Pulau Langkawi

Langkawi is open all year: nothing on the main island closes for the weather. December to February is the dry season and January the driest month; dry weather usually lasts until the north-east monsoon ends in mid to late March, the Malaysian Meteorological Department says. Rain picks up from about April, and August to October are the wettest months, October the wettest of all. Ferries are cancelled only on days of high waves; boats to Pulau Payar and island-hopping trips can be called off when the sea is rough. Pulau Payar itself closes from 1 March to 31 May every year.

Langkawi Ferry Line runs four sailings a day each way from Kuala Perlis, about 1 h 15 to 1 h 30, and from Kuala Kedah, 1 h 45 to 2 h, all to Kuah jetty. Times change daily and sailings sell out, so book ahead. One way, an adult without a MyKad pays RM45 from Kuala Perlis or RM55 from Kuala Kedah; MyKad holders pay RM21 or RM26.50 at the counter. Flights to Langkawi International Airport take about 1 h 05 to 1 h 10 from KLIA, and there are direct flights from Subang, Penang, Johor Bahru and Singapore. There has been no ferry from Penang since 2020. From the jetty or the airport, every stay is reached by road.

Langkawi is a group of 99 islands, and five more that show only at low tide, covering about 478 km². The main island is about 25 km from north to south, and about 65,000 people live on it. Four of the islands are inhabited: Langkawi, Tuba, Rebak and Dayang Bunting. The archipelago has been a UNESCO Global Geopark since 1 June 2007. Thailand’s Ko Tarutao lies a few kilometres to the north.

• Teluk Datai: Datai Bay, on the north-west coast, about 45 minutes from the airport. The Datai says its beach is for its guests.
• Tanjung Rhu: the cape on the north-east coast, about 30 minutes by road from the airport or Kuah jetty, near the mangrove tours.
• Teluk Burau, Teluk Nibung and Pantai Kok: the west coast under the Machinchang range, with Telaga Harbour, Oriental Village and the SkyCab cable car. Teluk Nibung is the Ritz-Carlton’s bay, off Jalan Pantai Kok.
• Pantai Cenang: the main tourist strip, on the south-west coast, 10 minutes from the airport. Jet-ski tours leave from here. The road behind it is spelt Jalan Pantai Chenang.
• Pantai Tengah: just south of Cenang, with the jetty at Teluk Baru where island-hopping boats leave.
• Kuah: the main town on the south-east coast, with Jetty Point and the ferry terminal, banks and shops. Its waterfront is not a swimming beach.

The Seven Wells waterfall (Telaga Tujuh) is about five minutes’ drive from Teluk Burau. Panorama Langkawi describes a 91 m waterfall: the lower falls are about 200 steps up, and the seven pools at the top about 638 steps, roughly an hour’s climb. The rocks are slippery and monkeys are about.

There is no useful public bus. You need a car, a taxi or Grab.

• Car hire counters are at the airport and at Jetty Point in Kuah.
• Coupon taxis run from the airport and from Kuah jetty at fixed fares.
• Grab works on the island, but waits are longer than in the cities and cars are scarce away from Pantai Cenang and Kuah.
• By road, the airport is about 11 minutes from Pantai Cenang (8 km) and about 19 minutes from Kuah jetty (17 km). Kuah jetty is about 30 minutes from Pantai Cenang (23 km), about 25 minutes from Four Seasons at Tanjung Rhu and about an hour from The Datai (45 km).

Pulau Payar Marine Park takes in four islands: Payar, about 2 km long, and Kaca, Lembu and Segantang. It lies about 35 km south-east of Kuah. It belongs to Kota Setar district on the mainland, not to Langkawi, but day trips leave from Kuah.

• It is closed every Tuesday and Wednesday, and from 1 March to 31 May every year.
• Only operators registered with the Kedah Fisheries Department may take visitors in, and daily numbers are limited, so book ahead.
• Boats leave Kuah in the morning and take 45 minutes to an hour; the operator confirms which jetty.
• The Department of Fisheries conservation charge is RM30 for adults without a MyKad and RM5 for MyKad holders; RM15 or RM2 for children aged 6 to 12 and adults over 60; disabled visitors do not pay. It is usually included in the tour price.
• Do not feed the fish or sharks, touch or stand on coral, or take shells. No fins in the main snorkelling area off the beach unless a guide or officer allows it. Stay inside the roped area and take your rubbish back.
• There are no food stalls on the island. Bring water and snacks.

Langkawi has been duty-free since 1987, according to the Langkawi Tourism Association. There is no marine park charge for the main island.

• Cigarettes and tobacco are not duty-free: they have been taxed on all duty-free islands since 1 January 2021, and Jetty Point no longer sells them.
• Alcohol is still duty-free. Leaving for the mainland, each visitor may take 1 litre in all, after at least 48 hours on the island.
• The duty-free allowance you can take to the mainland is RM1,000 of goods. Budget 2027, tabled on 9 October 2026, announced a rise to RM10,000 from 1 January 2027 for visitors who stay at least 48 hours, excluding tobacco and motor vehicles; alcohol keeps its own 1-litre allowance. It is a proposal until the exemption order is published. Keep your receipts.
• On the way out, there is a Customs check before the Kuah ferry terminal. It is slow at weekends and on public holidays, so arrive early.
• Unlike most islands on this site, Langkawi has plenty of ATMs: banks in Kuah, and machines at Pantai Cenang and around the airport.