MY · Kedah · 6.41°N 99.86°E

kilim karst geoforest park

Mangrove channels, limestone cliffs and a bat cave reached by boat.

Best time
Boats run all year. November to April is drier and calmer; September and October are the wettest. Go in the morning, before the heat on the open boats, and ask about the tide: Gua Buaya can only be passed at low water.
How long
Half a day
Getting there
Langkawi is about an hour's flight from KL, or a ferry from Kuala Perlis or Kuala Kedah. The Kilim jetty is about 15 minutes' drive north of Kuah, or about 35 minutes from Pantai Cenang and the airport.
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MY · Kedahkilim karst geoforest park6.41°N 99.86°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Mangrove channels, limestone cliffs and a bat cave reached by boat.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingKilim Karst Geoforest ParkMY, Kedah
KLkilim karst geoforest park
≈ 416 km from KL, as the crow flies
Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia

Photo: Andrew Harvey · CC BY 3.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

Kilim is the heart of Langkawi's UNESCO geopark: tall limestone cliffs, mangrove-lined rivers and caves on the island's north-east coast. Boats leave the Kilim jetty for two- to four-hour loops through the channels, stopping at a bat cave and a floating fish farm while eagles circle overhead.

Makan

  1. Fish farm lunchMost loops stop at a floating fish farm on the river, and some include a seafood lunch there. Agree what's included before you set off.Map ↗
  2. Laksa LangkawiThe island's sour, fish-based laksa, sold at roadside stalls all over Langkawi; an easy lunch on the way back.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. The mangrove channelsNarrow rivers between limestone walls and mangrove roots. Look for monitor lizards, macaques and, at low tide, mudskippers.Map ↗
  2. Gua KelawarA short boardwalk through a bat cave, with the bats roosting in the roof above you.Map ↗
  3. Gua BuayaThe Crocodile Cave, a tunnel through the limestone that boats can only get through at low tide.Map ↗
  4. EaglesBrahminy kites and white-bellied sea eagles circle the cliffs. Good guides just watch them rather than throwing food.Map ↗
  5. A beach stopThe three- and four-hour trips add a stop for a swim.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Choose a boat that doesn't feed the eagles, and say so when you book. The chicken fat thrown for them is bad for the birds and the river.
  • Boats take up to 10 people, so a group can hire one for itself. Agree the route, the stops and how long before leaving the jetty.
  • Langkawi Wildlife Park is five minutes back down the road; pair the two for a full day.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.