Langkawi: Call of the Jungle

Enjoy this eco-adventure tour through the Malaysian rainforests with Junglewalla

As the sun rises on the Malaysian island of Langkawi, the rainforest starts to talk. You can join the conversation during a 90-minute-long Rainforest Awakening Tour with Junglewalla, a local adventure tour company.

As you stroll down a deserted road surrounded by tall ironwood, meranti and keruing trees, listen for the squawk of a great hornbill, the crash of dusky leaf monkeys and the chee-cheewee call of a crimson sunbird.

Company owner and naturalist Irshad Mobarak will translate the jungle’s language and help you spy elusive critters and medicinal plants. He also tells stories of partnership between birds, monkeys, plants and humans that provide a deeper understanding of the rainforest’s interconnected community.

After your walk, plant a native daun salam tree through Junglewalla’s Peace Tree Project, which helps restore wildlife along the edges of the forest. Junglewalla’s other initiatives include working with inter- national corporations to promote sustainable fishing practices, and introducing island schoolchildren to the wonders of the rainforest — so that in the future, when the rainforest talks, someone listens.