Hi

My wife and I are going to Langkawi in March. I have not gotten the impression from other travellers that Langkawi itself is a good place to go snorkeling. But I found this page about some islands called Butang Islands ( butang-islands.com ) and it seems to be the place to be if you want to find clear water and good snorkeling. So my question is: are there any on this forum that has experience with Butang Islands? Is it as nice as the web page claim it is?

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

As a Malaysian and a travel writer, I've never heard of Butang island. But anyway, you can try Payar island. It's about 1 hour boat ride from Langkawi. Off school holiday season is the best time to go there (upcoming school hols 10-19th March!). I went to Payar island 5 years ago and got a fright as soon as I dived into the sea. Fishes hovering below the boat were 2-4 feet each and there are hundreds of them! I found out later they weren't carnivorous and got back into the water. Bumped into some barracudas and baby sharks though. The corals were fabulous.

Hi

Just came back from vacation. Payar was great..I got to swim with sharks that were about 1 meter long and barracuda as well. In Langkawi they offered trips to Butang as well but they were more expensive..the islands are located in Thailand.

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

Gard,

I enjoyed seeing the pictures on your blog. How would you rate the snorkeling in the Perhentian Islands as compared to Langkawi? Were you able to do any decent snorkeling from shore in either place? Does the trip to Payar take you to remote areas, or did you have to share the waters with other boats? We're heading to Malaysia to visit relatives and are considering a side trip to one of these islands. I'd be very interested in hearing more about your experience!

Hi

Well, on Perhentian island we were pretty much alone when we were snorkeling and it was possible to snorkle right from the beach actually. There were lots of colorful corals and fish in the water.

On Langkawi it was not possible to see anything in the water and we never really took a dip on the beach there. The Payar island is about 1 hour by boat from Langkawi and it was nice to snorkle there but there were lots and lots of other people.

Langkawi has more to offer when it comes to shopping and entertainment...Perhentian is basically two jungle islands with nothing to do apart from relax and swim Langkawi is easier to get to.

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures