Langkawi Wildlife
 A small bird sharing our umbrella during a rain shower. |
Given how developed Langkawi appears to be at first glance, we were quite surprised at the amount of wildlife we got to see 'up close and personal' during our stay, without really even trying. All of the pictures here were taken in an around our hotel.
On our first afternoon, we were a bit tired from getting up early to leave Penang, so we decided to just explore the hotel and spend some time around the pool. Of course, by the time we reached the pool it had started to rain.
 A pair of hornbills dining on one of our hotel's palm trees. |
However, as others dashed back to their rooms, being the old Southeast Asian hands that we are, we knew it wouldn't last and decided to wait out the storm under one of the umbrellas. Whilst sitting watching the rain fall, we were joined by a small bird, who posed for a picture even though he obviously didn't look his best.
We also spotted a large monitor lizard making his way up from the beach trying to find someplace drier. He reappered every day in the early afternoon.
One evening, on our own way to dinner, we spotted a small flock of black and white hornbills eating the best of the many berries growing on a couple of palm trees right next to the hotel building. There were at least four of them, flitting between two or three trees.
 A young monkey dining near the ferry terminal. |
 Another monkey eating on the other side of the road. |
Along the road from our hotel to the ferry terminal and Kuah town we would often see monkeys picking at the seeds fallen from the trees, or up in the trees going after fresher fare. The monkeys didn't seem to pay us much attention, although it was clear they were keeping their eye on us. We know from many previous dealings with wild monkeys that it's best to give them a wide birth. They can do quite a bit of damage if provoked.
Although we mostly saw monkeys foraging in the trees around our hotel, we did see a couple of younger ones who seemed to have developed a taste for what they could find in the ferry terminal's trash bins.
This page just covers the wildlife we saw around our hotel. To see even more, including eagles, take a day trip to the mangrove forest on the north side of the island.