Weather of Langkawi through out the year

  Langkawi, Malaysia
Sunday, July 22, 2007

Since Nov. 2005 my hubby Gerd and I live in Langkawi and have started a small business here. As we rent yachts to tourists for island hopping or sunset cruises, weather for us is an important concern. In this blog I'll try to pass on our experience and knowledge to Langkawi's future guests.

                                   
 
Langkawi still is an insider tip and yet attracts people from all over the world. During the high season from November to April, tourists mainly come from the then cold countries like Europe or Russia. The northeast monsoon brings the dry season with temperatures hovering around 34 degrees and a humidity around 60 %. Even at this time of the year we have some rain, which guarantees that you will always see the overwhelmingly lush green hills and forests.

                            
 
For us as a charter company, the close proximity of Langkawi's many islands (Langkawi is also called the "99 islands under the wind") is a huge benefit because they protect the main island and its waters around from the waves of the open ocean. We have never experienced really high waves around Langkawi on the many tours we have done so far. Due to these islands, nature from the sea side is stunning as the rock formations are unique and another side effect are the innumerable numbers of private beaches for a romantic beach barbeque or just time to hang out. One can drive around the main island of Langkawi by car within three hours as it has only 487 square km and yet experience many different climate and weather conditions. In the northwestern area of Langkawi, at Datai Bay, the island is covered by thick jungle and old rainforest. The mountains are frequently covered with clouds and here you can expect more rain than elsewhere on Langkawi. The two five star hotels, The Datai and The Andaman are located here and even if you don't stay in one of these romantic and elegant hotels you shouldn't miss to drive up there as the way itself is worth it and a dinner or just a drink at the bar are a great experience. 
 
                           

Pantai Cenang, the western coastline, is the center of tourism on the island as it attracts visitors with it's long, white sandy beaches, it's many different hotels, resorts, restaurants, bars and shops, but usually has a bit more wind than other corners.  Different kinds of water sports like windsurfing or jet-skiing are offered here. Around Kuah, the capital of the island, located in the south, the weather is comparatively drier even during the rainy season.
(During the southwest monsoon we operate all our tours from the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club as it is the best protected area.) As we sailed through the archipelago so many times during the whole year we noticed, that some islands seem to start the rainy season later than others - this is visible from the different state of the vegetation and from the colors of the jungle. In April it is almost like autumn as the leaves of many trees change their color and plenty of trees start to blossom.

                                   
 
Temperatures vary just a few degrees throughout the year. In early April the rainy season starts slowly with moderate precipitation - we could call it a mid season - matching the start of the southwest monsoon.  At this time, the temperatures average about 31 degrees and the humidity around 70%. September is the month of the highest rainfall, October is the coolest and February is the hottest, although the difference is very slight.
 
    
                                   

Langkawi has perfect weather for tourists - all year long. 
The location of Langkawi on the map shows, that we are out of the cyclone belt and the rainy season is much less stormy and rainy than in other parts of Southeast Asia, or even on mainland Malaysia.  Squalls and tropical rainstorms are fascinating and short!  We often experience a squall with a lot of rain and wind and half an hour later the sky is blue and the sun is shining.  A big additional benefit of these tropical downpours is an amazing sunset, with fog slowly rising from the jungles - a guarantee of unforgettable memories!

If you want to know more details about the weather you can go to
www.bbc.co.uk/weather   this is a very good page although mostly the weather in Langkawi just makes whatever it wants. If you want to kow more about us go to
www.bluewaterstarsailing.com. I write Blogs there as well. See you there. Eva