sea. Some tourist brochures say that at high tide, there are 99 islands while at low tide, an additional 5 emerge above the water surface. How much this is true remains to be ... well, calculated.

I create this guide to provide information you can use as you plan your vacation in Langkawi. My hope is that it will help you have a great time in Langkawi. I shall try my best to update the information from time to time, and do apologise if there are any errors.

Where to stay in Langkawi

As a norm, when asked where to stay at a certain place, I keep my suggestion to hotels where I myself have stayed before and experienced its hospitality. For Langkawi, that would be Temple Tree At Bon Ton Resort.

Arriving in Langkawi

You can fly to Langkawi, arriving at the Langkawi International Airport, or take a ferryboat, and arrive at Kuah Jetty.

Renting a car in Langkawi

It is very easy to rent a car whether you arrived at the airport or at the jetty. You will find car rental kiosks lined in two rows at the Arrival Hall of the airport. There are also car rental kiosks at Kuah Jetty.

Car Rental Kiosks at the Arrival Hall of Langkawi International Airport (7 September, 2018)

Driving in Langkawi

If you plan to rent a car and drive around, do be aware that although traffic is low in most places, the locals in Langkawi tend to drive quite slowly. Also, distances are further than you might expect on the map, so plan ample time between sights. To make sure you don't run out on fuel, here's a list of Petrol Stations in Langkawi.

Resorts World Langkawi (6 June, 2005)

All About Langkawi

The main island is 478 sq km (185 sq mi) in area. The main town is Kuah, a town with a population of around 65,000 people (2011 estimate). The Langkawi archipelago is steep in legend. Many of the place names in Langkawi recall past historical events, legends and myths. This includes Kuah as well as the names of mountains and islands in the archipelago.

The most famous legend of Langkawi is the one of Mahsuri, a woman who was put to death for allegedly committing adultery. She was said to have put a curse on the island to last seven generations. Incidentally, just a few years after the death of Mahsuri, a Siamese attack laid waste the island (that same Siamese invasion resulted in Kedah itself being annex into the Kingdom of Siam, remaining so until 1909).


Suspension Bridge Walkway on Gunung Machincang (6 June 2005)


Langkawi remained a desolate place for much of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century - with many holding to the belief that the curse was in effect. To brush away any links to their unhappy past, Mahsuri's descendents moved to Phuket, where they can still be found today. True enough, Langkawi only began to blossom after what would be seven generations had passed.

To be more prosaic, Langkawi was fortunate in the fact that both the first and fourth prime ministers of Malaysia, namely Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, hailed from Kedah. While the two did not always see eye to eye, they both were in alignment over Langkawi's potential. Langkawi is their favourite child. Of course they are not along. Other far-sighted individuals including the late Tan Sri Loh Boon Siew recognise what could become of Langkawi, and proceeded to acquire Langkawi land, at that time costing little more than a song, until he became the biggest landowner on the island.

Langkawi certainly has much to its side. It has plenty of land, beautiful sceneries, and although its population is low, it is near enough to Penang to bank on the latter's human resources. As a result, it grew at a furious pace between the early 1980's to the turn of the 21st century. Today you can find hotels of every class and category on Langkawi, from the basic to the luxurious. On the whole, the island is expensive, when compared to the Kedah mainland. But this is something to be expected of a resort destination.


Galeria Perdana ceiling design (5 June 2005)


Langkawi is a major beach resort destination in Malaysia. It is often known as the Islands of Legend, because of the many legends associated to the island as well as places within the island. Langkawi is an archipelago comprising Pulau Langkawi, the main island, and 99 satellite islands nestling serenely in the tropical waters some 30 kilometers off the coast of Kedah, in the northeast of Peninsular Malaysia.

Langkawi belongs to Kedah state and is administered under the Pulau Langkawi District. It is adjacent to the Tarutao National Park of Thailand. The largest island of the archipelago is the eponymous Pulau Langkawi. Pulau Langkawi, Pulau Dayang Bunting and Pulau Tuba are the only inhabited islands in the archipelago.

Langkawi has been enjoying tax-free status since 1987. This has helped fuel its tourism industry and improve the standard of living of the population, which numbers around 45,000. Numerous hotels of various classes have been built in Langkawi, catering to a wide spectrum of tastes and expectations.

In 2007, the Langkawi Archipelago was declared a Geopark by UNESCO. Langkawi Geopark is the only Geopark in Southeast Asia and the 52nd geopark under the Unesco Global Geoparks Network.


Soft corals, Underwater World Langkawi (4 June 2005)

Getting to Langkawi

By Air:
Langkawi International Airport has direct links with Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Bangkok.

By Sea:
There are regular ferry services connecting Kuah, the main town on Langkawi, with Kuala Perlis (45 minutes), Kuala Kedah (90 minutes) and Penang (3 hours) in Malaysia, and with Satun and Koh Lipe in the Tarutao archipelago in Thailand.

Public Transport Terminals

Getting Around

Perhaps the most convenient way to explore Langkawi is by renting a car or motorcycle. Other forms of transport is quite limited. You can rent a car or motorcycle directly from both the airport as well as the jetty.

Driving in Langkawi

Driving in Langkawi is fun. The roads are often devoid of traffic. The only drawback is that some of the roads allow only two lanes of traffic. Many of the islanders drive at cattle speed. If you get behind one, it may be a while before you have a chance to overtake.

There are just a few main roads on the island. Confusingly, three of them take the route number of 112. These are Jalan Padang Matsirat, which runs from Kuah town to the village of Padang Matsirat; Jalan Ayer Hangat, which skirts the eastern part of Langkawi, from Kuah town to Ayer Hangat village; and Jalan Ulu Melaka, which starts at Ayer Hangat Village and ends at the junction with Jalan Padang Matsirat. In a way, if you follow 112, you make a loop around the eastern and central portions of Langkawi.

In addition to Route 112, there are a few other main roads which you should explore. Route 113, also known as Jalan Teluk Yu, begins at Ayer Hangat village, crosses the northern part of Langkawi, and ends at Burau Bay. On the southern part of the island, Jalan Bukit Malut, also known as Route 167, joins Jalan Padang Matsirat to Jalan Kedawang.

On the western part of Langkawi, there is Jalan Pantai Cenang, which runs along the main beach belt of Langkawi. To the north of it is Jalan Kuala Muda, which runs along the coast next to the Langkawi International Airport.

Back to Kedah mainpage; list of Tourist Attractions in Kedah and Tourist Attractions in Malaysia

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

 Discover with Timothy YouTube Channel

 PG Food Channel

 Learn Penang Hokkien YouTube Channel

SojiMart Videos

Latest from Discover with Timothy: Gurney Bay - what to see and do there

About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

Robbie's Roadmap