Pulau Langkawi

Pulau Langkawi consists of a group of 99 islands located off the north west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The biggest island is called Langkawi Island, approximately 30 km from Kuala Perlis, Perlis and 51 km from Kuala Kedah, Kedah. The island is a duty free island where goods such as perfumes, cigarattes, liquor, cosmetics, leather wear and confectionery are sold without duty imposed by the government.

Langkawi Mall, Langkawi Fair Shopping Complex and Jetty Point Duty Free Complex are some of the shopping complexes that offer lots of goods for your selection.

Good beaches that you can explore and swim include Kok Beach, Cenang Beach, Tengah Beach and Burau Bay Beach which are all located at the west coast of the main island. Go round the island of Dayang Bunting and experience the cool breeze and breathtaking view of Langkawi.

If you are for snorkelling or diving, go to Pulau Payar Marine Park which is located 35km south of Langkawi. This island is an ideal place to enjoy the marine life and vegetation that are protected by the marine law of Malaysia until today. You can go to this island for a day trip by boarding a speedboat from Kuah Jetty at Langkawi Island. It takes approximately 1 hour to reach this marine park. Admission fee of RM5/adult and RM2.50/child is charged.

Attractions In Langkawi

There are many places of attractions in Langkawi that you can visit. Visit the Eagle Square, Ayer Hangat Village (Warm Water Village), Kota Mahsuri (Memorial in honour of Mahsuri) and Oriental Village. Try Langkawi Cable Car and see the spectacular view of the area.

If you are for fishes but are not able to find the time to do your own diving or snorkelling, visit Underwater World Langkawi at Cenang Beach and experience the more than 5,000 types of aquatic life.

Read a more detailed description of each attraction below:

1.Pantai Cenang

Remember to drop by and visit Cenang Beach, one of the popular beaches in Langkawi. Read about this beach and see the photos here.

2.Kuah Town

Drop by the town of Kuah in Langkawi and shop in the many duty free shops. Enjoy the seafood served in many restaurants here.

3.Langkawi Underwater World

Visit the largest aquaria in Malaysia at Pulau Langkawi. See the various marine life here.

4.Langkawi Crocodile Farm

Nearly 1,000 crocodiles are being showcased in different ponds here. There are the Periodical Pond, the Breeding Pond, the Bridge Pond, the Feeding Pond, the Jumping Pond and the Show Pond.

5.Langkawi Oriental Village

Visit Langkawi Oriental Village and shop at the duty free shops, dine and take a stroll at the beautiful setting of a "village" here.

6.Langkawi Cable Car

See the scenic view of the many islands here by going on the cable cars.

7.Pulau Dayang Bunting

Go island hopping and see this beautiful island. Go paddling on the lake and learn the legend that surrounds this island.

8.Pulau Beras Basah

Most tour agents "island hopping" package tour goes to this secluded island.

9.Pulau Singa Besar

Most tour agents "island hopping" package tour also goes to this island.

10.Pulau Payar

Go snorkelling and scuba diving on the only marine park at the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

11.Mahsuri Mausoleum

This mausoleum was built after the death of Mahsuri binti Pandak Mayah, an ordinary lady who was said to have a great influence on the fate on Langkawi.

12.Spa In Langkawi

Rejuvenate your tired body at the many spas in Langkawi.

13.Laman Padi Langkawi

Visit this eco-tourism outing and discover the traditional ways of paddy planting and harventing.

14.Langkawi International Airport

This modern international airport located at Padang Matsirat and serves more than 2.5 million passengers annually. Check for Cheap Flights to Langkawi from Malaysia Airlines, SIA and Quantas.

Jetstar budget airline has expanded serving domestic Australia routes to serve international routes such as Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Perth.

PangKor Island

For finding wildlife in Malaysia you never have to travel far. Not many people relate a holiday to Pangkor island in Perak with a possibility to see wild animals. For most people Pangkor is synonymous with beaches, beach fun, ikan bilis (anchovies), dried fish and fish restaurants.

Exploring the animal kingdom is usually not on the program of the average visitors. If you want to see wild life, you visit Taman Negara or other nature parks; that is the common statement. However, like other Malaysian islands, Pangkor has its own wild life and it is not difficult to explore some of it.

Land animals

Like almost everywhere in Malaysia, Pangkor has its own population of Macaque monkeys and they are not shy. You will find them almost everywhere, at the beach, sitting near your window of your hotel room, close to the restaurant you have your dinner waiting for the left over. They are searching for food and if you are not aware, they steal your bags too. So be careful.

A much seen animal is the monitor lizard. They are common in Malaysia. What is interesting about the monitor lizard here is that they regularly swim from Pangkor to the mainland. I have seen them crossing the small straits in between Pangkor and the mainland. The monitor lizard can be up to 3 meters long.

The lizards you see are usually the younger ones as the older and stronger animals have their territory usually in the estates and jungle. Do not be surprised to see a lizard on the beach too. Monitor lizards in Malaysia are usually shy, contrary to their cousins on the Indonesian islands Rincon and Komodo.

