I loved visiting Langkawi! There’s so much to do there. It’s very tourist-friendly, and many locals from Kuala Lumpur come here for vacation. Here are my top things to do in Langkawi!
11 Things to Do in Langkawi
1. Jet Ski Island Tour
This was my favorite part of Langkawi! You can go to 8 islands and see a lot of major natural attractions at once through Mega water sports at Chenang beach. I wrote a whole article about it here: Jet Ski Langkawi
Check here for tours to book and reviews
2. Rhino 4WD Tour Waterfall Stop
No, there aren’t rhinos in Langkawi… Oh wait, was I only one who thought maybe there were? Rhino is the type of 4-wheeler that you can take a tour of the mangroves on. It’s such a blast riding around the rivers, jungle, paddy fields, and is a unique way to sight see. With our tour we got to go to a waterfall during the middle and learn more about the rubber trees that are all around the island. Tip: wear sunblock and mosquito spray.
Location: Naam Paku Pakis Activity Center at Tanjung Rhu beach
3. Parasailing
I hadn’t been parasailing since I was a kid but thought it wouldn’t be that great since it’s not a huge adrenaline rush. It still wasn’t such a rush, except when you first kick off from the boat, BUT the reason this is a must in Langkawi is the view! There are 99 islands making up Langkawi and you can see the islands, white sand, and different shades of blue water from up high. It’s quite a view! Take a goPro up with you around your wrist.
Location: Naam Paku Pakis Activity Center at Tanjung Rhu beach
Go Karting at Morac
Ben and I go-kart whenever we see a new place! We love the one in Goa. This one kicked Goa’s butt though! It’s a professional track (who knew they had those?) and was really long.
Location: Morac International Karting Circuit Sdn. Bhd. Lot 67, Jalan Pantai Cenang, Mukim Kedawang
5. Mangrove Tour
With this tour you’ll go down Tanjung Rhu river and through manmade channels in the mangroves. You’ll start at Kilim river to see the HUGE bat caves which are quite stinky but very cool. You can see the area where all the eagles eat, go in “crocodile cave” which apparently no longer has crocs, and end with lunch at Mangrove Fish Farm. The fish farm has sting rays and you can actually feed them… just by sticking your hand hear their slimy mouths- such as weird ass feeling but loved it! We didn’t have lunch here because it was only 11 am but most people did. Tip: There is a chance to swim at Long beach so pack a swimsuit!
Location: Naam Paku Pakis Activity Center at Tanjung Rhu beach
6. SkyCab & SkyBridge
The SkyCab is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Langkawi since it’s steepest on earth, 708 meters high on Mt Machincang. It is the longest single robe cable car in the world – 950 meters! At first I wasn’t really sure what the appeal was since the cable cars go slow… but it’s not so much about the ride as it is the view you get from the ride.
The views were 10x as cool as parasailing, and I was bummed Ben was afraid of the height and didn’t come. The water was so blue against the white sand and seeing all the islands spread out was pretty damn cool, plus you can actually see Thailand. I know I sound like Sarah Palin here, but you really could.
I didn’t go across the SkyBridge (which is 100 meters off the ground and the longest curved bridge in the world) because it was about 4 pm and I’d been in the sun all day with a pretty bad burn. Tip: Pay extra for the VIP cab for nice seats, or ones with glass floors. Check out the SkyDome video before hand, which is 3D-ish and really neat.
Location: Oriental Village, Burau Bay
7. Interactive 3D Museum
Brand new to Langkawi, and the biggest 3D museum in Malaysia this is actually a LOT of fun. I didn’t even know what a 3D museum was. But we went through taking all kinds of silly pictures. I think only the photos can explain what this place is all about. Check out my post on it: Photo Gallery 3D museum
Location: Oriental Village, Burau Bay
8. Mardi Fruit Farm
This is an agrotechnology park where fruits are grown without pesticides. Ben and I had seen much of this in Goa, but I can imagine if you come from somewhere less tropical this would be a big learning experience. You can try new fruits like star fruit, dragon fruit, water apple, and yellow watermelon.
Location: Jalan Padang Gaong, Lubuk Semilang
9. Ayer Hangat Spa Village
This complex has the only salt water hot spring in Langkawi and hosts a spa and private Jacuzzis you can rent out. The hot springs are great for soaking your feet then going for a walk on the “reflexology path”.
I only lasted about 30 seconds because I have such sensitive feet walking on stones. I went for a foot scrub & massage here which was heavenly; read more on my article spas in Langkawi. They also have stingless bees making honey… something I never knew existed.
Location: 16 Jalat Air Hangat, Mukim Air Hangat
10. Sunset Dinner Cruise
I think a lot of companies offer something like this – but not all of them can say Pitbull took their cruise ;)
Really! This was Ben’s favorite part of the trip. The food was great, the boat was really cool and there were only 6 of us on the trip. They treated us great with cold towels, free booze, ponchos at the end when it rained, and lots of laughs. I have to say that the photo above was taken by Ben, or he will feel used as my photographer haha.
Location: boat takes off from main Naam office in Kuah.
11. Night Market
The market can move around, but there are two big ones (Wed. and Sat.) in Kuah that are really nice. It’s half food, half clothing. Most of the food is very unique and not westerinized. Go with an open mind and try new things! I tried a few, but to be totally honest I didn’t love the food- I am not a very adventurous eater. I like lots of the snacks but not the fish ones which are frequent, because I’m not much of a fish eater. Check out my post on what to eat in Langkawi.
Location: Kuah
More fun things to do in Langkawi
You could try aintball, horseback riding, helicopter rides, dirt bikes, zorbing, paintballing, Craft Complex for souvenirs, Eagle square, snorkeling at Pewar island where there are sometimes reef sharks. Just go to Viator and see all the tours they offer. They have tours for every budget – just filter to adventure ones!
And those are all the cool things to do in Langkawi that we got up to! Let me know if you have more tips on what to do. In the meantime, check out my Langkawi travel guide for more information.
Don’t miss nearby Singapore when you come to Malaysia:
- I Wish I’d Had a Singapore Neighborhood Guide Like This One
- Best Food in Singapore: A Foodie’s Heaven
- Luxury Guide to Singapore
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3D Museum and SkyCab for me!! Great ideas – would love to visit :)
I’m surprised you chose 3d museum! It is very cool though
So many great ideas!! Where would you recommend is the best place to stay in Langkawi to have access to all these activities?
Hmmm the best place… it really is up to you, it’s such a small island you could stay anywhere!
I would like to make a travel with my wife and sons ( 21 yrs and 14 years) Like to spend around 8/10 days in Malayasia. Could you kindly plan a detailed itinery, and break up of cost per day basis.
Hi, you didn’t mention which company’s sunset cruise you guys went on
Great advice throughout the article. Disappointed that you would recommend elephant riding at the end.
Hi Jen, when I was reading through all my pamphlets on things to do it was listed so I typed it – but you’re right it’s not good and I don’t recommend it, I actually wrote about my feelings on that in another post about sea world and will remove that from the end.