Langkawi Mangrove Tour: A Stunning Introduction To The UNESCO Site

Langkawi is a famous island worldwide. In addition to being absolutely stunning, the island is also a UNESCO heritage site. There is a lot to do in Langkawi as the UNESCO heritage site is huge and has multiple facets to it. One of the best ways to see its beauty up close is to head out on a Langkawi mangrove tour.

You’ll find that there are a variety of packages that are available based on the amount of time you want to spend in the area. Each package takes you to different parts of the UNESCO heritage site. From the bat caves to the crocodile cave, you will find a lot of intriguing things to explore. It was one of the highlights of our 3 days in Langkawi.

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⛵ Heading to Langkawi? Don’t forget to book your Langkawi mangrove tour before you go! This will save you so much hassle when you reach! ⛵

Mangroves In Langkawi

Located to the north east of the island, the mangroves of Langkawi are a unique ecosystem and provide a stunning contrast to the towering limestone peaks in the background. If you haven’t seen mangroves before, know that these plants grow along the riverbanks.

Their long roots are what make them special. They hold the soil together preventing soil erosion on the river banks. Mangroves are also great for the fish in the river. They provide a spot for the fish to lay eggs and for the babies to hatch and hide from predators.

Today the mangroves in Langkawi are protected. A couple of years ago, they were harvested for charcoal. At least that was what our guide told us.

The Kilim river winds between the mangroves and into a couple of caves too. Some of which you may be lucky enough to enter.

One interesting thing to do in the mangroves of Langkawi is to notice the roots of the mangroves. You will notice water marks. These will tell you just how high the tide rises.

Where To Stay In Langkawi

Before we go into all the details about the mangrove tours, let me talk about how the accommodatin you choose affects your commute. Langkawi is a big island and despite its size, you can easily circle it with a scooter/car in a day. These are the most popular ways to explore the island. That means that heading out to the mangroves is easy irrespective of where you stay.

If you aren’t mobile and haven’t rented a vehicle you could choose to hire a taxi or book a tour with transport to the location. This is the slightly more expensive option.

As far as accommodation is concerned, Langkawi has a great mix of luxury, mid range and budget options. This is what makes it a popular choice. Here are some of the best options that I have found.

Langkawi Mangrove Tour Price

As I mentioned before, the Langkawi Mangrove tours are divided based on the number of hours you want to spend in the area. There are four different packages. The smallest being one hour and the largest being four hours.

We chose the two hour tour which took us to five different locations: The Eagle feeding area, the fishing village, the Arabian sea, the crocodile cave and the bat cave.

There are three ways of booking your Langkawi mangrove tour.

Book the tickets at the jetty point in Kuah: Here they charge you 100 MYR per person for 3 hours. Note that this is sharing a boat and not a private one.

Head to the Kilim Geoforest park: You can book your Langkawi mangrove tour from here directly. Note that from this location you can only get a private boat. A great way to reduce the costs is to go with a large group. The rates here are 250 MYR for 1 hour, 350 MYR for 2 hours, 450 MYR for 3 hours and 500 MYR for 4 hours.

Book your tickets online: This is great because you don’t have to waste time heading to the jetty the prior day. You can also avoid the lines in Kilim Geoforest park during peak season.

Best Time Of The Day For A Langkawi Mangrove Tour

It is hard to give an exact point of time in the day that is best for a Langkawi mangrove tour and that is because of the changing tides. You don’t want to head out during either low or high tide because it makes some areas of the park inaccessible.

Crocodile cave is one such example. Too high waters means that the cave would fill up. Too low waters and the boat will get stuck. We were extremely lucky because we picked the perfect time. Were we an hour late, we would not have been able to enter.

In general, the Langkawi mangrove tours are packed during the morning hours. The evening hours however see fewer tourists. The last tour booking occurs at 5pm.

Don’t expect an epic sunset however. Our guide explained that the sunset views are blocked by the limestone peaks as the last groups are usually on their way back.

