Doing a bit of backtracking today to share with you one of my favourite parts of our anniversary trip last October – the Kilim River Cruise. Personally, I think it’s a must see in Langkawi.

The sights are just too beautiful that it will literally make you stop for a bit and appreciate mother nature.

So to make this quick, here are a couple of snaps from that leg of our trip:

The Kilim River Jetty.

You can take a cab from anywhere in the island to get to Kilim Geoforest Park where the Kilim River is. The River Cruise is a great way to see the sights around the park. It’s also lovely to sit on a boat and go through calm waters while breathing fresh air and taking in all the sights, don’t you think?

You will be asked how long you want your tour to be – 1, 2, 3, or 4 hours. You will be given your own private motor boat (for your group of up to 15 people) with the guy operating it as your tour guide.

The river and the mountains surrounding it are just so picturesque. Make sure your camera’s memory card has a lot of space.

Here’s the price list as of October 2014:

1 Hour Tour RM250 (Php3391.05, EUR60.49, USD75.59)

Stops included: Bat cave, Fish farm, Eagle watching, Andaman sea tour

2 Hour Tour RM350 (Php4757.67, EUR84.68, USD105.82)

Stops included: Bat cave, Fish farm, Eagle watching, Andaman sea tour, Anak Tikus Island, Langsir Cave/Mempelam Bay

3 Hour Tour RM450 (Php6115.65, EUR108.97, USD136.05)

Bat cave, Fish farm, Eagle watching, Andaman sea tour, Anak Tikus Island, Beach, Langgun Island

4Hour Tour RM500 (Php6795.17, EUR120.99, USD151.17)

Bat cave, Fish farm, Eagle watching, Andaman sea tour, Anak Tikus Island, Beach, Langgun Island, Langsir Cave, Mempelam Bay, Crocodile cave, Fish feeding

We chose the 2-hour tour as it was the one that best fits our schedule. I’d say it’s already a sweet deal as you get to see enough of the geopark without spending too much time in one place.

First stop is the bat cave.

Duck! 😉 The cave is dark (duh) so you will be given a flash light at the entrance. Brace yourself as the smell is a bit unpleasant. I won’t say that it’s intolerable. But yeah, bats are not the most sweet-smelling among animals.

Hullo there batties! Said I, while trying my best not to look scared. Bats freak me out, btw.

The cave isn’t that long and you will be treated to a lush, green area once you get through to the other side.

A Miggy! Lol. It’s an inside joke. We call all monkeys we see Miggy. Anyhoo, Miggies – er – I mean monkeys at Kilim are friendly. However, I suggest you hold on to your sunglasses or your gadgets (or if you have food, put it in your bag) as they might try to grab them.

Trying to make my husband do an Indiana Jones. Close enough.

Back in the boat for more sight seeing. Always wear your lifejacket – just to be safe. 😉

Isn’t it beautiful?

We were shown the entrance to Kilim’s own underground river but we weren’t able to go inside since the tide was pretty high. We also had to skip Anak Tikus and Mempelam Bay due to the same reason but our guide brought us elsewhere in the geo park which wasn’t included in our package to make up for it.

Mangrove forests are rich in biodiversity as they provide a habitat for a wide variety of species. Mangroves are also one of the most fascinating plants out there as they can survive in areas where other plants cannot. They also help in securing coastal areas by providing protection from natural calamities like storms and tsunamis.

Sailors from different parts of the world often drop by the Kilim River in Langkawi as it is directly connected to the Andaman sea and can be a sort of safe zone for their sailboats with all the mountains around the area.

Our boat for the day, stopping at the Fish Farm.

We were shown different species being farmed at Kilim river. The horseshoe crab was pretty interesting. They were trying to let me touch it but I let my husband do it instead. Not too keen to hold the crab and get pinched. I’m a scaredy cat like that. 😛

The caretaker at the fish farm shows us how he feeds their stingrays.

Eagles! Yes, those were eagles. It’s just really hard to get a good photo of them cos they’re so freakin’ fast! The guide will drop bits of chicken skin on the water while we wait for them to swoop down and get some. It was a pretty thrilling experience. You wait – then you see them. You get excited as they approach the chicken bits and then poof! It’s over.

Then we made our way to the place where the Kilim river meats the Andaman sea.

At this point, the waters will start to get a bit rough.

And since we missed a couple of stops in the tour due to high tide, our guide brought us instead to a secluded beach. We loved it! It was so peaceful there.

The dock to the beach.

There’s a small tree right there at the shore which adds a bit of character to the place, don’t you think? I like this beach. The waves aren’t too strong and it’s perfect for swimming.

There you have it. My mini photo diary of our river cruise. The photos can’t seem to do justice to the things that we saw there so if ever you’re in Langkawi, I suggest you try it out too.

More later.

Love,

Carol