Langkawi, though just a small island, has plenty to offer solo travellers, couples and families. For those of you who're doing your research now, I hope to help you narrow down your list of 'things to do in langkawi'. I'll be covering a few activities - Sunset cruise, Tubotel, Skytrex, Night market, Duty free shopping, and Mangrove tour.
Tubotel
564 RM for 3 nights (2pax)
Link: http://tubotel.com/cms/
I picked this place over hotels/resorts because I fancied the idea of a seaview from my room. And I'm not talking about one from the balcony. Lying on the bed, head propped on a pillow, the view right infront of me was the sea, framed by a coconut tree. Inside the tube is just a bed, but that was all we needed. If you're someone who doesn't like the idea of shared bathrooms then this is not the place for you. However, I must say the bathrooms were kept clean and dry in the communal sink area. Overall, the hostel has an open air concept, so a light sea breeze travels throughout the open corridors and pathways leading to the bathrooms. Also, the showers were strong and there was a consistent supply of hot water. (way more important to me than a bathtub)
One more thing, they serve pretty good breakfast. Especially their chorizo. They even serve freshly baked bread!! Great breakfast always makes a great start to the day.
Skytrex
65 RM per person (Advanced: 1.45mins)
It's cheaper if you book online!
This is something we chanced upon in a brochure along Pantai Cenang (beach street).
We'd been looking for a half day activity to do before our sunset cruise at 5pm and this was perfect! We started at 12pm and ended around 1.45pm. You pay 65RM if you buy tickets online or call beforehand. It's 70RM if you walk-in. If you need to rent shoes, it's 5RM. Gloves are 2RM per pair. From Tubotel, it was a 15 minute drive.
The advanced trail brings you up to pretty great heights and descents are in the forms of ziplines. I can't remember how many we did, but it must have been more than 10. The obstacles are challenging, but very doable. It just depends on how much time you'll take. Give yourself between 1.5 - 2.5 hours. You might also want to bring along a camera to stop at scenic spots and take a selfie!
There were quite a few ladder climbs. And one of them was REALLY high. Trick is to climb fast and keep your joints unlocked. I was a little scared the first time so i kept stopping, made me really tired just clinging on to the swaying ladder.
You can see the zipline behind us! All the stops have safety lines and you're given a 15-minute training before your trail.
BRING MOSQUITO REPELLENT. As you can tell, the entire park is set in a forest, perched on high trees. I had to borrow some (probably expired) mosquito repellent that unfortunately didn't work.
Tropical Charters Sunset Cruise
185RM (per person) inclusive of open bar and BBQ dinner
(BARGAIN BARGAIN BARGAIN! Don't accept anything less than 185RM, their asking price starts from 280RM) We went to a couple of vendors selling Tropical Charters tickets and finally found a lady who operates a booth at the ferry terminal. Her name is Alyah, call her at 017-447 0262.
We drove to Resorts World Langkawi and waited for about 30 minutes to board. At 5pm or so, we sailed for 30 minutes to a spot out in the Andaman sea, where the current was pretty strong. They let you jump off the boat and enjoy their salt water jacuzzi, which is basically you clinging on to a huge net at the back of the boat.
They even have a lifeguard (this guy in the picture above) who's a really fun guy. He goes around making sure everyone has fun and helps those who want to jump but can't swim. He'll jump in with them and then swim them back to the back of the boat. The current plays a huge role too, cos it pretty much carries you there already.
You can choose to stay on the upper deck where there's shade, chairs and tables or find a spot on the lower deck, where there are mattresses, bean bags and a great view of the sunset.
Dinner was served around 6.30pm. Did i mention there was an open bar!!!!
I had a great time on the cruise, reading a book, sipping on a cocktail. Though we didn't see a very nice sunset, it was really nice being out at sea with a great crowd.
Night market (Tuesday)
In Langkawi, there's one (or two) night markets that sets up at a different location every night. We went to the Tuesday one, near Pantai Cenang. The night market was pretty big, with many stalls selling satay, durian, pancakes, grilled chicken, and all sorts of other stuff. To find out where the night markets are on each night:
Because we're from Singapore and we frequent Malaysia, the food here was familiar to us. I would say this is a great place for foreigners to come and try food they wouldn't get in their countries. We met a pair of German girls who were brave enough to try our durians. One actually loved it!!
Mangrove Tour (4 hours)
85RM per person inclusive of lunch
Tour includes stops at- Bat Cave, Fish feeding "show", Lunch at fish farm, Eagle feeding, and one island stop for 30 minutes.
You start your boat ride on a river with mangroves on each side. We were told there were many crocodiles in the area, but that they generally steer clear of the crowd.
First stop: Bat Cave. I was SO SCARED. I hate bats but i wanted to get over the fear so I forced myself into this cave. Luckily, the bats were pretty small and the cave was big with high ceilings so we weren't very near them. After a while, they were pretty adorable looking, especially our guide showed us some mothers who had their wings wrapped around their babies.
Once we exited the cave, monkeys were waiting for us outside, quickly scanning our hands to see if we were carrying food. They came really close to us and really looked like they would attack you if you had any food at all.
Spotted many tiny cool crabs. The ones with the red pincers are male.
Later on, you're brought to a fish farm where you get to watch a fish feeding session. I have no idea what the hype is about. You literally stand around and watch a guy....feed fish. Hahahahaha. The only interesting thing was that the fish were pretty huge and some of them could do flips. They also kept a few big stingrays, and I saw a starfish somewhere. I guess because I've been to fish farms and kelong before, the stop over wasn't anything special. To other tourists though, it was an eye opener.
Later on, you're brought to another fish farm for lunch. Something like this one. (picture below)
Along the way, you see more monkeys, sitting in groups and just people watching. Think we're quite a scene to them.
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| Source: https://www.viator.com/photos/Langkawi-tours/Island-Hopping-Tour-from-Langkawi/1153912 |
Eagle feeding. The boatman threw a few pieces of chicken into the river, and within seconds, a few dozen eagles came swooping down. I didn't mange to get good pictures but here's a few from the net. It was quite a sight, but then they left as quickly as they came.
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| Source: https://misabrainture.wordpress.com/category/travel/langkawi/ |
Duty Free Shopping
There are places all over the island that offer duty free shopping but the 2 we liked best were Teow Soon Huat and The Zon. The Zon is along Pantai Cenang, and TSH is in Kuah Town. You can find lots and lots of chocolates and cheap alcohol.
Driving in Langkawi
Rent a car, unless you plan to book a mini van for your entire stay. Langkawi is small, and paths are well maintained and well lit so driving isn't a problem at all. We rented a small Vivo and paid about 60RM per day (inclusive of petrol) Call Othman at 018-323 8081 or just find a guy at the ferry terminal or airport and bargain till you get a good price.
The sunrise before we left for the airport. I'll miss you Langkawi, and your beautiful skies.
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