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| SPOTLIGHT | | Tropical
beaches and jungle, Wildlife, natural heritage and sun-kissed islands. |
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| Malaysia Most Beautiful Beaches |
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Pasir Pantai Kok and Telaga Tujuh Beautiful Beaches
On the western side of Langkawi Island, about twelve kilometres north of Pantai Cenang, lies Pantai Kok, a beautiful powdery sand bay fringed by limestone hills and forest.
Quieter and more secluded than Pantai Cenang, the area makes an ideal romantic getaway or a tranquil honeymoon place. Four new resorts, a new golf course and a replica of the Thai palace used in the film "Anna and the King" are among the other attractions.
If you're feeling energetic you can go jungle trekking or explore the local caves. Pantai Kok has a few bars and restaurants but it's mainly a place to simply relax in the natural beauty of the beach and bay.
The water here is clean and relatively shallow, the white powdery sand the ideal place on which to spend hours lazing. Four new resorts, a new golf course and a replica of a Thai palace are found here, but conspicuously missing are the chalets. The area is naturally quieter and more secluded than Pantai Cenang and makes an ideal romantic getaway or a tranquil honeymoon place. The adventurous visitor may contact hotel information to arrange guides for jungle trekking or cave hopping, but with few forms of modern entertainment and distractions available, visitors can simply enjoy relaxing in the natural beauty of the beach and bay.
Visitors to Pantai Kok should travel two kilometres further north to see the breathtaking Telaga Tujuh or "seven wells" Each of these seven waterfalls flows into the other creating the seven pools that give the place its name on the face of the hill. The swift flowing water has created smooth rock surfaces allowing the water to flow from one pool to another; finally cascading 90 metres down into the seventh pool.
Legend says that the waterfalls were so pretty that fairies were unable to resist their charm and made it their bathing place. Some of the plants growing around the pools are said to have been left behind by them.
How to Get There
Accessible by car, motorbike or taxi; one metre after passing Pantai Kok, turn right, away from the Burau Bay Resort until you reach the car park. There are souvenir stalls at the foot of the hills.
A short climb to the top of the falls will take about 45 minutes through the rainforest where you're likely to see long-tailed macaque monkeys and, if you're lucky, the giant cream coloured squirrel. You could even catch a glimpse of a hornbill, considered the most unique of all Malaysian birds, hanging out of the treetops.
Telaga Tujuh Visitors to Pantai Kok usually make it a point to travel a further two kilometres to the north to see the breath-taking Telaga Tujuh or \"seven wells\" Seven waterfalls flow one into the other and create seven pools on the face of the hill, hence the name. The swift flowing water has smoothed the rock surfaces so that water slides from one pool to another; finally cascading 90 metres down into the seventh pool. So pretty are the waterfalls, it is said that fairies were unable to resist the charm and made it their bathing place.
A couple of plants growing around the pools are said to have been left behind by them. Accessible by car, motorbike or taxi; one metre after passing Pantai Kok, take the right turn, away from the Burau Bay Resort until you reach the car park. There are souvenir stalls at the foot of the hills. A short climb to the top of the falls will take about 45 minutes, with many things to see as you make your way through the rainforest.
Delightfully playful long-tailed macaque monkeys can be seen along with - if lucky - the giant cream coloured squirrel that are well known in these parts. You may even catch a glimpse of a hornbill hanging out of the treetops - with its huge hooked orange beak it is considered the most unique of all Malaysian birds. Listen carefully and you\'ll be able to make out the cackle-like call that it makes. Summer Place (Anna & The King Movie Set) In 1999, when Thailand turned Hollywood away for the filming of the movie \"Anna & The King\", the production team discovered Langkawi. The Summer Palace in Chiengmai was thus recreated in Pantai Kok, with its beautiful green surroundings, to represent the Jetty Pavillion, the main building of the palace, courtyard and Anna\'s house. Constructed in one and a half months, this movie set is 95% wood. When filming was completed, the set was not dismantled and the local government had it made a permanent structure. |
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Top Beaches |
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 Batu
Ferringhi |
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Batu Ferringhi, a thirty-minute
bus ride west of Georgetown on Transitlink #202 or Transitlink air-con #93 (but
not the standard #93), has a decent beach and several guesthouses, albeit filthy
sea. |
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| Teluk
Bahang |
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The beaches around this rocky
headland are better than the ones at Teluk Bahang itself, but since the big hotels
run boat trips out here, it's unlikely that you'll have them to yourself. |
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| Air Batang |
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A fifteen-minute trail
leads over the headland to the north, which - after an initial scramble - flattens
out into an easy walk, ending up at secluded Penuba Bay. From here, it's an hour's
walk to Monkey beach, beyond which is Salang. |
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| Juara |
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Juara is refreshingly
free from the buzz of speedboats and motorbikes, while its lovely wide sweep of
beach is far cleaner and less crowded than anywhere on the other side. The bay,
however, facing out to the open sea, is the most susceptible on the island to
bad weather. |
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| Mukut Beach |
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Mukut , a tiny fishing
village on the south coast, lies in the shadow of granite outcrops. Shrouded by
dense forest, and connected to the outside world by a solitary card phone, it's
a wonderfully peaceful and friendly spot to unwind, though be warned that this
is still a conservative place, unused to Western sunbathing habits. |
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| Salang Beach |
Salang is a
quieter option with a better beach, but there has been a lot of development recently
and the string of hostels stretches pretty much the whole length of the seafront;
prices tend to be a little higher than at Air Batang.
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| Pasir Bogak |
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Only a few of the chalets
front the beach itself; most line the road that continues north along the west
coast, but they're all reasonably close to the sea. |
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| Teluk Ketapang And Teluk Nipah |
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The
best beach at Teluk Nipah is Coral Bay - a perfect cove with crystal-clear sea
and smooth white sand. The bay is inaccessible by road and to reach it you have
to climb over the rocks at the northern end of Teluk Nipah (watch the tide). |
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| Nipah Beach |
| Comprising a clean, empty
beach of coarse, yellow sand and a landlocked lagoon, there's no village to speak
of here, but there is a Dive Centre and canoeing. |
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| Pantai Cenang Beach |
The bay forms
a large sweep of wide, white beach with crisp, sugary sand, but again the water
here won't win any prizes for cleanliness.
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| Tekek Beach |
| The sprawling
village of Tekek is the main settlement on the island and the least inspiring
part of Tioman.
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| Perhentian Besar Beach |
| A
stunning conglomeration of three beaches, separated from the main area of accommodation
by rocky outcrops and reached only by speedboat, it provides a secluded haven
between May and September for green and hawksbill turtles to come ashore and lay
their eggs. |
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| Perhentian Kecil Beach |
East-facing
Long Beach has been the target of most development on Kecil, not surprisingly,
since it boasts a wide stretch of white beach and good coral nearby.
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| Pantai Kok And Telaga Tujuh |
| Pantai
Kok lies on the far western stretch of Langkawi and is the best beach on the island,
a large sweep of powdery white sand with relatively clear and shallow water -
quieter and more secluded than Cenang and more intimate in feel. |
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