Best Things to do in Langkawi in 3 Days: A Complete Itinerary

The best things to do in Langkawi, Malaysia in 2 or 3 days including where to eat, where to stay and other essential visitor information.

Best Things to do in Langkawi in 3 Days

Langkawi is such a gorgeous island destination and really deserves a week or so to fully explore it.  However if you are like us, who recently spent a few days on transit to Koh Lipe, then you are in luck because in this post I am going to share with you my tips on what you must see and do if you only have 2 to 3 days in Langkawi.


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Lankawi Itinerary – Day 1: Langkawi SkyCab and SkyBridge

On your day of arrival or first full day, jump in a taxi and head to the West of the Island near Pantai Kok, is the SkyCab Langkawi cable car. The SkyCab goes up the second highest mountain called Gunung Machinchang and so it has incredible views.

Rising high above the forest, you’ll travel over 1.5km before you reach the middle station. The cliff face is an imposing 650 metres above the sea level and yet your SkyCab is still climbing getting dramatically close to the rocks. Further still you climb almost vertically into the clouds almost- even though terrifyingly awe inspiring.

Once you’ve reached the top, there are a series of platforms where you can take in the views, and on a clear day, see all the way to the coast.

Once you have finished admiring the views you should head for the Langkawi SkyBridge. The Langkawi SkyBridge is the longest free span and curved bridge in the world. It is 2,000 feet above ground and is 400 feet long and it hangs between two mountains above the jungle and there is a small section that has a glass walkway beneath your feet.  The views from here are spectacular and given it is a suspended bridge you will feel the slight movement from side to side.

I will mention that I find the area a little too touristy for my liking – with such stunning views there was no need to add the various shops and cafes, not to mention the various people snapping your photo at every turn and then trying to sell it back to you.  But regardless, I still recommend the SkyCab and SkyBridge as a must see for first timers to Langkawi.  The views are absolutely stunning!

It only takes a few hours to do the SkyCab and SkyBridge so this is an easy thing to do on the day of your arrival.  After the SkyCab and SkyBridge either head straight back to your hotel or alternatively you can visit the 3D Art Museum which is in the same area.  This is one of the largest 3D interactive art museum’s in the world, featuring many elaborate paintings & murals offering optical illusions in various themes.

Otherwise head back to your hotel, maybe indulge in a massage, lounge by your hotel’s pool or head down to the beach.  Make sure you have dinner on the beach as after dark there are various talented fire dancers doing to the rounds at the bars and restaurants which are very entertaining to watch.

Day 2: Day trip to Kilim Geoforest Park

The highlight of our trip in Langkawi was our Mangrove tour of the Kilim Geoforest Park, a 100 km nature reserve, with the most jaw dropping scenery – towering limestone cliffs, hidden sandy white beaches and hidden caves among the mangroves.

Keep your eyes peeled as the dense mangroves of Kilim Geoforest Park are teeming with wildlife such as giant water monitor lizards, monkeys, mangrove vipers, macaques, monitor lizards, brown eagles, mud crabs and tree crabs. Many tours will take you to visit a bat cave in among the mangroves.

There are various Kilim Geopark, Langkawi mangrove tours to choose from. Taking a kayaking tour is a great way to get off the beaten path and explore the mangroves away from the crowds but a boat tour is also an excellent way to get a feel for the mangroves.

Each day tour group has a slightly different itinerary. We chose Dev’s Adventure Tour who not only took us to the bat caves and mangroves but also a private beach in the middle of the Andaman Sea which was surrounded by Limestone Cliffs in the gorgeous turquoise sea, as well as a floating hole in the wall type restaurant in the middle of the sea serving up great Malaysian food and to see the famous Langkawi Eagles.

Our tour had us back to our hotel by 3pm, so this leaves you plenty of time to make the most of your hotels facilities, join in some water sports on the beach or rest before heading out to a beach bar for happy hour followed by dinner.

Day 3: Island Hop

Langkawi itself is pretty gorgeous and there really is no need to leave it to go in search of more gorgeous islands, but one of the pretty awesome things to do in Langkawi is to jump on a jet ski island hopping tour.

Experiencing an island hopping Langkawi tour is a must, to see the beautiful lessor known islands that make up Langkawi, after all there are 100 of them.  Taking a Langkawi island tour is heaps of fun and a great way to do some Langkawi sightseeing.

These tours, whether you choose by boat or jet ski will take about half a day. Depending on the tour you take you will see islands near Langkawi like Tanjung Rhu or Beras Besah Beach. You can book your tour via an agency or just go see one of the various water sport huts along the beach to arrange.

Spend the rest of the day swimming at the beach or making use of the pool facilities at your hotel. Get in any last minute shopping at Cenang before watching the sunset from a beach bar with cocktail in hand.

Where to Stay in Langkawi

For a short stay in Langkawi I recommend you stay in the main tourist hub of Pantai Cenang. What I love about Cenang, unlike other South East Asian destinations, is that whilst it is the main tourist hub it’s not crazy busy.

Cenang is not overly big and no matter where you stay along the main street you can easily walk anywhere.  On the street front there are plenty of restaurants, shops and massage parlors, whilst beach front there are also heaps of restaurants and beach bars.

For a budget option check out Malibest Resort. Located on a great stretch of beach, it has a small pool and reasonable size basic hotel rooms with great views.

If you want something more luxurious consider Meritus Pelangi Beach Resort & Spa. Located up the quieter end of Cenang, this resort has two swimming pools and multiple onsite restaurants.

What and Where to Eat in Langkawi

Overall we found the food in Langkawi to be a little westernized for our liking. However what you can get in Langkawi is fantastic Indian food.  One of our all time favourite places to eat was at the Indian Palace. For breakfast you can’t beat the roti at Bella Restaurant.

For more local style Malaysian food check out the night markets.