Cycling to Langkawi and Langkawi gravel
This is the third and final part of our tour report from Butterworth, Penang to Langkawi Island, Kedah. If you missed the start of the journey, head back to Cycling Malaysia’s Northern states to Langkawi - part 1 (Butterworth to Alor Setar). You can also go back to the middle of the tour by reading Cycling Malaysia’s Northern states to Langkawi - part 2 (Alor Setar to Mata Ayer).
Our (Eka and myself of course!) bike tour of Malaysia’s Northern region began in Butterworth, Penang, riding to Alor Setar, Kedah for a day of rest before continuing to Mata Ayer, Perlis. We had a day of exploring Perlis before packing up to head to Langkawi Island. If you have not read about the journey from the beginning (which you definitely should!) we skipped Kelantan for this trip since we wanted to avoid the year-end monsoon season which always hits the east coast pretty badly. We opted to stay on the west coast and end the trip in Langkawi Island, where the weather is more favourable in December. But the next question is can you get into Langkawi without flying? But of course.
How to get to langkawi island
Langkawi is in fact not a single island on its own, but consists of an archipelago of 99 smaller islands, plus five small islands that are only visible at low tide. The main island that we are referring to is the duty free island called The Jewel of Kedah, the main entry point to the archipelago which is separated from mainland Malaysia by the Straits of Malacca. Being an island several dozen kilometres away from the mainland and with no bridge connections to the rest of Kedah state, there are obviously only two ways to get to Langkawi. You either fly or you take a ferry. With a bicycle in tow, there are some extra considerations to be mindful of.
Flying to Langkawi Island
The Langkawi International Airport is your main stopping point if flying into the island, after which most visitors will either get an airport transfer or taxi to their accommodation or rent a vehicle. There are direct flights into the Langkawi airport from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Subang Skypark, Penang Bayan Lepas International Airport, and the Senai International Airport in Johor. Internationally, you have direct flights from Singapore’s Changi Airport only. This is hardly surprising, considering Singapore and Malaysia used to be the same country and Singapore was even called “Pulau Ujong” meaning the ‘island at the end.’
The Langkawi International Airport has no aerobridges, so you will have the experience of taking the stairs out of the plane like in the old days of air travel. If it rains, airport staff give you umbrellas to walk into the terminal with so keep this in mind when flying in. Tourers who plan to ride straight out of the airport upon arrival can do so as the roads in and out of the airport are extremely bike friendly and are on the flat part of the island. The stretch circling the airport runway is a regular part of the traditional round island cycling route, as it juts out into the sea and has the most beautiful sunset and sunrise views.
Most visitors will rent a car if they are staying longer than several days and plan to do a bit of exploring around the island. We will usually do this, renting out a big van to ferry our bikes around easily, which works out especially if we are traveling there with a group of friends. It also helps when you want to wander around to the far corners of the island but don’t exactly want to ride there. Some accommodations will offer their own vehicle for rental, but renting direct from a company at the airport will also work quite well as returning the vehicle when you’re flying back home is more convenient, since the drop off point will be at the airport itself.
Taking the ferry to Langkawi Island
There are a number of companies that run ferry services to Langkawi from three different states in Malaysia, namely Penang Island, Kedah and Perlis. For the traveling cyclist, the most important one is the roll-on-roll-off ferry more affectionately known as the roro ferry. These are the best choice obviously, since you are not required to take your bike apart, as you only need to ride or wheel your bike onboard and park it in a safe spot by the side. There is ample free seating above the vehicle bay, and the open air deck at the top most level.
However, do take note that this roro ferry service is only available from the Kuala Perlis jetty in Perlis. Roro ferries are run by three different companies but the service is generally the same with each one. However, the ferry schedule is different for each company, which means there are roro ferries operating around the clock daily. You can check the Langkawi Port schedule to find which one works best for you. If you’re coming in via train, the Arau KTM train station is a short 20km ride to the Kuala Perlis ferry terminal, while the Kuala Perlis bus station is within walking distance to the ferry. Unfortunately taking the bus with your bike stashed in the cargo hold seems to be the best option for traveling cyclists, until KTM restores the KTMD bike forwarding service (extremely unlikely in this lifetime) or introduces something similar.
