Among the dreamy tropical islands strewn across the Andaman Sea, the isle of Langkawi and the archipelago it lends its name to, standapart. In a world of overcrowded beaches, it offers secluded coves far from the madding crowds. Instead of mass-market tourism, it offers mindful, boutique experiences immersed in nature. Its towering rainforests are over 10 million years old. The karst rock formations that burst out of the sea are even older, believed to be a mind-boggling 550 million years old. In 2007, UNESCO designated the entire Langkawi archipelago (of 99 islands, they say — which may not be strictly accurate, but it certainly has a nice ring to it) as a Global Geopark, the first in Southeast Asia, acknowledging the archipelago’s geological significance.
There are four main conservation zones and, one balmy morning, I took a boat ride through one of the most popular ones, the Kilim Geoforest Park. We were on the Kilim River, which the park is centred around, whizzing past dense mangroves and picturesque gravity defying karst formations, formed over millennia through the erosion of the limestone in the rock. Soon we entered deep into the mangroves where, with a little help from my guide, I espied a pit viper curled around a branch. Next, we ran into a troop of crab-eating macaques, who seemed to have adapted well to their marine environment. After narrowly making it through a low-ceilinged bat cave, it was time to hit the high seas. My phone soon informed me that I was in Thailand (Langkawi is pretty close to the Thai border) but the excitement was short lived, as we spun right back into Malaysia and wound up the tour.
Back at my hotel, the Ritz-Carlton, the resident naturalist took us through some of their sustainability initiatives, which go well beyond filtered water in glass bottles. The most fascinating of them was the sea cucumber nursery, an inhouse conservation initiative geared towards raising awareness about these fascinating creatures and their place in the marine ecosystem. A rainforest walk — right within the property — had me back in the lap of nature trying to spot the hornbills that caw incessantly across the island.
Another day saw me heading out to sea in a catamaran from the Telaga Harbour Park with the hope of catching a nice sunset, and maybe some dolphins. There was a chef on board, and she rustled up a feast of freshly barbecued satay and, of course, some nasi lemak. Then it was time to go feed the eagles. And therein lies a tale about the island’s name. Although several theories abound — including one that avers that Langkawi is the Lanka of the Ramayana — the most popular one associates it with the brahminy kites that thrive here. Eagles are called helang (shortened to lang in colloquial speech) in Malay, while kawi is a red stone that is abundant here. Hence, Lang-kawi, the island of the reddish-brown eagle. Although this activity certainly has its detractors, someone threw some chicken scraps into the water and soon the air was aflutter with eagles, including several magnificent white-bellied sea eagles, whose wing span can go up to a whopping 2.2 metres. In the end, I got my stunning sunset, although the dolphins remained shy and didn’t show up. I returned to my room to find that someone had thoughtfully run a bubble bath and strewn it with rose petals — just what I needed after a long day out.
In Langkawi, I also had the privilege and honour of being taken on a nature walk by none other than Uncle Selva, the island’s acclaimed naturalist of Tamil descent. The completely self-taught Selvakumaran Rajamanickam, and his daughter, Dharkshen, an accomplished divemaster, took us around the environs of the St. Regis Langkawi, where I was staying next (and, being the St. Regis, we had the liberty of walking with a flute of champagne in hand). If there is one man who knows every bird, tree and shrub on this island, it is Uncle Selva. And he is full of stories — some naughty ones too. That’s not all, he can imitate the bird calls well enough to elicit a response from the avian world — this has to be seen to be believed. Experiences like this make any holiday truly memorable.
There’s plenty more to do in Langkawi. You could easily spend a week here and still barely have scratched the surface. But I suppose that’s a good excuse to come back, right?
Langkawi Skycab and Sky Bridge: Possibly the island’s coolest attraction, the cable car takes you over lush jungles and stunning rocks to a height of 650m where a curved suspension bridge high above the rainforest offers panoramic views of the landscape.
Kilim Karst Geopark: A popular attraction offering boat trips through mangrove forests, limestone cliffs, caves and waterways, with opportunities to spot wildlife along the way.
Pantai Cenang: Langkawi’s lively beachfront, known for its long stretch of sandy beach, water sports, beachside restaurants, cafés, bars and spectacular sunsets.
Langkawi Craft Complex: The perfect place to pick up hand-painted Malaysian batiks, precious pewter and other local handicrafts.