Yes, it’s best to go to Langkawi with your better half. And if you decide to do that, then you’ll join the legions of honeymooning couples who descend on this idyllic destination every year. 2.7 million visitors to be precise, making Langkawi one of the biggest tourist destinations in the country. On Palau Langkawi, the biggest of the 99 islands on the archipelago (and one of only three which are inhabited) you can’t really tell that Langkawi is that popular: no throngs of tourists, no bustling markets, no traffic snarls on the roads. On the contrary, Langkawi is very much what you expect it to be— a tropical paradise (clichéd but true!) replete with pristine beaches, gorgeous sunsets and candlelit dinners. Located off the northwest coast—between Phuket in Thailand and the Malaysian city of Penang—Langkawi has historically been peopled by a community of fishermen and rice farmers who have lived off the islands for decades. Commerce has never been very high on the priority list for the locals.
“It’s a good life! We work hard, but make sure that life doesn’t revolve around making money,” says Irone Palani, President, Langkawi Tourism Association. I run into Palani while having a solitary dinner at his restaurant—Tulsi Garden—located in the central Tengah area (which, as the name suggests, serves authentic Indian cuisine). The Indian tourist’s notorious appetite for Indian food is well known, but Indian food restaurants in Langkawi (and Malaysia in general) cater as much to the local populace as much to tourists (Malaysia has a sizable and naturalized Indian-origin population). Earlier in the day, I checked into Holiday Villa (on the central Cenang beach area), after a fifteen-minute drive from the airport. The hotel is popular with Indian tourists for its value-for-money proposition, even though it’s best not to expect Kuala Lumpur (or Delhi) 5-star standards. But what it lacks in class, it more than makes up in service. Langkawi in general has a friendly, laidback and leisurely vibe, which permeate every part of its multicultural fabric: get off the flight, walk out of the airport and you know you’re on vacation. People typically come here for the long haul—two to three weeks—simply because Langkawi is not the kind of place which appeals to the frenetic, see-everything-in-two-days-and-run kind of tourist.
Ironically, the composite nature of Langkawi means that it is actually possible to do everything if you have a week in hand. The main island covers an area of just 478 square kilometers and much of this is virgin tropical rainforest. Kuah Town is the hub for incoming ferries and for the meagre shopping which you’ll find (In fact Langkawi is duty free, but more on that later).
But even if you aren’t interested in leaving your hammock, make sure that you take the time to get a bird’s eye view of islands from the viewing stations at the popular cable car which ascends 700 metres from close to the harbour to the top of Machinchang Mountain (the second highest peak in Langkawi). A single trip costs MYR 30 and is well worth the money. (Langkawi Cable Car, Oriental Village, Burau Bay; Tel: +604-9594225).
Somewhere or the other (depending on the time of day or which of the 99 islands you’re around), its possible to se a pod of Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins swimming, Brahminy Kites swooping down in a lagoon to pull out on anchovies, the majestic Oriental Pied Hornbills whooshing through the rainforest or water cascading on ancient limestone formations.
The Kilim Karst Geopark, on the eastern part of the main island has sea inlets in which it’s possible to see the magnificent limestone landscape and marine life. The Geopark is a paradise for hikers, trekkers and nature lovers and it’s possible to go camping if you sign up with a registered operator.
For kayaking, jungle walks and treks get in touch with Anne-Marie at Dev’s Adventure Tours (Tel: +6019 4949193).
The archipelago has various diving locations with the preferred one being on Palau Payar Island. Teal waters and astonishing coral formations make this a can’t miss activity. For lounging about and getting a tan, the Cenang beach / Tengah Beach strip is the most popular and yet, not teeming with people.
