Since 2007, Langkawi and other islands nearby have earned "geopark" status from Unesco. Distinct from a world heritage site, a geopark is made up of sites and landscapes of international geological significance.
These islands have a long history. Their geological structure was formed more than half-a-billion years ago, even before the peaks of Mount Everest rose to their current stature. Gunung Machinchang, one of the peaks on Langkawi island, was among the first parts of Southeast Asia to rise from the seabed. The dense rainforest that clings to the sides of the mountain has been growing and evolving for millions of years.
Langkawi Geopark encompasses three areas. The first is Machincang Geoforest Park which boasts rock formations dating back 450-550 million years, among the oldest in the region. The second is Kilim Karst Geoforest Park that showcases stunning limestone attractions, mangrove forests and wildlife. The third is Dayang Bunting Geoforest Park, best known for its picturesque freshwater lake right next to the sea.
Among all the natural scenes, I found the mangrove forest ecology the most fascinating. The Kilim Karst Geoforest Park is known for its highly valuable mangrove ecology and stunning limestone mountains and caves as well as wildlife such as long-tailed macaques and brahminy kites, also known as the red-backed sea-eagle.
Pardon me if I sound too serious, too earnest. Yet Kilim Karst Geoforest Park is not only a place for naturalists or geologists to appreciate. Indeed, it is a natural site for everyone -- even for mall rats or couch potatoes who do not know a thing about the ecology of a mangrove forest.
The place is a casual, not physically demanding destination where you don't need to trek or climb uphill. It is a value-for-time journey. Within three hours, you can witness primeval limestone and stunning mangrove forest, not to mention close encounters with eagles and macaques.
Kilim Karst Geoforest is easily accessible. You can start the trip at either Tanjung Rhu jetty or Kilim jetty. There are plenty of local tour operators to help you discover the mangroves. The boat tour takes around three hours, and costs around 350 MYR (or 2,722 baht) for renting the whole boat which you can share.
Apart from the mangrove forest, there are also sites worth visiting such as "Gua Kelawar" or the bat cave, and a fish farm where you can try freshly prepared dishes cooked from fish raised within the park.
Like many famous tourist sites, Kilim Karst Geoforest Park has experienced the negative side of tourism. After Langkawi got Unesco status, the number of visitors increased dramatically, from 42,378 in 2006 to 273,450 in 2012.
Tourists might bring income but they also cause trouble. One of the most concerning practices was eagle feeding as tour guides used the skin or meat of battery chickens to lure eagles close to tourist boats. Animal feeding changed wild animal behaviour, undermining the predator's instincts and making them too lazy.
But authorities have been working hard to keep their Unesco status with better park management plans that include the community as the heart of environmental conservation.
In July 17 this year, the Kampung Kilim Community Cooperative which is made up of people who live around the Kilim Karst received an Asean Tourism Award. After becoming a geopark, villagers found new opportunities to work in the tourism sector. Once relying on agricultural activities like farming and fishing to survive, these villagers now work in the hospitality, food and beverage businesses, and some have become entrepreneurs.
Villagers formed the Kampung Kilim Cooperative in 2010 to do business and look after the interests of its members. Membership of the co-op has increased from 68 when it first started to 130.
All 120 boats serving tourists in Kilim Karst belong to members of the co-operative. Other than nature tours and cruises, the co-operative also runs a restaurant, catering service and canopy renting business. It also has vans to rent out for tours.
Kilim Karst Geoforest Park is not far from the centre of the main town Kuah, around 30 minutes by car.
Rates for the boat cruise in the mangrove forest in Kilim Karst vary by the hour. The rate for one hour is 250 MYR (around 930 baht), two hours for 350 MYR, three hours for 450 MYR and four hours for 500 MYR.
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