Several tips for taking the roro ferry to Langkawi
Book your tickets early (online) especially if you’re heading there during peak year-end travel periods because it can get packed like sardines
Don’t be late because there is limited space onboard to park your bikes securely
What happens when you miss out on a spot on the roro ferry during peak season? Despite free seating, the ferries still limit the number of passengers and bikes it can take on each trip. Not to worry because you can still get there from the alternative ferry terminals at Georgetown, Penang and Kuala Kedah, Kedah. However, keep in mind that these are passenger ferries which may require you to do minor disassembly of your bike. You will also have to store your bike with other oversized cargo, which is where all other passengers leave their luggage and packages. You may not be required to wrap your bike up rinko bag style, but you will most likely have to disassemble at least the two wheels.
STAGE 3: MATA AYER to langkawi
Start Mata Ayer
Finish Langkawi
Distance 73km (Inclusive of the 40km ferry journey when we didn’t turn off our bike computers)
Climbing 99m
Grade Easy/Medium
The night before our departure from Perlis was a restless one during which our friend Imran battled a fairly severe bout of food poisoning, which left him retching the entire contents of his stomach out. This meant a slightly later morning than we anticipated, leaving me watching the clock like a hawk throughout the brief 20km ride to the ferry terminal at Kuala Perlis. Upon checking out of Wood Valley Lodge we made our way to the terminal as best and as fast as we could, hampered by the strong east winds and having to stop at many traffic lights along the way.
The terminal was easy enough to find since there are many signboards along the way, while the road system in Perlis is fairly simple to navigate through. If you’re unsure of which way to go, any of the locals will be able to help guide you in the right direction. There are all manner of travellers heading to Langkawi from Kuala Perlis, so traveling cyclists aren’t anything new to the local scenery either. We checked into the ferry terminal and had our tickets printed out at the office within an hour of leaving our accommodation, and even had enough time for a quick brunch of laksa at a nearby restaurant before boarding the ferry. The journey was approximately 40km, and the ferry ride is gentle enough that you could even have a good nap along the way.
A note of caution: roro ferry does not arrive at the normal passenger ferry terminal in Kuah but actually stops at the ferry terminal where the Boustead Langkawi Shipyard is located at Bukit Malut. When there is a bukit/hill nearby you know what this means! Cycling out of the terminal gates you will be greeted by your first climb, and there will be some punchy inclines and rolling terrain before you reach the next sign of civilisation, but nothing too steep or challenging. Before long you’ll start riding along kampungs, and there will be home based warungs where you can stop for a drink or a meal of mixed rice (rice and different gravies and condiments) along the way to your accommodation.
We rode out of the terminal along Jalan Bukit Malut, and upon reaching the flats we knew we’d reached Kedawang and the town areas of Langkawi. We continued onto Jalan Kedawang, turning into a kampung and paddy fields area that would take us through dirt and gravel roads. This led us straight to Tanabendang, a homestay that felt more like a boutique hotel hidden among the paddy fields, run by a charming lady known as Puan Shariffah Azlina. Our friend Maya had already arrived in advance several hours prior, having flown in directly from Singapore’s Changi Airport.
Puan Shariffah also had a dozen cats there to keep her company, all of which formed a lovely welcome party for us that day! The cats have the run of the mini resort, and will often make themselves at home at a chalet of their choosing, and may even climb into bed with you for the night. I will not lie, we’re all cat people and this was a major selling point for us to stay at Tanabendang. Between the tranquil location, the feline menagerie and the warmth of Puan Shariffah’s amazing hospitality, it was without a doubt a great location and wonderful choice of accommodation to end our tour.
Cycling Langkawi gravel paths
Distance 64km
Climbing 222m
Grade Easy
Like I mentioned early on in Langkawi - part 1 (Butterworth to Alor Setar), Eka and myself have been coming to Langkawi for many years with (and without) our bicycles, and we’ve done the round island route in full and in part in different variations a number of times. We wanted to do something different this time around, since everyone in our group had bikes that were capable of going off the paved roads pretty comfortably. Eka and myself were on our Ritchey Outback Breakaways, Imran and Fiona were traveling with our Ritchey Cross Breakaways, while Maya flew in from Singapore with her all road Fezz Cycles. We’d also warned everyone in advance that an off road exploration was our intention once we got to the island, so anyone not interested in such a ride on the trails could (would have to lol) opt out. Suffice to say, everyone was on board with the plan!
