WHAT IS GEOPARK?
A geopark refers to an area with geological heritage sites that can be used by every party for the purposes of sustainable preservation, education, and development. It is essential for a geopark to retain ecological, archaeological, historical, and cultural attributes. The life of a particular community could not be separated with its natural environment, culture, and social history. The relationship between life, geological as well as biological diversity and culture is a crucial component for each geopark.
GEOPARK DEVELOPMENT
Langkawi Geopark Historical Heritage
Experience the historical journey and indulge in the geological wonder of earth aged more than 550-miliion-year-old with your host, Elaine Daly in Langkawi Geopark. Watch the natural beauty and enjoy the culture and heritage of Langkawi Island.
Kilim Karst Geoforest Park
Situated on the North-East of Langkawi Island in the area around Kilim River and its estuary, the terrain here is predominantly limestone (karst). Millions of years of erosion have created a unique landscape of pinnacles, cliffs, caves, and hills, as well as rich biotopes of mudflats and mangrove ecosystems.
Explore the Kilim Geoforest by boat in order to reach places inaccessible by land, or walk around and discover some of the unique geological features, including ancient fossil beds and stalactites. Here you can find plenty of marine lives in the emerald green waters below and also spot birds, including the island’s famous eagles, soaring up high.
Machinchang Cambrian Geoforest Park
The Machinchang mountain range in the north-western corner of Langkawi, and Gunung Raya, a granite mountain at the centre of the island are renowned for their Cambrian (first geological period of the Paleozoic Era) rock formations.
The rock here is predominantly sedimentary sandstone and granite that forms a spectacular landscape dominating the skyline. Machinchang is Malaysia’s oldest mountain range, and home to what is probably the most ancient rainforest on the planet. The oldest part of this Geopark is at Teluk Datai. This is where the oldest grains of sand rest, with history displayed on the exposed surface of sandstone in the upper part and mudstone/shale in the lower part of the bay.
Dayang Bunting Marble Geoforest Park
In the south of Langkawi, you will find the second largest island of the archipelago, Pulau Dayang Bunting. Dayang Bunting means ‘Pregnant Maiden’, a name given to this island due to the suggestive shape of the hills on it.
Famous for the freshwater lake found nestled amongst hills of rugged forest, it is also known as Lake of the Pregnant Maiden. The lake originated from the collapse of a massive limestone cave. There, you will also find the finest Permian marble formations in the world.
