Langkawi is an archipelago with 99 islands in the north of Malaysia, almost on the border with Thailand, and can be called paradise for many just reasons besides the transparent waters and white sand. Pulau Langkawi is the largest of the islands, with infrastructure to receive tourists – from resorts to guest houses cheap, from fine restaurants to street stalls selling chicken rice.
You see, Brazilians as we are, it’s difficult for a beach to impress us so much. We have many. We are tired of seeing coconut trees that produce coconuts and the sea, when it breaks on the beach in Brazil, is usually much more beautiful than on other beaches out there. But back to Langkawi…
This island has so many attractions that it is difficult to talk about them all. The first, which made us choose it on our “Indian vacation”, has two words: Duty Free. Or for good Portuguese speakers: No taxes. This means that Swiss or Belgian chocolate costs a mere 5 reais. Perfumes, creams, cigarette boxes (I don’t care, but addicts buy a lot) all cheap. And mainly: drinking. A certain Skol is sold as a European Heritage beer for just 1.50 ringgit, that is, about 80 cents. (We don’t know for sure if it’s our Brazilian or another with the same name, anyone?) And for the team that turns up its nose at the beer that goes down (or not) round, there are many optionsçCheap foods, including Heiniken, Corona, Fosters, etc, etc, etc, and nothing more than R$1.50.
Chicken Rice, our everyday lunch
Furthermore, due to the mountainous coast of the Malay Peninsula, Langkawi escapes the dreaded winter monsoons that plague the eastern region with torrential rains and floods. We have a post just about the Asian monsoons, be sure to read it.
We chose to stay at Pantai Cenang, which is the most popular of the beaches there. However, as it was low season, the place was emptier. And we return to the talk of paradise. Beautiful is a pretty fair adjective to describe this beach. And also all the others that we know, on foot or by boat, around Langkawi: Pantai Tengah, Pantai Kok, Tanjung Rhu. As descriptions would not be very fair, I leave the images that are worth a thousand words.
Also read: Where to stay in Langkawi
Apart from lying on the beach all day, many tour options are available in Langwaki. Taking a boat around the islands – they call it Island Hoping – is an interesting option. It can cost anywhere from 25 to 300 ringgit, depending on the level of luxury you want. The tour takes you to the islands to swim with fish in the clear waters, passes through caves inhabited by thousands of bats, an island with a freshwater lagoon – Pregnant Maiden Island – and finally a point to feed eagles.
At another point, on Gunung Mat Chinchang mountain, there is the highest cable car and the highest bridge in Malaysia, the Sky Bridge, which is 700 meters high. The climb allows for incredible views of the island and the sea from above. Entrance costs 30RM.
From there, you can take a 10-minute walk to Telaga Tujuh Waterfalls or Seven Wells, a waterfall that is said to have seven falls, but if you’ve ever been to Serra do Cipó (MG) or any waterfall for that matter, , skip climbing more than 300 steps, because it’s not that fun.
And finally, for me, the beach’s downside is the huge number of jetskis and speedboats roaming the sea without much safety criteria. The tour doesn’t seem to have much supervision, it is operated by locals and the spaces reserved for swimming are not always respected.
How to get to Langkawi
By plane, via Langkawi International Airport, which offers services from the following airlines: AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines, Firefly, Happy Airways, and SilkAir. Or by boat, coming from the ferries that leave Peninsula Malaysia via Kuala Perlis, Kuala Kedah, Penang and Satun. There are also ferries that leave from Ko Lipe, Thailand.
Read the reviews of Cenang Rest House and Zackry Guest House, hotels where we stayed in Langkawi. To search for other hosting options, click here.
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