Since we wanted to explore the island on our own, we absolutely needed a rental car in Langkawi. From our hotel, the The Danna Langkawi, we were driven to the airport. In the arrivals hall, I immediately went in search of the big companies in the industry. But I could have saved myself the time - Avis, Budget, Hertz and Co. are not represented here.
Our driver then spoke to a man we hadn't even remotely thought of as renting cars. He offered us a limousine for five days at a cost of MYR 500. But we were still so perplexed by the situation that we completely forgot to act. There would definitely still have been “air” down there. After I pulled the cash from the machine, the gentleman led us to our rental car in the airport parking lot. Surprisingly, we even filled out a handover report together with all the damage and I was also supposed to show my driver's license. The student ID would have sufficed here. Our rental car, a black Toyota sedan, was in good condition. Even if black isn't the best paint job with so much sunlight, the air conditioning worked perfectly.
Due to the British colonial past, left-hand traffic prevails in Malaysia and thus also on the island of Langkawi. The traffic is very leisurely and therefore not a problem at all for inexperienced left-hand drivers like us. Of course, the road conditions are not always ideal, but they are OK for the speeds that are allowed. There seem to be hardly any traffic rules, at least no locals follow them. We suspect that, as in some states in the USA, you can turn left at red traffic lights (in the USA, of course, turn right). We couldn't find any information about it on the internet, but we saw a lot and just copied it.
Very often we noticed police checks. This was not about speed control (at most the officer is good at guessing), but simply showing the driver's license. However, they are not interested in tourists, we must have gone through four checks in the few days and were always waved through.
There are not too many petrol stations on the island. So you should always make sure to refuel early. This is also really cheap, so we only paid around 70 MYR (approx. 18 EUR) for a full tank.
We had to be careful when driving, especially in Cenang. Pedestrians and mopeds constantly crossed our path on the busy beach road. Almost walking pace was the order of the day here. Outside of the cities one should watch out for the various animals. In the evening hours, monkeys and monitor lizards like to come out of their hiding places in the jungle and place themselves on the street or on the side of the road.
Funny anecdote: On an evening drive back from Cenang, we paralyzed the entire lighting for several kilometers by running over a cable lying on the road. Suddenly everything was dark. This in turn says a lot about the power supply and security. ;)
Our conclusion on the rental car in Langkawi?
You should have the confidence to explore Langkawi by rental car. If you want to make a reservation from home, it's best to book here billiger-mietwagen.de.
Which travel guide do you recommend for Langkawi?
  | Entdecken & Erleben Sie die bekannteste Ferieninsel Malaysias – Pulau Langkawi. Die Insel inmitten der azurblauen Andamanensee ist berühmt für ihre faszinierenden Legenden und landschaftliche Schönheit. Auf über 80 Seiten werden Sie in this travel guide guided around the island and get to know Langkawi's authentic corners! |
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