Malaysia has a wide selection of snakes. I've seen a few cobras around Lumut and Sitiawan but it was always in very quiet areas and late afternoons. Snakes are usually shy and you hardly see them unless the villagers have caught one.

Tortoises are still to be found although the locals have caught most of them. You find many at the Fu Lin Kong Temple at SPK. There are also some on the mainland. For the divers and snorkelers, you may lucky to see turtles.

North of Pangkor is a Turtle Breeding Station at a beach where turtles lay eggs. Those eggs are dug up and hatched before setting them back. The station, 35 km north of Pangkor island, is worth a visit.

The station has several full grown species which makes the visit even more spectacular. These turtles came to the station either wounded or caught by locals and are not set back in the wild.

To reach the Turtle Breeding Station take the road from Lumut to Taiping. Pass Segari, after 3 km, take the junction left (sign board "Lumut power plant"). Follow this road to the first junction left (first asphalt road), go to the end. On your right side, you find the Turtle Breeding Station (no public transport).

Families of wild boar still live in the jungle of Pangkor. Many are hunted so hard that there are few left. If you want to see them, your best bet is the Vikry Beach Resort at Pasir Bogak. The owners feed the wild boars in the evenings.

Birds

The symbol of Pangkor is the Lesser Hornbill. There are 3 distinctive different families living at Pangkor. One is living around Nipah Bay, the second near Pasir Bogak and the third lives south of Pasir Bogak. (to get an idea where we find them, see the map of Pangkor island on the Pangkor website, below).

There is also a Great Hornbill family living in the hills near Tiger Rock. You will need to stay at Tiger Rock resort to be lucky enough to see them (evenings is most likely). The Great Hornbill is imported from further in the Malaysian peninsula.

While the Lesser Hornbills come at Pasir Bogak primarily in the morning, at Nipah Bay (and also in Pangkor Town) they are more active in the late afternoons. In the morning, you will see plenty of Lesser Hornbills at the Sea View hotel where the owner feeds them fruits.

You will see (and hear) many in the trees and on the beach.

The whole day you will see eagle. They are more active on the east coast of the island hunting for the fish leftovers of the Pangkor fishing industry. Pangkor and especially just on the mainland near Teluk Rubiah, you can spot dozens of eagles in the early morning. One day, we spotted over 40 eagles in one place when we were on the way to Teluk Rubiah.

Water animals and fish

A much rarer sight at Pangkor are sea otters. There is a family living in between Teluk Batik and Teluk Rubiah in an area which is slightly harder to visit. This family every once in a while visits Pangkor too as they are excellent swimmers. Interestingly I saw them once in a school holiday at Pasir Bogak.

The sea otters are almost always in the water but I have seen them relaxing at the beach too. These magnificent swimmers will surely make your day if you are lucky enough to see them.

You can see turtles when you go diving near Sembilan islands, a group of small islands 45 minutes out of the coastline from Lumut.

White Tip- and Black Tip sharks can be found on the north part of Pangkor Laut. These magnificent hunters feed on fish and you can feed them by hand. The sharks are not dangerous for humans. Outside, again in the area of Pulau Sembilan, you can find an array of fish including pufferfish, barracudas, seahorses, angelfish and others.

Mudskippers are common, especially at the east part of Pangkor. It's a strange creature, equipped with airbags to be able to breathe outside the water.

At the beaches on the west part of the island you have to be careful when you're in the water. You may accidently (mostly at Pasir Bogak, step on a Pinna Incurva, a triangle shaped shellfish that can give you a serious cut in your foot. The shellfish usually only sticks a centimeter above the sand in the water. The shells can be as big as your hand or even bigger.

Jungle trekking

There are basically 2 treks possible at Pangkor. The trek on the northern part can start north of SPK. Take a taxi and ask to be dropped at the jungletrek starting point. The path goes steep up. Bring good walking shoes, especially when it has been raining because there are leeches.

There is not much views but there are plenty of orchids, insects, butterflies and other plants to see. The trek takes 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your physical condition.

The second path is probably more interesting. It leads from Tiger Rock resort to Pasir Bogak. The path follows the hills. Plenty of orchid, other plantlife and butterflies are to be found here. The path is probably more interesting because the jungle "breaths" more, it is more open. This trek takes 1 to 1.5 hours.

Conclusion

Pangkor might not have the name as a wild life paradise but there's enough to keep you busy. Without much effort you can find yourself surrounded with plenty of wild life. Considering the small size of Pangkor and the amount of jungle to explore, I would certainly not dismiss Pangkor.

Peter van der Lans is a Dutchman who lives these days in Sitiawan Malaysia. After years of traveling, he cycled from Holland to Malaysia, stayed a months in the Middle East, a year on the Indian Subcontinent and 2 years in China plus a year in the UK, he settled himself in Malaysia.

Sitiawan was the perfect place to write a website about Pulau Pangkor. Later he wrote http://www.bicycle-adventures.com, an ongoing project about his journeys on bicycles. A third website: In the years in China, he lived in Yangshuo and he thinks he can tell the story about this pretty little town in China so there's a website about Yangshuo too.

