Could Langkawi be the next Bali? It’s now a little more accessible and in many ways, as beautiful. Boasting of 101 surrounding islands, spectacular mountains and abundant wildlife. It’s quickly obvious why so many people love this tiny island.
A trip to Langkawi might be better appreciated if started with a cable car ride to the highest peak. The view is breathtaking and the temperature is much cooler. I could easily pack my dinner and spend hours up there. A suspended bridge hangs to let you easily hop from one peak to another. Like the rest of Langkawi, you’ll most likely see wildlife. The little island is known for it’s eagles. In fact, the name in Malay means Eagles’ stone.
Island hopping is a popular activity if for no other reason than to see the Eagle feedings. With or without this trip you’ll see wildlife in it’s natural habitat. One thing I wasn’t expecting but saw twice were mudskippers. Seen on the BBC series Life, the fish have learned to walk using their fins. A small and often unnoticed part of the ecosystem.
Langkawi reminds me of a semi-Muslim version of Bali. I say “semi” because the island is more touristy than anything but you can hear the beautiful chanting of the Masque. Bali having ancient Hindu characteristics is one of my favorite touches to the island, giving it some element of mystery that didn’t show up in Langkawi. Maybe the island is full of less tourists but since the island is much smaller, it feels as though there are 10 tourist to 1 local and you can’t escape it.
Why do I compare Langkawi to Bali? Because both are easy to get to and have similar features. Both can be reached
with most miles programs for low cost and can be reached by the discount airliner, AirAsia. Even if you’re already in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, it might be as cheap to fly to Bali on a sale.
Frankly, the mountains are taller, the snorkeling is better and the culture is less touristy in Bali. Both the Indonesia Hindus and Malay Muslims are the extremely friendly type, likely to take you in and feed you but you’ll see more tourist attractions than Muslim culture in Langkawi. Perhaps the level of tourism and the countries good economy makes the island a more expensive choice than neighboring options.
I’ll never forget the days we spent road-tripping with our $15 car rental split four ways with friends we met traveling. The hikes, waterfalls and laughs made the destination one of my favorite trips in our travels. Due to the wildlife and my personal experience in Langkawi I would go back or recommend it to friends and family with passion. However, due to the lack of Malay culture and unescapable level of tourism, perhaps because of the island’s small size, I could only spend a few days there. People could spend weeks, months. or more exploring Bali’s land, waters and culture. For this reason, people should visit both but I’ll return to Bali as often as I can.
