Mangroves of Langkawi

The father-son duo of Randeep Singh and Arshdeep Singh explore wildlife of these islands

Langkawi, one of Malaysia’s most popular destinations, is a beautiful archipelago consisting of 99 islands, situated about 30 km off the coast of Northern Malaysia.

Recently, I had the pleasure of spending a couple of days exploring the mangrove forests of Langkawi (popularly known as the “Jewel of Kedah”), with my family after my business trip. I had been planning this trip for quite some time and I was unrelenting on my quest for a good place to stay in, so that we could relax and explore at ease. We ended up choosing one of the beach resorts, the kinds I never knew existed. Believe me I had fantasized about Bora Bora resorts at least a hundred times and thought I would never make it, but, right after seeing this place, we decided not to look any further. and from there, immediately after Langkawi. Upon arrival, we concluded that the resort lived up to its fame. 500 acres of this majestic resort with innumerable pools and restaurants including one in the middle of the sea. We were surrounded by hills and the sea on all sides, with almost no shore. The hills were straight and steep and the resorts had cottages all the way up the hill. It was beautiful and the people were so courteous and hospitable that we felt like we did not need anyone else to enjoy our holidays. We got upgraded to a premium beach bungalow right by the sea with a great view and a balcony. The sea was visible to us from our bathtub, soothing us with its music.

My son had read a lot about Langkawi wildlife before our visit. He had also read about the mysterious mangrove forests and was really keen to explore it. We hired a boat to explore this amazing place and after a while reached at a point

where many Brahminy Kites and White Bellied Sea Eagles were hunting. We managed to get few good shots of these kites and eagles in action and not long after saw a troop of Long Tailed Macaque, also called Crab-eating Macaque. Soon it started to rain but since our boat had a top cover we were safe from the rain. The macaques enjoying the rain in the open was a sight to behold. It was really amazing to see these beautiful creatures in their natural environment. As we went further, we saw bat caves with a few bats hanging outside the cave on a big tree leaf. A short ride on ever, a Dusky Leaf Monkey, also known as Spectacled Langur, or Spectacled Leaf Monkey. Upon completing our wonderful trip to Kilim Geoforest, we went back to our resort. We spent our evenings walking on the beach.

While walking back to our rooms after having dinner, we noticed something my son and me by surprise and we wondered aloud what this creature could be. Soon enough, we saw another creature gliding from one tree to another in swift movements but this time around They are known to become really active at night as they are nocturnal creatures

but as much as we tried we were still unable to take a picture because of inadequate light during the night. Since my son was was still focussed on the Colugo, we spent a while looking here and there for this creature but could not started walking towards the forest and carefully scanned each trunk of the trees nearby but to no avail.

Dejected, we went back to our resort and were just about to open the door to our room when we caught a glimpse just an illusion. It was then that my son pointed towards a tree and there it was, sight that he immediately put his camera on my shoulder to take a shot of this creature before it vanishes. Luckily for us, the resort lights enabled us to capture this beauty, who is by far the most

On our last day at Langkawi, we booked a Sundown dinner cruise with Crystal

Yacht. They took us on a mini tour of the ocean where we caught an amazing glimpse of the mountains and the ocean. It sailed on the beautiful western sea lines near the tiny islands of Langkawi. After spending some time on the water and some time with mother nature, the evening started to fade. This exciting private yacht trip was just amazing and it made our evening all the more meaningful. in our memories for a very long time. My son and I surely look forward to visiting

Randeep Singh Arshdeep Singh Randeep Singh, whom we have featured earlier too, is a wildlife photographer. He has travelled over 75 countries worldwide to pursue his love for wildlife photography. Arshdeep Singh, Randeep’s son, is 13 years old but is well known as a young wildlife photographer from Jalandhar, India. Arshdeep has already won several wildlife awards, including the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018 (10 years and under, at world level), Young Comedy Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018 (under 16 years), and Young Asian Wildlife Photographer 2018 (under 18 years). He is passionate about bird photography and has been to most national parks in India and in African countries.

April 2020 Smooth Coated Otter

Dusky Leaf Monkey

Long Tailed Macaque

Long Tailed Macaque

Dusky Leaf Monkey Arshdeep Singh

Low’s Squirrel Arshdeep Singh

Colugo also known as Sunda Flying Lemur Arshdeep Singh

Brahminy Kite Randeep Singh

Long Tailed Macaque Juviniele

Long Tailed Macaque Randeep Singh