CAVES
The coolness. The darkness. The silence. And perhaps most of all, the mystery, are what attracts us to caves.
The coolness. The darkness. The silence. And perhaps most of all, the mystery, are what attracts us to caves. Due to its geology, in particular the karstic formations, Langkawi has an abundance of caves, both landforms, some connected to the sea or lake, and some only accessible by boat. Here you will find hundreds, perhaps thousands of several species of bats, roosting high in the chamber tops. Some caves were subterranean streams millennia ago or part of a primordial seabed. Many are rich in ancient oysters and barnacles encrusted on the walls. One or two even contain archeological artifacts, cave paintings, and mysterious human markings that have yet to be deciphered.
Gua Pinang
Bukit Gua Pinang is located on the eastern side of Sungai Kubang Badak estuary. It is a limestone hill that belongs to the Setul Formation. This limestone unit represents the lowest part of the Setul Formation, where it overlies the sequence of sandstone of the Machinchang Formation conformably at the foot of the hill. There are two very interesting features found at this geosite. They are ancient beds of seashells and long winding cave tunnels. The cave complex consists of one huge chamber near the entrance connected by several passageways or tunnels to another smaller chamber in the middle of the complex. This cave has relatively rare stalactites and stalagmites, where speleothems are only well developed at one corner of the main chamber.
Accumulation of ancient seashells can be found at several locations outside the cave, on a narrow ancient platform off the limestone cliff. The altitude of these seashell sites is approximately 25m above the present sea level. These seashells consist of various types of marine shells, mostly bivalves with rare snails, corals, barnacles, and cephalopods. Most of the bivalve shells were arranged upside-down and were gently imbricated, indicating that the deposition was subjected to wave actions.
Gua Wang Buloh
This cave is formed at about 150m above the present sea level and has several small entrances facing a valley or wang, which actually is a doline with a very steep cliff. This hill is made up of limestone from the Setul Formation that has been metamorphosed into marble as a result of igneous activity from 220 to 210 million years ago (Late Triassic). The cave consists of several chambers at two different levels, each of which has various stalactites, stalagmites, columns, rock curtains, and flowstone, forming the shapes of various creatures. The cave wall that is exposed to sunlight is covered by algae and appears green in color.
Gua Kelawar
Located near a tributary in the heart of Kilim mangrove swamps within the Kisap Forest Reserve, the cave is named after the thousands of insect-eating bats clinging to the ceiling of its main chamber. The cave is 60m in length and has two separate caves to explore.
Within the cave there are many interesting features and structures commonly found in a tropical cave, including stalactites, stalagmites, flowstones, and other formations. However, there are old oyster shells encrusted onto the cave walls, which have been dated to be about 5,000 years old, suggesting that sea levels within the region have lowered within that time.
Gua Pasir Dagang
Gua Pasir Dagang is located at the eastern side of Pulau Dayang Bunting, near the boundary between the Late Middle Permian of Chuping Formation and Late Triassic granite intrusion. The geology is made up of crystalline marble of the Chuping Formation with skarn mineralization at the contact with the intruding granite. The cave formation consists of a variety of speleothem. Marble, skarn, and granite are special features that can also be found at Pasir Dagang beach.
The mouth of the cave is quite narrow and a small stream with a sandy bed runs into the cave. To enter the cave, one has to follow the underground stream during low tide. How far the stream flows inside the cave and where it eventually leads to are yet to be ascertained. The size of the cave is not so big, but the stalactites and flowstones within the cave produce a fantastic world of illusion and imagination. Stalagmites are rare because the cave is flooded with water during high tides. This is the most beautiful cave in Langkawi.
Gua Cherita
The cave has two chambers at two separate levels developed within the limestone of Ordovician – Silurian (480-440 million years ago) Setul Formation. The lower chamber is a raised ancient sea cave. From the upper chamber, one can get a stunning view of the calm turquoise water of the bay. Within the chamber are some strange formations of stalagmites and rock falls.
The curved walls and ceiling are pockmarked by swallows and bats, which once occupied the cave. This cave has been associated with the myth of the love story between a Chinese Princes and a Roman Prince who received strong intervention from the mystic bird Garuda who kidnapped and hid the princess in this cave. The princess was saved by Jentayu who later sent her to meet the prince. Gua Cherita is conserved by the Museum and Antiquity Department for the archeological artifacts and cave paintings. Miraculously the ancient markings on the outside walls of the cave, though faded through time and weather, are still eligible but yet to be fully deciphered.