Monday 27 June 2011

Langkawi Island

Langkawi,(Jawi:لانكاوي ) officially known as Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah (Malay: Langkawi Permata Kedah) is an archipelago of 99 islands (an extra 5 temporary islands are revealed at low tide) in the Andaman Sea, some 30 km off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia. The islands are a part of the state of Kedah, which is adjacent to the Thai border. On July 15, 2008, Sultan Abdul Halim of Kedah had consented to the change of name to Langkawi Permata Kedah in conjunction with his Golden Jubilee Celebration. By far the largest of the islands is the eponymous Pulau Langkawi with a population of some 64,792, the only other inhabited island being nearby Pulau Tuba. Langkawi is also an administrative district with the town of Kuah as the capital and largest town. Langkawi is a duty-free island.

By plane
Langkawi International Airport (IATA: LGK | ICAO: WMKL) is located at Padang Matsirat, on the northwestern part of the island. In 2008, it handled 1.2 million passengers.
The following airlines offer service to/from Langkawi: AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines, Firefly , Happy Airways, and SilkAir.
Direct flights are available to Penang, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hat Yai, and Phuket,

By boat
  • Langkawi Ferry operates fast air-conditioned boats from Kuala Perlis (RM18, 75 minutes), Kuala Kedah (RM23, 105 minutes), Penang (RM60, 165 minutes), and Satun (RM30 or THB300, 75 minutes)(Satun ferry to Langkawi: last boat departs Satun at 4pm(2011.02).
  • Telaga Harbour operates ferries from Ko Lipe, Thailand twice per day during the high season, at 9:30 and 14:30 (RM128 one-way, RM248 return, 75 minutes). These boats dock at the south end of Pattaya Beach. Bookings can be made online.

Must see places-
*Telaga Tujuh Waterfalls aka Seven Wells
*Gunung Raya, (Take the snaking paved road through the jungle).
*Crocodile Adventureland
*Laman Padi Rice Garden
*Legend Garden
*Underwater World
*Eagle Square
*Oriental Village
*Galeria Perdana
*Summer Palace
*Ibrahim Hussein Foundation Museum

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