Langkawi Mangrove Tour

As I mentioned before, the Langkawi Mangrove tour that we chose was the 2 hour package. It was a great introduction for the kids to boats, mangroves and sea life! Once you book your tour at the counter, you will find yourself ushered to a buggy (they charge you 1 MYR for this and you don’t really need it unless you have mobility issues.).

The jetty is a clean, easy to access spot with a lot of boats docked there. You also get your first views of the mangroves here. Once you hop on board, your guide will introduce himself and hand out lifejackets should you want them.

Langkawi Mangrove Tour Stop 1: The Crocodile Cave

Crocodile cave was our first stop on our Langkawi mangrove tour.

Our guide Fikhir took us straight to the crocodile cave. As we explained before, the tide determines whether you can enter the cave or not and he made sure we did not miss our golden opportunity.

The crocodile cave does not contain crocodiles mind you. It gets its name from the rock formation on the outside of the cave that resembles the snouts of crocodiles. The inside of the cave does harbor bats though.

One interesting thing that the Fikhir showed us at the entrance of the cave was Archer fish. These fish are found in the mangrove area and are famous because they spit water at great heights. The force of water is meant to knock out insects for them to eat but you can also get a face full of it if you are peering out of the boat.

Fun fact: Full grown archer fish can spit water up to a distance of 3 meters!

Langkawi Mangrove Tour Stop 2: The Fishing Village

The Langkawi mangrove tour also included a stop at a fishing village.

The second stop was at the Fishing village. This floating village is really intriguing. With huge nets sunk into the ocean, the fishing boats bring their catch here to release. The fish are allowed to remain in the water until such time as they are needed for consumption.

Here we saw crabs, lobsters, grouper, snapper and a different species of tuna that we had never seen before. The kids even got to touch and see a horseshoe crab.

The fishing village that we visited also had a floating restaurant. We were told that we could place our order and that the food would be ready for us when we finished our tour. It wasn’t something that we did so I can’t give you a review of what it was like.

Langkawi Mangrove Tour Stop 3: The Eagle Feeding Area

Eagle watching is one of the main activities on the Langkawi mangrove tours.

Langkawi is known for its eagles. In fact, in the local Malay dialect spoken on the island, Lang means eagle. Kawi is a kind of stone whose color matches the color of the eagle almost perfectly.

The mangroves in combination with the tall limestone peaks make a great place for the eagles to nest and live. The river provides them with all the fish they need while the peaks provide their young with protection from predators.

The Eagle feeding area is popular. Guides throw chicken skin to attract the birds. According to our guide Fakhir, the guides in the area are conscious of how much they feed the birds and don’t throw a lot of food out. If there are multiple boats in the area, only one guide will feed them. This is to ensure that the birds don’t lose their hunting instincts.

The Eagle feeding area is a rather peaceful place. If you are lucky, you can spot as many as 40 eagles flying overhead simultaneously. There are two main species that you will see here. The White Belly sea eagles are hard to miss. They have a huge wingspan which can reach as high as 1.3 meters. This is why these birds can be seen outside in the Arabian sea too.

The Brahminy kite is brown in color, much smaller and is usually seen in the mangrove area. This kite has a smaller wingspan which is around 0.6 meters.

Langkawi Mangrove Tour Stop 4: The Arabian Sea

Some of the Langkawi mangrove tours take you to the Arabian sea.

With the first three stops out of our way, we headed out to the Arabian sea. This is where you will catch a glimpse of the famous Kilim Geoforest sign. If you are lucky like us you will even get to see dolphins frolicking in the water.

From this area, you can catch a glimpse of Thailand. I kid you not! There is even a ferry that takes you from Langkawi to Thailand which was stopped due to Covid.

Fun fact: One of the islands in the bay looks like a shoe and hence is called Shoe island!

Langkawi Mangrove Tour Stop 5: The Bat Cave

Langkawi’s bat cave is a popular attraction too.

The Bat Cave or Gua Kelawar is one of the biggest attractions in the area. The cave is home to hundreds of bats. You would need a torch to explore this area not just to see the bats but to also make sure you have a good footing.

