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Away by road, rail and air
Langkawi
By Air
The modern new Langkawi International Airport is in Matsirat, about
25-30 minutes from Kuah, only a few minutes from Langkasuka. Taxis
charge about RM14 from Kuah.
Within Malaysia
Malaysia Airlines (966 6622) has several flights a day to Kuala Lumpur
(50 minutes) and up to three flights daily to Penang (20 minutes).
To Thailand
In January 2004, the Malaysian discount airline Air Asia will launch
a new Langkawi-Phuket service. There is currently no direct flight
to Phuket from Langkawi, or even from Penang. So you have to fly via
Kuala Lumpur. (See Overland to Thailand below.)
International
At present, the only international direct air link to Langkawi is
from Singapore (one or two flights daily, 85 minutes) with Malaysia
Airlines/Silk Air. In late 2004, Malaysian Airlines plans to start
a Manchester-Langkawi-Kuala Lumpur flight. But with Kuala Lumpur,
Penang and Singapore on your doorstep, it's easy to make connections
to virtually anywhere in the world.
By Ferry
The Ferry Terminal Jetty is 4km from central Kuah (about RM4 by taxi,
RM1 each by shared taxi). From 0700 to 1900 daily, there are ferries
every 30 minutes to Kuala Perlis (RM12) and Kuala Kedah (RM15, 90
minutes) on the mainland.
To Penang, Bahagia Express (966 5784) runs two ferries
a day (RM35) at 1400 and 1700. For Satun, see Getting to Thailand
below.
By Train
The station in Alor Setar (731 4045) is the nearest stop, a RM16 taxi
ride from Kuala Kedah.
By Bus
There's a bus station in Alor Setar for aircon coaches to Kuala Lumpur,
Johor, Singapore and other destinations, including the Thai border.
Overland to Thailand
To travel to Phuket, or anywhere in Thailand, the best
option is to take the ferry to Satun. There are four ferries a day
(RM20, one hour), at 0930, 1100, 1500 and 1700 to Tamalang Pier, about
10km south of Satun. If you want to take a bus to Phuket (275 baht,
eight hours), take the 0930 ferry. There's often someone outside immigration
who will offer a bus ticket to Phuket for 500 baht, including the
taxi into Satun. But it's much cheaper to just take a taxi (40 baht)
which will drop you at the bus company office. There are several locations
from where buses depart, but all buses headed north stop at the 7-Eleven
on Satun Thani Road, near the Satulthani Hotel (basic fan and aircon
rooms from 200 baht for a fan single). If you miss the Phuket bus,
catch one to Trang or Krabi, then a connection to Phuket.
To travel elsewhere in Thailand,
take a mini-bus or regular bus for the two-hour trip to Had Yai, a
major transportation hub, from where you can catch buses to Bangkok,
Songkhla, the Malaysian border and Alor Setar, for Langkawi. There
are also four daily trains with sleepers going north, arriving the
next morning in Bangkok. The International Express, which connects
Bangkok to Butterworth (across from Penang), with connections to Kuala
Lumpur and Singapore, stops in Had Yai.
The Had Yai airport has several flights daily direct
to Bangkok (2,990 baht), and one to Phuket (1,180 baht). Had Yai's
tourist office (074 245 986, off Niphat Uthit 3 Road, on the soi to
Scala Hotel) has maps, schedules and will help with almost anything.
Hat Yai is the main commercial centre of southern Thailand,
with lots of shopping, lively street markets and boundless nightlife.
Had Yai is a safe city, despite its somewhat seedy reputation. The
wild side is definitely there, but it's not overt like at Phuket's
Patong or in Bangkok's Patpong district. You'll have to look for it,
but not too hard. On weekends, the city fills with Malaysians who
cross over to shop and play. Follow them.
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Yachting guide to Phuket, Langkawi & the
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