Why Langkawi is one of Malaysia’s Top Island Getaways
Malaysia is a vibrant country filled with incredible cultural experiences. From the Instagram-famous Batu Caves to cultural/historical hotspots like Georgetown and Malacca, Malaysia has more than provided us with new experiences! But, if I’m being honest, I’ve always preferred exploring natural locations to monuments and city streets.
Which is why our family was so excited to spend some time on the beautiful island of Langkawi, in the north of Malaysia!
Looking for a great deal on everything Langkawi has to offer?
Klook is one of the best websites around for finding great deals on entry tickets, guided tours, and more throughout all of South-East Asia. We’ve used it so many times during our time here. And…
For a limited time you can get up to 15% off all Langkawi activities by using the coupon code GOLANGKAWI
Exploring Langkawi’s Beautiful Nature Destinations
After spending more than a month based out of the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, we were so ready to spend some much needed time out in nature instead of exploring malls, museums, mosques, and monuments.
Langkawi is located in the Straits of Malacca, just off the Andaman Sea, which means it is perfectly positioned for beautiful tropical beaches, lush greenery, and incredible views. Here are some of our favorites from around the island.
Pantai Cenang Beach
Cenang Beach, or Pantai Cenang, is one of the most popular beaches on the island, and it was one of our very first stops on the island. The beach is beautiful, with powdery, white sand that was soft to the touch, and inviting green blue water.
Beach chairs were extremely affordable, and the first road off the beach, Jalan Pantai Chenang, is filled with inexpensive food offerings and beach front shopping. (I highly recommend the Lebanon Shawarma Kebab cafe near the north end of the beach!)
If you’re into watersports, there are jet ski rentals all up and down the beach, and you can even parasail out over the water, for an incredible view from the sky!
The one thing is that, because the beach is so popular, it can also be a bit crowded at times. While we were there, we never found it too crowded, but there definitely were plenty of boats and jet skis out on the water all through the day.
My kids persuaded us to give parasailing while we were in Langkawi! I was surprised how affordable the whole experience was, and really enjoyed everything from the sky!
Pictured: My wife and son having a blast in the sky!
Tanjung Rhu Beach
If you’re looking for a beach experience with a bit more solitude, there are actually several different beaches to choose from. But one of the best has got to be Tanjung Rhu beach.
Tanjung Rhu Beach is a west-facing beach in the northern portion of Langkawi, perfect for watching the island’s fabulous sunsets. It’s located further away from town, which gives it more of that private resort feel, which is further enhance by the fact that there actually are private resorts located on either side of the public access portion of the beach.
Those resorts, and the boats that take tourists out to explore the nearby Kilim Geopark, keep the beach from feeling deserted, but there are way fewer people here, so you can still get that sense of seclusion.
The downside to that is that there aren’t as many food options (you’re limited to bringing your own food or dining at one of the resorts), and there aren’t changing rooms or public toilets. Still, it’s hard to argue with getting a white sand beach almost all to yourself!
Langkawi’s UNESCO Geoparks
Easily one of the best parts of visiting Langkawi is getting the opportunity to explore the area’s incredible Geo-Forest parks! Towering karst formations, multi-tiered waterfalls, broad coastal mangrove forests, and more are all on display, and all worth visiting.
I’ve written an entire other article just on the Geoparks, so if beautiful locations off the beaten path are something that interest you, be sure to check it out!
Langkawi Animal Destinations for Families
If there’s anything I’ve learned about traveling with kids, it’s that adding some animal experiences into your itinerary is a sure-fire way to make it a trip that they’ll remember!
The absolute best animal destination in Malaysia are on the opposite side of the country, in Malaysian Borneo, but Langkawi does still have some fun places to visit for animal lovers.
Here are some of the best:
Langkawi Wildlife Park
Covering a little over 5 and a half acres, Langkawi Wildlife Park is basically a small zoo featuring animals from around the world. The park started off as an aviary, and still has more birds in its collection than it does other kinds of animals, but there’s enough variety to still make it interesting.
The park has scheduled feeding times for many of their inhabitants, so you can walk around and watch the animals getting fed, and, for certain animals, you can buy animal food so you can feed them yourself.
One of the main reasons to visit the Langkawi Wildlife Park is for getting to take pictures with the animals. Several of the animals are featured in up-close experiences, and you can take pictures where you are petting some of the tamer animals, like ducks, guinea pigs, and rabbits. There’s even a friendly raccoon that you can pet!
