Langkawi – Asia’s best beaches!

If you are an explorer of the world’s finest beaches, Langkawi in Malaysia needs to be on your map. It is the largest in an archipelago of 99 islands off Malaysia’s northwest coast and it is an extraordinarily beautiful hideaway in the Andamen Sea. Only four of the archipelago’s islands are inhabited and the north coast beaches of Pulau Langkawi are among Asia’s best.

Reaching Langkawi is fairly easy. It is only about an hour’s flight time from Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur. Alternatively you can take a ferry from the mainland or Penang.

The majority of the archipelago’s 65,000 inhabitants, mostly Malay, live on Pulau Langkawi. It has traditional villages with homes on stilts. But most of the island is untouched by humans, a wilderness of mountains, waterfalls, and rainforest.

Kuah, the island’s main town, is home to about 12,000 inhabitants. It’s a sleepy place and most shops close by 7 p.m. Although there are no good beaches in the immediate vicinity, it’s handy for getting to Pulau Payar Marine Park. Most island-hopping trips depart from Kuah dock.

In the Nouthwest, Langkawi’s largest resort is Pantai Cenang. It has a good selection of pubs, guesthouses, cabana-style restaurants, spas, and tour operators.

The beaches are sprinkled with tiny exotic seashells, and the sand is talcum-power white. But spending idle hours on the beach isn’t your only option. The island has three top-rated golf courses or you can visit the mangroves or go jungle-trekking, exploring bat caves and the coral wonderland of the Pulau Payar Marine Park. A trip to the Marine Park should be on the top on your list of day trips. Located around 19 nautical miles form Langkawi, the reserve is comprised of four small islands. Snorkeling packages are available to view angel fish, clown fish, lion fish, damselfish, beaked butterfly fish and parrotfish. If you don’t snorkel you can still see the marine wonderland from glass-bottomed boats. Another attraction is the small black-tip reef sharks. They are not dangerous and have become so used to visitors feeding them, they almost seem tame.

Langkawi’s other big allure is the jungle. If you enjoy back-to-nature experiences, it’s a real experience to encounter all the jungle animals, experience their sounds. The island is home to “flying snakes” (non-poisonous), fox bats, and a host of other wildlife including black leaf moneys. An you don’t have to travel far to see the jungle. Some of Langkawi’s resort hotels back right on to the jungle.

Twice a week there are local night markets where you can sample hawker food such as satay chicken on skewers or shop for bargains. Langkawi is billed as a duty-free paradise.

Another place of interest is the Summer Palace Langkawi is situated amidst lush tropical greenery at Pantai Kok, on the north western coastline. In 1999, 20th Century Fox commissioned the construction of this magnificent and expensive move set for the making of the film “Anna and the King”. Built almost entirely of local timbers, the Summer Palace resembles a traditional Thai Palace.

As a natural paradise, the islands are perhaps unmatched anywhere else in Southeast Asia.

More information at www.malaysiatourism.ca