A boardwalk takes you through the mangroves of Langkawi. You will find a number of monkeys playing in the area. Make sure you do not feed them. The monkeys have been known to attack tourists for food.

The bat cave is impressive. The high domed structure is filled with stalactites and stalagmites. The roof is dotted with hundreds of tiny bats. These bats are great for the mangrove ecosystem because they eat the fruit and drop the seeds through their poop in various locations.

Best Langkawi Mangrove Tours

Half-Day Mangrove Safari Boat Tour in Langkawi

⭐️ Rating: 4.5/5 (130 Reviews) Price: $36 per person Duration: 6 hours 📍Meeting Point: Pick up from your hotel Details: Read more on Viator!

There are loads of different Langkawi mangrove tours that you can embark on. One of the fun ones is a half day tour that you can book in advance.

The small boat allows you to access so many different parts of the mangroves that larger boats cannot access.

“Excellent tour from start to finish well ran and great value Fauzan was an excellent guide and provide good knowledge of the mangrove and the habitat Lunch was really good and we would definitely recommend this trip.”
Fred (read more reviews now!)

One of the biggest problems that you will find on the island is getting transport to this part. Luckily this Langkawi Mangrove tour offers transport which makes the whole experience so comfortable.

Did I mention that they also provide lunch and snacks? So you really don’t have to do anything other than arrive!

Book Your Tour Now!

Mangrove Forest Kayaking Tour from Langkawi

⭐️ Rating: 5/5 (223 Reviews) Price: $51.95 per person Duration: 4 hours 📍Meeting Point: Azizi Mangrove Tours Details: Read more on Viator!

If you are looking for Langkawi mangrove tours with a difference, I would recommend considering a kayaking tour. This 4 hour adventure is so eco friendly.

You do need to be comfortable in a kayak though because you will paddle through the calm waters.

This gives you a chance to get really up and close with the flora and fauna of the region.

“Azi was great from pick up at the hotel to his passion and explanation of the Mangrove and all the conservation efforts that are in place. The tour was amazing, fun and so interesting.

This was our last full day in Langkawi, and it couldn’t have ended any better, I would highly recommend this tour and booking with Azi as you guide if you can.”
Steve (read more reviews now!)

A couple of unique stops on the way include the fish farm and the mangrove forests. Another great thing about the kayaking tour is that you work up an appetite. Luckily you will be provided with local refreshments and delicacies for lunch.

It is definitely one of the Langkawi mangrove tours with a difference and one that is well suited for adventure enthusiasts.

Book Your Kayaking Tour Now!

What To Carry For your Langkawi Mangrove Tour

With the last part of our tour done, we headed back to Kuah happy content and really tired. In hindsight, there are a couple of things that I would have carried to make the journey easier.

Water: I always recommend carrying a water bottle wherever you go. Langkawi is hot even at the best of times and you can dehydrate really quickly. Plus carrying your own water bottle means that you can fill it up wherever you go. Less plastic wastage and you save a lot on not buying bottled water!

I’m completely fascinated by the new collapsible water bottles!

They fold down neatly so that when they are not in use they occupy almost no space. If you are person like me who loves to travel ultra light, this something that you will love.

Hat: Don’t forget to take your hat along. That and a pair of sunglasses. As I mentioned before, the heat does get to you.

The boat has a covered area that protects you from the worst of it but if you intend to sit in an unshaded area for those iconic pics, it is going to feel like a sauna! Shawn swears by his Oakley’s. They have become an iconic part of his wardrobe.

I haven’t found the perfect pair yet and unfortunately for me, the ones I had broke during our Langkawi Mangrove Tour. So there’s that. I guess it is time to shop for something different.

Sunscreen: Always carry sunscreen. I personally prefer reef safe options especially since we get into the water to check out the coral. I also find it easier on the skin. You however need to do you. See which one works for you and make sure to test it beforehand so you know if you have any allergies to the contents.

A snack for the kids: This is a bit variable and in a way it depends on how long you plan to be out on the water. If you take one of the longer Langkawi Mangrove tours you probably should take snacks for the kids.