Mat Cincang Mountain

The view from the cable-car's cabin as you ascend to the first platform.

On a clear day, the view from the observatory platform is amazing as you can see the whole Langkawi Island from a side-point and an outline of the mainland. Today was unfortunately a hazy day.

Platforms are provided where you can explore the green surroundings.

A sky bridge connects the Gunung Mat Cincang with a neighbouring limestone outcrop.

The Telaga Tujuh (Seven Wells) Waterfall is located right below.

Mountains ~ Mat Cincang Mountain

Langkawi's most famous mountain is Gunung Mat Cincang, located in the northeastern part of the island. At 710 meters in elevation, the mountain is the second highest after Gunung Raya. Mat Cincang Mountain is a popular attraction due to having the facilities of a cable-car, shopping complex and sky bridge in its vicinity.

Like every other place in Langkawi, there's a legend or fable behind it. Gunung Mat Cincang was said to have once been a giant that was embroiled in a fight with another giant over a ruined wedding party. Cutlery was thrown around due to the fight which landed in various places, creating whole towns and convenient island attractions.

However, the giants eventually made peace with the help of another mediator giant (!). As repentance, they transformed into the mountains that we know so well today as Gunung Mat Cincang, in the west, and Gunung Raya, near the southeast section of Langkawi. The giant/mountains are said to be looking at each other peacefully since then.

Gunung Mat Cincang is located in the center of Langkawi's north-eastern section, which is still covered with rich and pristine rainforest. Hopefully, it does not suffer the brunt of development in the years to come like the desecration in the south. Around the mountains are some rich places for herpefauna, especially the Telaga Tujuh waterfalls, where there is a jungle trail to climb the peak of Mat Cincang Mountain.

If you're not up for climbing the steep steps that take you to Telaga Tujuh, then take the cable-car ride from the Oriental Village located at the foothill. A short drive away from the Telaga Harbour, the Oriental Village is a pleasant and well-architectured cultural village with a landscaped pond and duty-free shops in the courtyard. Live music and performances are some of the activities you can see here daily during the peak tourist seasons.

The cable-car counter is nestled inside the village, and after paying a fee, you scramble aboard one of the cable-cars (The cars do not stop for you, you need to jump in as they pass by the platform) and begin the ascent to the summit. The ride can be summed up in two words; simply amazing. As the cable-car winds its way up, absorb the magnificent view of the lush greenery below and the surrounding buildings as they become a blur the higher you go.

This is when visitors often whip out their digital cameras and begin snapping pictures out the window, usually by standing up on the seats. For others who choose to sit still in the cabin, the activities of such shutterbugs can be quite unnnerving, considering that the cable-car shakes and stutters precariously with every movement.

The cable car will reach a first platform, where you alight, explore a little, and then board another line. This time, the cable-car rides on a line that is mostly horizontal and the sudden spurt it makes at the start can be quite startling. At several hundred meters high in the air, suspended on a thin wire cable, the sights from the cabin to the ground below are both fantastic and frightening!

A short ride later, you arrive at the peak of Mat Cincang, where a cafe sits along with numerous platforms for you to absorb the surrounding landscape. There is a short trail below the peak which leads to a sky bridge that connects to a neighbouring limestone outcrop. Head to the bridge and cross it, revelling in the cooling but strong breeze that rushes past you; it almost makes you feel like falling.

Lean against the railing right in the middle of the bridge for as long as you can and you gauge the strength of your will. With the movement of other visitors pattering across the bridge and the strong gushes of wind that flood past you, the bridge will begin to feel less than stable and soon, you'll feel like you're hanging on for dear life! However, the scenery from the bridge is simply amazing, you see the rich landscape of Langkawi and the azure Andaman Sea, with raptors soaring in the background.

For first-time visitors to Langkawi, Gunung Mat Cincang is well worth the experience for the view for herping or the pictereque view.