Langkawi Overview

The pirates which once infested the waters around Langkawi have been replaced by visitors of another kind. Sun and sand lovers from around the world have discovered the incredible natural beauty of this Malaysian island just south of the border with Thailand. Langkawi lies where the Strait of Malacca meets the Andaman Sea, offering excellent water activities to go with its glorious sandy beaches and comfortable resorts.

Langkawi is the largest island among an archipelago of around 100 islands and serves as the gateway to exploring this region of the Andaman Sea. Tourism has only existed here for about 20 years, making Langkawi a relatively new and undeveloped destination. The sailing, scuba diving, snorkelling and other water sports are as good here as anywhere else in the region. Langkawi also has the advantage of a beautiful mountainous interior where hot springs, trekking and waterfalls await more adventurous travellers.

Culturally, the island has its own unique mythology which is promoted at every turn. Tales of giants, fairies and doomed princesses add a pleasant fantastical flavour to the standard array of beach activities.

Kuah is the island’s only real town, serving as a ferry hub and the centre of Langkawi’s duty-free shopping. The locals also excel at handicrafts such as batik painting, crystal and silverworks, all of which make for interesting souvenirs. Most visitors gravitate to the west coast beaches at Pantai Cenang and Pantai Tengah, but intrepid travellers will find more secluded beaches if they venture outside these main tourist hubs.

Langkawi’s history is interwoven with mythological fantasies and real life drama which over the centuries have become inseparable from each other. Tales of captive princesses and heroic princes, ogres and gigantic birds are set against the backdrop of the island’s true geological wonders. The island’s dark caverns, misty mountains and magical lakes each have their own unique legends, adding a special dimension to an otherwise typical Southeast Asian island history.

Evidence of this blend of myth and reality is best exemplified by the legend of Mahsuri, a beautiful young woman who married Mat Deris, the son of Langkawi’s ruler during the late 1700s. Wrongly accused of adultery by her jealous husband, Mahsuri was executed at Padang Hangus. She issued a curse with her dying breath that the island would see no prosperity for the next seven generations. Mahsuri’s Mausoleum still stands as testimony to this dramatic event.

In 1821 the Siamese invaded Langkawi, marking the start a long period of bad luck that plagued the island until recent times. In an attempt to starve the Siamese invaders, the ruler Dato Kerma Jaya burned the island’s main rice granary to the ground. Even today remnants of burnt rice often appear at the site called Kampong Raja, Langkawi’s ancient capital.

Despite being a beautiful tropical island, Langkawi tourism industry was slow to develop. By the mid-1980s, interestingly coinciding with the end of seven generation curse of Mahsuri, the Malaysian government decided to promote Langkawi and its archipelago as a tourist destination. An airport was built and ferry services were increased from the mainland, encouraging visitors to come to the island. Langkawi came into its own in 1987, when the Malaysian government granted the island duty-free status.

Eager to save cash, regional tourists began to trickle in to take advantage of Langkawi’s duty-free opportunities. Word quickly spread of Langkawi’s beauty and bargains, and the island soon found itself hosting more and more international tourists. From a population of just 2,000 in the 1970s, the island is now home to over 50,000 local residents.

The island has become one of the most popular yachting sites in the region and regularly hosts big name events such as the Tour de Langkawi bicycle race, a major boating expo known as LIMA and the Langkawi International Motor Show. It would seem that the curse of Mahsuri has been lifted, but the legends live on everywhere you turn within the wonderfully engaging island of Langkawi.

Unlike some of the other islands that lie farther out in the Andaman Sea, Langkawi operates year round thanks to its proximity to the coast and its airport. There are two seasons on the island: the rainy and dry seasons. From July to October, the monsoon rolls into the region, bringing heavy but short-lived thunderstorms most afternoons.

Although the rainy season isn’t the best season for water sports such as snorkelling or scuba diving, the rains don’t affect visitors’ enjoyment of the beach. After a couple hours of intense downpours, the clouds usually break and the sun reappears.

Since Langkawi is near the equator, it enjoys an average temperature of 32°C and little variation in daylight throughout the year. The rainy season see higher humidity, which can make things uncomfortable. The wet season is also the low season, resulting in less crowds and lower room rates.

The prime tourism season is during the dry winter months from November through June, when the skies are reliably blue and the seas calm enough for snorkelling. This is also when most visitors arrive, seeking refuge from cold northern winters. Make your room reservations well in advance if you plan to travel around New Year, when the best resorts quickly fill up.