Kilim Geoforest Park Mangrove Boat Tour
A boat through the mangroves and limestone of Langkawi's north-east coast.
Mangroves, limestone and a bat cave
Boat tours leave from the Kilim tourist jetty and follow the river through mangroves and limestone cliffs. The park also has a mangrove boardwalk and a bat cave. It is part of the Langkawi UNESCO Global Geopark.
Kilim Karst Geoforest Park is the largest of the geopark's three main parks, at 4,354 hectares, and lies in the east of Langkawi. It takes its name from the river that runs through it.
Limestone worn into stacks and arches
The scenery is mangrove forest set against karst. The limestone belongs to the Setul Formation, and its dissolution and erosion have produced sea stacks, sea arches and pinnacles.
The geopark authority singles out the limestone cycad, which grows on vertical cliff faces, the yellow sea hibiscus, and two birds of prey, the brahminy kite and the sea eagle.
By boat and on foot
On the water, the Langkawi Development Authority describes the boat trip as a way to learn about the park's ecology, medicinal plants and migratory birds.
On foot, a wooden platform runs through the mangrove swamp, past the overhanging Bogak tree, tree crabs, macaques and limestone formations, and leads directly to a cave full of bats.
From the Kilim river jetty
The starting point is Jeti Pelancongan Sungai Kilim, the Kilim river tourism jetty, in Mukim Air Hangat on Langkawi, in the state of Kedah. The official pages we read do not publish tour lengths or routes, so confirm both at the jetty or with the tour operator before setting out.
The nature half-day in a Langkawi stay
This is the outing for travellers who want Langkawi's geology and wildlife rather than another beach. It is mostly seated, so it works for mixed-age family groups, with the boardwalk and bat cave as the part done on foot. The geopark's other two main parks, Machinchang in the north-west and Dayang Bunting in the south, are separate outings on other days.