You can either buy tickets on arrival, or, if you prefer, online using Klook, which can sometimes even save you some cash!
Get up close with tons of animals from around the world, at Langkawi Wildlife Park.
One thing to note: I have not personally visited this wildlife park, and some of the reviews I’ve read have raised concerns over the treatment of the animals. My experience with smaller zoos like this one is that animals are often kept in smaller areas than they need to thrive. Some reviewers have also noted that, especially with the guinea pigs and rabbits, some of the animals look like they aren’t being given all the care that they need. If that’s something that you’re concerned about, you may not want to visit.
Crocodile Adventure Land
Where the Animal World has all sorts of creatures for you to admire, Crocodile Adventure Land has one thing that they do well. Crocodiles.
Located on the edge of the Machinchang Cambrian Geoforest Park, Crocodile Adventure Land features an astonishing almost 4,000 crocodiles within the borders of their park, including the largest captive croc in all of Malaysia!
Personally, I have a healthy fear of crocodiles (I haven’t been eaten yet!) so I probably would not feel particularly comfortable visiting, but Crocodile Adventure Land prides themselves on being fun for the entire family. So, if you’re interested in watching some gargantuan reptiles getting fed, it’s definitely worth a look!
Home to Malaysia's largest captive croc (and nearly 4,000 of his closest friends), this is one wildlife park you don't want to miss!
Langkawi Underwater World
Underwater World is Langkawi’s largest aquarium, and features hundreds of different species of salt-water and fresh-water fish, as well as tropical birds, unique reptiles, water loving mammals, and two species of penguin!
For me, the 8-meter long underwater tunnel where you can see African penguins swimming above you is probably the highlight here, but I’ve been pretty partial to them ever since we saw African penguins in the wild in South Africa.
One of the largest aquariums in Malaysia, Underwater features exotic fish species from around the world, as well as otters, lizards, and penguins!
While this is a pretty great aquarium, it isn’t quite as large as Aquaria KLCC in Kuala Lumpur, so if you’ve recently visited, you may want to skip it. Or not. Aquariums are awesome.
Just Plain Fun Places for Families to visit in Langkawi
If there’s one thing that I’ve noticed about Malaysians, it’s that they really know how to let loose and have some fun, when the opportunity presents itself. From the luxury shop-til-you-drop malls of Kuala Lumpur to the world’s longest water slide in Penang, Malaysia is filled with fun locations perfect for fun family getaway!
Duty-Free Shopping on Langkawi
Way back in 1987, Malaysia’s government decided that they needed to do something special with Langkawi to help with domestic tourism. After some deliberation, that ‘something special’ ended up being making the entire island of Langkawi into a duty-free zone!
That decision ended up transforming Langkawi from a relatively unknown and unvisited island into a domestic tourism hotspot, and, after a while, an international destination. Today, there are tons of duty free shops on the island selling a wide assortment of goods, from chocolate, to electronics, to luggage for bringing home all your souvenirs.
Not every store on Langkawi is duty-free, but many are, and careful shoppers can find some great deals!
Splash Out Water Theme Park
There are a ton of great theme parks spread across Malaysia, but there are relatively few on Langkawi. So, if you have your heart set on spending the day at a water park to beat the heat, Splash Out water park is the choice on the island.
Splash out is filled with water slides, wave pools, splash pads and more, all at an extremely affordable price.
If you're looking for a fun way to spend a hot day, this is an inexpensive and extremely fun way to do it!
Skytrex Adventure
Get out of the water and head into the sky, with Skytrex Adventure’s ropes courses!
Smaller adventurers can walk over sky bridges, swing out over open air, hop from platform to platform as they explore the Little Legend ropes course, while adults tackle tougher challenges, like monkey bars hanging over open air, or bridges that require you to leap from plank to plank! (All while safely strapped into a climbing harness, of course.)
It’s adrenaline filled fun, at an affordable price!
With ropes courses for all skill levels, this is an exciting and unique way to spend a morning in Langkawi!
Paradise 101
Once you’ve seen and done it all, Paradise 101 takes you back to basics with a secluded beach on their private island. Visitors to the island can participate in water sports, walk the white sands of a private beach, try their hand at a water-based obstacle course, or just hang out on the beach with a fresh coconut in hand.
It’s a bit pricier than the (free) public beaches, but it offers a fun, premium experience for those who choose to visit.
Avoid the crowds and get the VIP experience by heading to Paradise 101!
