Dayang Bunting Island

Dayang Bunting Island is the second-largest island in the Langkawi archipelago in Kedah, Malaysia, located south of the main Langkawi island. It is best known for Tasik Dayang Bunting (Lake of the Pregnant Maiden), the largest freshwater lake in Langkawi, surrounded by limestone karst hills and dense rainforest. Part of the Langkawi UNESCO Global Geopark, the island is famous for its scenic landscape, fertility legend, and as a key stop on island-hopping tours.

Visitors reach the island only by boat as part of an island-hopping tour from Kuah Jetty or Pantai Cenang. The main attraction is Tasik Dayang Bunting, a large freshwater lake separated from the sea by a narrow rock formation, surrounded by forested limestone hills. Visitors can walk down steps to the lake, swim in the designated area, rent paddle boats or kayaks, enjoy viewpoints over the lake and sea, and explore short forest trails, jetties, and small food and souvenir stalls near the lake entrance.

Dayang Bunting Island is part of the Langkawi UNESCO Global Geopark, noted for its ancient limestone and marble formations dating back over 500 million years. The island and its lake have long been associated with local folklore and have been a protected geopark and tourism site within the Langkawi archipelago.

The island is named after the legend of Tasik Dayang Bunting (Lake of the Pregnant Maiden), where the silhouette of the surrounding hills is said to resemble a pregnant woman lying down. Local belief holds that women who drink or bathe in the lake's water will be blessed with fertility, making it a culturally significant site for visitors.