If there’s one thing you do in Langkawi, this should be it! I’d go so far as to say, if you’re on a gap year you should wait until Langkawi to do any jet skiing. All booking information is at the bottom of this post.
The tour is four hours long but you can go a little faster if you are pressed for time by spending less time at each place. There were multiple stops along the way which were all FREE so it’s not just the jet skiing, but the whole tour that is really great.
Dayang Buting Marble Geoforest Park
Our first stop was this UNESCO site. The area is called “pregnant lake” by the locals. Here’s the story/myth:
“There was a beautiful woman who the King really wanted to marry, so of course he did. He went away to war and came back a year later and she was pregnant… so it was NOT his baby. Angry, he turned her into stone and she cries still.”
The rock does look like a pregnant woman lying down, and the sweet water lake in the middle are as they say, her tears. You can go from the jetty up some stairs to the fresh water and take a swim! You can rent little boats as well. In case you don’t like that story there is another one or 10!
“it’s a lovely fairy princess who married an earthly prince and got pregnant from drinking the water in the lake.”
FYI: bathing in this lake bestows fertility to barren women! That is if you believe these things ;)
Some of the rock formations are 550 million years old! You can see as you go around the many islands how the rocks are changing. Actually, Langkawi had more islands once but they fall into the ocean. The marble turns to limestone in the heat (metamorphic rock) and limestone isn’t that strong of a rock so the winds and salt water splashing take out bits from the bottom slowly until it’s gone.
BEST part of the Langkawi jet ski tour
You get 20 or so minutes of “free go crazy time” on the jet ski. We were the only people signed up so got a bit more. We went crazy! You can go over 40 miles/hour… we were going nearly 45 just racing around the ocean and spinning out in circles. I loved driving that fast but just hated being on the back. The noises I was making were unnatural lol and Ben was just cracking up the whole time. I was almost always “about to fall off!” and I’d scream “BEN SULLIVAN STOP IT!!” and of course he wouldn’t. Our guide was laughing at us. We could have done that all day. Man, that was fun!
Eagle feeding & more
You’ll see 8 islands but not get off at all. These are beaches with snorkeling like Beras Basah island, private beaches with great views, areas of water very deep and famous for parties because there are no waves, and areas with high salt concentration you can easily float.
You can go up to the small island rock formations and go up under the protruding rock. I’m not going to lie, this part gave me MAJOR anxiety! You can see the black rock is very old, while the yellow is new where old limestone has fallen from the wind and rain. It’s scary thinking it could fall on your head.
You’ll go to an island were they feed lazy eagles chicken skin! There are 4 kinds of eagles and some are really big!
Near the Eagle feeding island is a closed camp. There was a death of a boy by python something like 10 years ago… it’s very sad but of course there are pythons in these areas and even in my home Goa. I think it’s great that Langkawi actually closed it down as a place to sleep. Some other governments don’t care as much about the people and more about money.
A word on animals: there are snakes and monkeys. Of course you shouldn’t wander into the islands on your own. There are also small komodo dragons! I didn’t get to see one. We were told there are no sharks or crocodiles, but in other areas there are so let’s just assume there are everywhere, right?
Booking information & jet ski tour tips:
- We actually booked through a small company there which was $97. If you want to book ahead, book on Viator. It’s $125 for two people to go one one jet ski. Read other reviews and book it here.
- Wear your swim suit, but girls wear a shorts over (gym shorts that you can swim in) just out of respect & either wear a tank top over bikini top or keep your life jacket on at the stops.
- Don’t take ANYTHING with you except: little cash if you want to snorkel, GoPro, bottle of water. There is a non-waterproof cubby in front of jetski for these things. There is an outdoor shower on the beach for after.
- Check out these 11 adventurous things to do in Langkawi, including this jet ski tour and this article about what to eat in Langkawi.
Wow, this looks like so much fun! I keep reading about how awesome Langkawi is – I think we’re gonna have to pay the island a visit :)
I thought only India has such stories of girls being converted into stones and crying to make lakes and rivers OR taking bath in a river gives fertility :) There is a story I heard in India that the most beautiful girl Ahalya, wife of a sage, was seduced by the God of kings, Indra. After falling prey to Indra, Ahalya was cursed by her husband and was converted into stone.
I see that these stories are spread all over Asia.
All the mentioning of python, komodo dragon, crocodiles, and danger of the stone falling on head, did scare me a bit :) But it’s all worth to drive in the ocean around 45 miles/hr. It must be a lot fun to do it myself.
Very nicely written and pics made me feel more connected to the Island.
Glad you liked the article! It’s funny how these stories are kind of similar in different countries and cultures