Pulau Langkawi (Langkawi Island)
Pulau Langkawi (Langkawi Island)
Pulau Langkawi (Langkawi Island)
 
Pulau Langkawi (Langkawi Island) is an archipelago of 104 islands lying in the north western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The exact location of these tropical islands is at the site where the Straits of Malacca meets the waters of the Andaman Seas.

The largest of these islands is called Pulau Langkawi (Langkawi Island) and is bigger than the Penang Island. The other islands in this group are Island of Pregnant Maiden (Pulau Dayang Bunting), Lion Island (Pulau Singa Besar) and Beras Basah Island.The smallest of these islands are atolls roughly the size of an ordinary house!

Pulau Langkawi (Langkawi Island) is coined from the Malay words Lang and Kawi. Lang is a brown eagle and Kawi is a local manganese stone.The ancient fishermen must have seen eagles flying clutching the manganese stones! A giant monument of a brown eagle clutching the manganese stone greets all visitors to Pulau Langkawi (Langkawi Island) near the Kuah Jetty.

The main tourist attractions of Pulau Langkawi (Langkawi Island) is its virgin white sandy beaches.The beaches have very gentle continental slope and the water is crystal clear.

This island is unique in the sense that it has so many legendsand myths associated with it. Pulau Langkawi (Langkawi Island) is therefore also called Pulau Lagenda or Legendary Island.

The most talked about legend is that of Mahsuri who is said to have laid a curse on this island for seven generations.Luckily the period of this curse is over now and Langkawi Island is fast becoming an internationally recognised tourist destination.

The government of Malaysia has declared the entire Pulau Langkawi (Langkawi Island) as a duty free zone. Hence this island is also termed Duty Free Island. All goods sold in this island are exempted from government tax. Therefore this Legendary Island is a haven for the shoppers. You only need to stay in Pulau Langkawi (Langkawi Island) for a minimum of 48 hours to take back home a reasonable amount of tax free goods.

 

ATTRACTION

THE UNDERWATER WORLD - One of the Langkawi attractions that fall under the category of "MUST-VISIT" is the Langkawi Underwater World (well, at least that's what I strongly believe...). The Underwater World is located at Pantai Chenang (Chenang Beach) and is one of the largest marine and freshwater aqaria in the region. There are over 5,000 varieties of fish and as many as 500 species of other aquatic creatures displayed here in over 100 tanks. The highlights here are the Hexagonal tank and the 15 metre long clear glass walk-through tunnel tank that contains 6 million litres of sea water.

DATARAN HELANG - One of the most prominent Langkawi Island attractions and landmark here is "Dataran Lang" which is situated near the Kuah Jetty. Dataran Lang, which, when translated to English means "Eagle Square", is where you would see the famous magnificent marble statue of a reddish brown eagle that is majestically poised for flight. The 12-metre tall Eagle statue sits high at the centre of a massive star-shaped concrete platform that juts out to the sea. Eagle Square comprises the Eagle statue, a high-roofed pavilion where events are held and kiosks selling anything from tidbits to souvenirs.

LANGKAWI CABLE CAR RIDE - One of the most enjoyable Langkawi attractions that you shouldn't miss when you're here is the Langkawi Cable Car ride. Situated at Gunung Machincang, the Langkawi Cable Car is built approximately 708 meters above sea level. The cable car will bring you all the way up to a height of 710 meters traveling a distance of 2.2 km at an incline of 42°.On your way up, you'd be able to catch panoramic views of the beautiful, serene Andaman Sea and the legendary Gunung Machincang. You'd also be able to enjoy the breathtaking view of the lush green rain forests that surround the Island and also the pristine islands that make up the Langkawi archipelago. Another thing you should look out for on your way up is the unique geological rock formations of the legendary mountain that has been around for the past 450 million years.