Langkawi - Best Island & beach in Malaysia

Something to talk about Langkawi Island.

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.

All visitors by sea arrive at the ferry terminal on the edge of town. Regular ferry services now bring visitors from Penang island, Kuala Kedah, on the Kedah mainland, Kuala Perlis in Perlis state and from Satun in Thailand.

Visitors can also take day trips to Pulau Paya Marine Park, a natural island haven ideal for enthusiastic snorklers and scuba divers.

In recent years, Langkawi has extended its international airport at Padang Matsirat, and most foreign visitors now arrive to this modern facility, which is well located close to nearly all the major beach resorts.

The largest of these islands is called 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!


This island is unique in the sense that it has so many legendsand myths associated with it.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 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 Langkawi for a minimum of 48 hours to take back home a reasonable amount of tax free goods.

Langkawi 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 Langkawi near the Kuah Jetty.

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


The Langkawi Islands lie in the Andaman sea, just 30 kilometres off the Kedah coast.There are 105 islands in the Langkawi group, most of which are uninhabited or sparsely populated.

The largest and most developed island -known as Langkawi- is the focal point for most visitors. The island is 487 square kilometres in size, with a growing population of around 62,000 people, most of whom live in small villages, dotted around the countryside.

Most development is centred in the South East corner around Kuah, the islands main town. Just a few years ago Kuah was a sleepy backdrop, with a single main street and a few places to shop, stay and eat.

However in 1987 Langkawi was awarded Duty Free status, and the town has since grown to become the primary business and shopping centre on the island.