The Malaysian island of Langkawi is a mixture of picturesque paddy fields and jungle-clad getaway, located at the very bottom of the Andaman Sea on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Almost the size of Singapore, Langkawi is surrounded by turquoise sea with its shoreline fringed by powder-fine sand and swaying coconut trees and is one of Malaysia’s best-known and most popular beach destinations. It can be reached both by regular air and water way connections but no road connection.
The island is especially recognised for its excellent diving opportunities but is also home to historical attractions, great fare, exciting nightlife and dirt-cheap shopping. Its natural landscapes, expansive parks, and iconic structures cannot be skipped from your travel itinerary. While the beach areas have developed along moderately tourist lines, the interior of Langkawi remains more traditional, both in lifestyle and outlook.
Langkawi’s pristine beaches such as Datai Bay, Pantai Cenang, and Tanjung Rhu are also rated among the best in the world while vast roads provide easy access to its vibrant beach towns.
Due to the size of the island, Langkawi’s best attractions are best explored by rented vehicle. A few of the must see attractions: Langkawi Sky Bridge, a 125 metre-long curved pedestrian bridge that offers an exhilarating and at the same time terrifying view of the verdant Gunung Mat Cincang, Telaja Tujuh waterfalls, and several islets surrounding Langkawi, set at 700 metres above sea level; Dataran Lang, also known as Eagle Square, a striking 12 metre-tall sculpture of an eagle poised to take flight displayed atop an elevated platform; the cable car; Underwater World which houses more than 500 species of sea creatures including harbour seals, rockhopper penguins, seahorses, as well as flamingos and mandarin ducks.
When:
Also Langkawi has its dry and wet season but also a mid season. The dry season begins in late November to early December and continues through the end of March and is the most crowded as tourist are looking for clear blue skies and little or no precipitation. The temperature ranges from 28 to 32 degrees Celsius during the day. Endless days of tropical sun, perfect to relax by the beach. The wet season and the less crowded one, starts in September and can last until November and sometimes until beginning of December. The temperature during the wet season can sometimes drop to 24 degrees. The rains and, sometimes, heavy storms that mark this season are balanced with days of sunshine and cooler temperatures. The mid season from April to August, is the season of cloudy sky, occasional rains and sometimes thunderstorms, but they are short. It usually showers in the late afternoon or evenings, helping to push down the temperature down below 30 degrees Celsius. The best part of the mid season is that there are fewer tourists so everything is easily accessible, beaches are clean and you won’t have to queue up for anything. Oh yeah, this sounds pretty good. I think mid season is mine 😉
