There’s a paradisal quality to Langkawi, which is anchored off the west coast of Malaysia, in the Andaman Sea. Things are pretty laidback in the island’s premier town, Kuah, which has a waterfront that’s home to family-run shops and rustic bars, plus a huge statue of a swooping red eagle. In the north, you can take boat trips into vast cave networks, and the centre of the island’s dominated by rice paddies and the tree-draped Gunung Raya Mountain. Sleepy fishing villages are dotted around the unspoiled coastline, with meringue-white beaches punched between them.
- If you’ve got a head for heights, take the Langkawi Cable Car to the top of the Gunung Machinchang Mountain. Soak up the views from the peak and the Langkawi Sky Bridge. This suspended walkway curves high above the leafy canopy, and offers the best panoramas of the island.
- Tanjung Rhu delivers one of the best sunbathing scenes in Langkawi. Rocky islands out to sea are like a scaled-down version of Vietnam’s Halong Bay, and you can explore limestone caves and mangroves when you’re not on the pale sands.
- At Telaga Tujuh Waterfalls, you’ll be able to dip your toe in Langkawi’s top-rated natural attraction. The name translates as ‘Seven Wells’, but what you get is a series of pools and channels with waterfalls trickling between them.