Perhentian Islands

The crystal clear waters and brilliant white sandy beaches of the Perhentian Islands in Malaysia have for many years captured the hearts and imaginations of the backpackers and travelers who passed through. Recent years however have seen a different type of traveler coming to the Perhentian Islands, as their reputation as a premier diving destination has slowly increased amongst the scuba diving community.

In fact it would be fair to say that a large amount of the success of the Perhentian Islands as a scuba diving location should be attributed to the neighboring Thailand, and the dive resorts of Koh Tao, Phuket and Koh Samui. Large numbers of travelers who have learned to scuba dive in the larger Thai resorts often find themselves gravitating to the natural beauty of the Perhentian Islands. Looking for one last dive before the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur and Singapore!

The Perhentian Islands comprise of Pulau Perhentian Kecil and Pulau Perhentian Besar, and are located approximately 20 kilometers off the coast of Malaysia. Offering what can only be described as a slice of paradise, the palm fringed beaches encircle these tropical islands, whilst the clear blue waters hide a wealth of marine and coral life below.

The scuba diving in the Perhentian Islands is of a high standard, and a wide range of dive sites has meant that the islands have become a popular destination for people looking to take a scuba diving course. There are approximately ten major dive sites which are regularly visited by the dive centers in the Perhentian Islands. Of these, Tokong Laut (Temple of the Sea) is widely acknowledged as being the best dive site on the islands. A large rocky outcrop of boulders just off the northwest coast of Perhentian Kecil offers some of the best examples of soft coral formations in the region. This carpet of stunning soft corals provides a home to a wide variety of marine life including kingfish, barracuda, nurse sharks and black tip sharks.

For fans of wreck diving, there are two excellent dive sites in the Perhentian Islands. The Sugar Wreck, a 90 meter cargo ship which sank in 2000, and the Vietnamese Wreck were it is still possible to dive inside the wreck itself.

If you are planning to go scuba diving in the Perhentian Islands, the best time to visit is between April to October, when both the visibility and weather are at their most favorable. November to March sees the monsoon season, when the weather becomes poor and access to and from the islands becomes limited due to the rough seas.

The Perhentian Islands offer superb scuba diving, and the shallow nature of the dive sites here make it a good choice for the novice or more inexperienced scuba diver. However what makes the islands so very special is their stunning natural beauty and undeveloped landscapes. You truly feel as though you are diving in your very own piece of paradise!

Mark Burns is Director of Scubaworld, a large scuba diving holidays and scuba diving courses web site.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_J_Burns

Genting Highlands-Hill holiday resort

Genting Highlands is located at an altitude of 1,800 metres above sea level and is one of the most developed hill holiday resorts in Malaysia. Its temperature ranges from 15 °C to 24 °C throughout the year and is a place for one to escape the heat of the cities. This place is a popular destination for local as well as foreign visitors. It takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to drive up the hill from the city of Kuala Lumpur, a distance of 51km. It is also called the City Of Entertainment and rightly so as you will be able to enjoy the various attractions and modern facilities on this hill resorts.

■Has entertained visitors from many different countries of the world.
■The Genting Skyway is the longest cable car in South East Asia. You will be able to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the mountains and valleys from the cable car.

■It has 6 hotels with more than 10,000 guest rooms and suites for you to choose from. The First World hotel is the biggest hotel in the world.
■The nation's only casino is located here.
■Genting International Convention Centre has hosted many world class conferences, seminars and meetings.
■Has more than 90 dining outlets. KFC, MacDonald, Chinese restaurants, western restaurants and other fast food chain restaurants are all located here.

Attractions

There are many activities that one can do over here. As a modern integrated family friendly resort, Genting Highlands has more than 60 fun rides at its indoor and outdoor theme parks
. Both the adults and children will be able to find some rides that are thrilling and remembered for a long time to come.


There are also many performances such as magic shows that the entire family can enjoy.


Asia's only free fall sky diving simulator called Sky Venture is located here. Experience the thrill of falling under the guidance of qualified instructors.


For those of you who enjoy the nature, try jungle trekking and horse riding at Awana ranch. You will discover the many beautiful flora and fauna that abounds in this place.


Golf enthusiasts will find the 18-hole golf course in Awana Golf and Country Resort a challenging course. The cool weather makes this course one of the favorites among golfers and many come back here for more.

There are many ways to get to Genting Highlands. One can take the express bus from major bus terminals such as Puduraya, Pasar Rakyat, KL Sentral or Terminal PUTRA LRT Gombak. The one way fare will cost you RM7.50 for adult and RM5.80 for children.


Going up by car or taxi is convenient and hassle free as the roads up the mountains are wide and well maintained. If you have your own car, I would suggest that you check and make sure that the radiator water is enough to cushion the effect of overheating due to the drive up the hill. Other than that, do a slow drive up and enjoy the beautiful scenery and cool air up the mountains. Further information can be obtained from Genting Highlands website or call +603 2718 1118.