Attractions in Padang Matsirat, Langkawi
Padang Matsirat is best known for its verdant green land, rice fields and many small villages. Unlike most other places in Langkawi, there are no public beaches in Padang Matsirat. However, this area in Langkawi has several great attractions and tourists places like legendary tombs & shrines, beautiful parks and farm lands nestled in scenic settings, art & craft centers, snake sanctuary, book village and more.
Most of these attractions are actually not close to each other. Therefore it is best to hire a car or a taxi, or take a guided tour to visit these places. But you don't need to take a guided tour only to visit one or two places and then come back. Most attractions are self explanatory. Guided tours from hotels or operators will be useful if you plan to cover some of these attractions with those in the other areas of the island.
You will probably need a full day to visit all the places that I have mentioned below and get a complete essence.
(Also known as Makam Mahsuri)
This is the tomb or the shrine of the beautiful legendary Malay woman who was falsely accused in a charge of adultery and sentenced to death. Because of her beauty, the wife of village chief brought in the charge against her out of sheer jealousy.
The legend says, Mahsuri's curse during her last breath resulted in seven generations of misfortune in the island. The complex also has souvenir showroom, a musical room where women play local instruments, a gallery house with paintings & model arts depicting Mahsuri's life, an old style Malay house, shops selling snacks etc.
This is an exclusive center for Batik art, both handmade and block printed. You can get beautiful handmade batik products like dress materials. Other than a Batik workshop where the artwork is demonstrated by the local artists, there is a batik showroom, cafe and art gallery with original oil paintings from local artists. There is also a section with ceramic products and other handicrafts.
This is an agricultural tour destination for those who love to take a guided tour of a vast stretch of farm land. It is actually a government run fruit farm and a research center. There are guided tour packages to take you around fruit orchards where you can see over 20 different types of seasonal and non-seasonal tropical fruits grown organically.
You will also get opportunities to taste freshly grown tropical fruits and also see the latest technologies used these days in agriculture. A cafe here sells fresh platters of fruits. There are also camping facilities and a forest path for those who like to trek.
Nestled in a quiet & serene place full of tropical trees, the book village is composed of several wooden buildings built in typical Malay architecture. It's a place for those who love to read and collect books. It has a large store of many ancient and rare books with wide ranging topics.
It's a dairy farm located amidst vast stretch of greenery with a backdrop of the mountains. The overall setting is quite picturesque. There is a cafe here that offers milk products made in the dairy like cheese, yogurt and ice creams. The farm offers few other activities as well including buffalo ride, cart ride and so on.
A wonderful parkland showcasing many different kinds of venomous and non-venomous snakes. There is an interactive center where you can touch & feel a non venomous snake. The highlight here is a amphitheater that stages live shows with snakes.
This is the site where the villagers dug a deep hole and burnt the paddy when the Siamese attacked the island in 1821. It was done to stop it from falling in the hands of the enemy. You will see preserved samples of burnt rice grains kept in glass case, and also the field where a huge collection of paddy was burnt.
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Padang Matsirat Area Guide: All information about Padang Matsirat including attractions, activities, hotels, restaurants, shopping etc.
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