A Geopark is a globally recognized geological area recognized by UNESCO to bring attention to beautiful and important landmarks in the world. The island of Langkawi, Malaysia is home to 3 amazing Geoparks – a guarantee that it has some of the most beautiful and stunning landscapes in the world!
Langkawi Mangrove Forest Geopark
On our second day in Langkawi, we visited the Kilim Geoforest Park, home to a huge mangrove forest covering over 100 sq km! Excited to see the park up close, we jumped on a mangrove boat tour and headed out! The mangrove forest is HUGE and once you get up close to them, you realize the importance of the mangroves for the ocean. Mangroves help protect shorelines but more importantly, they are a huge filtration system for the ocean, filtrating out pollutants and keeping the water clean!
We thought the water was muddy and dirty, but our guide explained it was just the reflection from the mountains. When he scooped up some water in his water bottle, we found it crystal clear! That is all the work of the mangroves. Pretty impressive!
The Wildlife of Langkawi
The Kilim Geopark is home to tons of wildlife! You can see how the island got the symbol of the eagle after visiting here! There are eagles everywhere! At one point, we stopped in an open clearing and watched them hunting for fish. They would fly really high in the sky and then dive down scooping up a fish as they went. It was very impressive! We saw the brown eagle as well as the white-belly Sea Eagles. The wing span on these birds is humongous!
Monkeys Galore
Our favorite stop of the day was the monkey island where tons of monkeys were running around trying to eat crabs and steal fresh water bottles from the tourists. I had never thought about monkeys not having enough fresh water so I was very surprised to see them spying out all the fresh water. They have had enough practice that they even know how to drink it out of a water bottle!
This little monkey family we saw had a brand new baby! It was so adorable to watch them taking care of it. At one point, the baby ventured out on a limb and lost its balance. After the most pitiful cry for help, the mother caught the baby before it fell to the ground The mother gave the older brother a big scolding for letting the baby fall. It was hilarious and so amazing to see how they work like a real family would!
Mangrove Geopark Forest in Langkawi Video:
Crocodile & Bat Cave
Crocodile Cave is a curved erosion in the limestone shaped like a crocodile, hence the name, and lucky for us, the tide was low enough to take the boat right through the cave! It was pretty amazing to see the erosion on the limestone from the ocean’s constant pounding. Once we popped out on the other side of the cave we breezed through a beautiful mangrove canal. So peaceful!
After a quick stop at the fish farm we enjoyed a delicious seafood lunch at a local restaurant! Nothing tastes better than fresh seafood!
One of our last stops was the Bat Caves. Thousands of bats flock here to pass away the days. It was fun to see how many were in there! The rock formations inside the caves are thousands and thousands of years old! We even saw some stalactites curving outwards towards the sun!
One disappointing part is the collection of plastic trash from around the ocean that gathers where the mangroves meet the sea. The mangroves do their best to keep the water clean but there is a lot of trash buildup. The locals go by a few times a year on trash cleanup but waste from other surrounding islands puts this area in danger. I felt more aware than ever about ocean cleanliness and how it affects places around the world. This is such a beautiful place! Some might think their waste is not affecting anyone but in truth it does! Always be careful where you throw your garbage!
After our tour, we could see why this place was presented with the UNESCO Geopark recognition – it’s amazing! There is so much to explore and lots of wildlife! It is a place just brimming with life and a lot left to be discovered!
If you plan to visit Langkawi, make sure to go on a mangrove tour! It’s delightfully peaceful and picture-perfect with all the wildlife!
A special thanks to Naturally Langkawi for this wonderful tour exploring the Geopark!
