Discover Langkawi and the surrounding islands from May to September aboard S/Y Aventure. Situated 30km northwest off the continental part of Malaysia and belonging to Kedah State, the Langkawi Archipelago counts 99 islands; only two of them are inhabited. The Langkawi Archipelago was given a World Geopark Status by UNESCO in 2007, due to its 500 million years old geological heritage.
You will sail and enjoy a holiday in a true paradise featuring white-sand-powder beaches fringed by coconut trees, emerald waters, lush tropical vegetation, and mangrove forests housing an abundant variety of animal and floral species.
Langkawi Island has been infamous for housing seafarers and pirates between the 18th and 20th centuries; and its long history is at the origin of many myths and legends.
The most famous of these myths is known as the legend of Mahsuri. At the end of the 18th century, this young, Phuket-born woman, became Princess Mahsuri when she married the Langkawi Island’s leader’s son, Mat Deris. Wrongly accused of adultery by her husband, she was executed at Padang Hangus. She threw a curse with her dying breath that Langkawi Island would see no prosperity for the next seven generations.
The curse ended at the end of the 20th century yet, the Princess Mahsuri Memorial, which was build in memory of this legend, can still be visited. It is located right next to the airport. It attracts all year round a fair amount of visitors interested in history and mysticism. It is also a place highly respected by the locals.
Pulau Dayang Bunting (pulau means island in Malay) is at the origin of another popular legend in Langkawi. A mountain shaped like a pregnant woman lying on her back surrounds a lake located at the centre of the island. The legend says that long time ago, two spirits have met each other and fell in love on the lakeshore; a baby spirit born soon after. Unfortunately, the baby did not survive for long. Desperate, the mother launched the corpse in the lake. Since then, the inhabitants of Langkawi Archipelago believe that bathing in the Dayang Bunting Island lake and drinking its water help infertile women to get pregnant.
Another significant legend comes from Ayer Hangat (aka Air Hangat), a village located in the north eastern part of Pulau Langkawi. It is a tale about a violent dispute between two giants, Mat Cincang and Mat Raya. The dispute started at the wedding of their respective children, Cincang’s son and Raya’s daughter. Raya’s daughter told her father that she saw Cincang’s son flirting with another woman during the ceremony. Consequently, a dispute started between the two fathers. It escalated until both giants started to throw pots, pans, and other jugs at the head of each others. At one point, one jug filled with boiling water fell on the floor. The legend says that it created the hot spring that became the most notable attraction in the village. The two highest mountains in Langkawi are Gunung Mat Cincang and Gunung Mat Raya (gunung means mount in Malay).
Many other legends belong to this southern Andaman Sea group of islands’ long history. If you wish so, we could arrange a visit of the Langkawi Legends Park located in Kuah Village; you could see there a dozen of the Langkawi Archipelago’s myths and legends on display, in the form of artistic renderings.
| Tweet | S/Y Aventure |  |
 |