So once we were all ready and assembled, we set off from Tanabendang heading northeast, staying off the main paved road and instead going through mostly dirt trails and gravel paths that wind through the kampungs and paddy fields. We started in Kedawang and crossed into Padang Matsirat, passing many small rivers and streams, riding along small ponds and lakes. The end of the year is just about harvest season on the island, but we noticed along the ride that the paddy was not yet ripe in most parts.
Soon enough we reached the base of Gunung Raya in Ulu Melaka, making a pitstop at UM Kopitiam for a nasi lemak breakfast. Next up was more paddy field gravel before hitting Pantai Pasir Hitam at the northern coastline, which has changed significantly since our last visit to that coastal strip of the Ayer Hangat area. There was now a steep drop to the water’s edge most likely due to erosion, and much of the driftwood that made the beach an interesting place for photography had been washed away. We continued on eastward to our destination for lunch, which was Scarborough Fish & Chips at Tanjung Rhu.
Post lunch we made our way to the most remote beach at the northeast corner of Langkawi Island, which is devoid of the crowds or trash and pollution. Sipping an ice cold coconut drink each while sitting on the soft sand from under the shade of casuarina trees was the best way to have an afternoon siesta, with a view of the Andaman Sea and Thailand in the distance. Once the harsh midday sun had died down a little, we rode back down to Ulu Melaka for a teatime snack at Rumah Mawart, one of our favourite coffee joints on the island.
By golden hour we found a paddy field that had turned ripe for the harvest, where a mini crowd of local villagers had gathered to watch the big harvesting machine do its work. The surrounding tracts also looked like they would be next on the line, judging by their rich golden yellow colour. By the time we were back in Kedawang the sun had already begun to set and we rode back with a view of the most wonderful candy coloured swirls in the sky. We reached Tanabendang as twilight fell, the lights of the mini resort signaling the end of our fun day on the bikes in Langkawi. It was a great way to work up an appetite for a mini celebratory dinner at the nearby Bon Ton Resort - another one of our favourite places on Langkawi Island. The ride was a really nice relaxed alternate route to the round island ride we’d done many times before.
Packing your bike in Langkawi
For this trip, we opted to ride into Langkawi without worrying about how to forward our Ritchey Breakaway suitcases there. Instead our bikes would be sent to JMB Cycles in Kuah to be packed in cardboard boxes for the flight back home. The shop has a number of boxes on standby for cyclists who are also riding into the island before flying home, but it would be best if you called ahead to ask them if they are able to pack your bikes for air travel. JMB Cycles is quite possibly the best local bike shop on the island, but do keep in mind that they will need time (half a day at least) to dismantle and pack your bikes properly.
Alternatively you can also opt to post your bike cases to your accommodation for your return flight, so that you don’t have to worry about the hassle of sending your bike to be packed. This would be preferrable for cyclists who are experienced enough with doing their own packing, and ensure you can ride up until the very last hours before you are due to leave. You could even dismantle and pack your bikes in your pajamas in the middle of the night if you wanted to. This will be our method to pack in the future, should we opt to ride over to Langkawi Island again - which we most likely will.
There are obviously many more things to see and do in Langkawi, and this article barely scratches the surface. If you’re interested in our guide to the traditional Langkawi Round Island Ride do give our previous trip report a read! We will for sure be returning again to the island for our annual visit. I do hope you check back in again to see what we do there next!
If you liked this tour write up, do give these other tours a read too:
Cycling Malaysia’s West Coast from Klang to Pangkor Island
Cycling Malaysia’s East Coast, Kelantan to Terengganu
We also have a number of international tours if you’re looking for ideas to travel abroad:
Cycling Spain’s Andalucia 2017
Cycling Taiwan’s East Rift Valley, Jiufen and Houtong 2019
Cycling Seoul to Busan, South Korea 2019
