Langkawi – An Island Of Legend

Blessed with white sandy beaches, clean turquoise waters, steep mountains shaded by lush vegetation, and a tropical climate, Langkawi Island can truly be called an earthly paradise.

Langkawi Island is part of a 99 island archipelago, known as The Jewel of Kedah, 30 km off the coast of mainland Malaysia.

Throughout history, this great island attracted traders and sailors who traveled to India and China, in search of silk and spices. Unfortunately, because of the pirates that threatened the waters of the Adaman Sea, Langkawi was soon forgotten and traders moved their businesses in Penang or Singapore.

Tourists rediscovered the beauty of Langkawi Island during the 1990s and nowadays it’s one of the most popular beach destinations in Asia. There’s a little bit of everything for everyone on the island, in fact, that’s what makes it so special, its contrasts.

You can spend a whole day at the beach, soaking up the sunlight, bathing in the clear waters of the Adaman Sea and explore the island-dotted horizon, or you can venture up the high mountains and discover the wonderful wildlife. The island’s countryside is home to the friendly Malay, with their traditional wooden houses and ancient legends.

The island’s countryside is home to the friendly Malay, with their traditional wooden houses and ancient legends.

Almost every feature of Langkawi Island has an explanation in one of the old legends that the locals love to share with visitors.

For example, the island’s late bloom as a world class tourist destination is explained in the legend of Mahsuri. She was a young married woman, accused of cheating on her husband and sentenced to death, in the 18th century.

• For example, the island’s late bloom as a world class tourist destination is explained in the legend of Mahsuri. She was a young married woman, accused of cheating on her husband and sentenced to death, in the 18th century.

During her execution, white blood flowed, proving her innocence. With her dying breath, Mahsuri cursed the island to be barren for seven generations.

Now, after occupation by the British and the Japanese, the people of Langkawi believe the curse has finally been lifted, and prosperity has returned to their home.

One of the island’s main attractions, the hot springs of Air Hangat village, was supposedly created when two giants started a brawl at a wedding party and spilled a pot of hot gravy that turned into the bathing facilities tourists enjoy today.

The legend of Dayang Bunting (Pregnant Princess Island), one of the many small islands around Langkawi, is probably the most believable. It speaks of a beautiful princess who blessed one of the island’s lakes, so that childless women who bathed in its waters could bear children.

Looked upon from Langkawi, Pregnant Princess Island does have the shape of a pregnant woman lying on her side and, coincidence or not, many women actually became pregnant after swimming in the magical lake.

Apart from its incredible natural wonders, Langkawi also features some unique man-made attractions worth seeing. The Langkawi Skybridge, suspended 700 meters above sea level, offers magnificent views of the entire island and the surrounding Adaman Sea. Its strange, curved shape provides different perspectives of the landscape, making it one of the most amazing bridges on Earth.

The Langkawi Skybridge, suspended 700 meters above sea level, offers magnificent views of the entire island and the surrounding Adaman Sea. Its strange, curved shape provides different perspectives of the landscape, making it one of the most amazing bridges on Earth.

• Underwater World is the largest aquarium in south-east Asia, a place where you can see some very strange fish, endemic to Asia, as well as beautifully colored corals. You could say it’s a regular paradise for fish lovers. For a bird’s eye view of Langkawi, you can jump on one of the cable cars that will take you on an exciting journey above the island.

As far as food and lodging are concerned, Langkawi Island sports some of the most luxurious and, at the same time, traditional resorts in the world. You can choose to spend your vacation in a five star hotel, or in one of the wooden kampong houses built on stilts, over the water. Langkawi is a true culinary heaven, with a selection of Malay, Chinese, Indian and Thai restaurants for you to choose from.

You can choose to spend your vacation in a five star hotel, or in one of the wooden kampong houses built on stilts, over the water.

Langkawi is a true culinary heaven, with a selection of Malay, Chinese, Indian and Thai restaurants for you to choose from.