Kedah's favourite beach on the mainland, Pantai Merdeka is in the Kuala Muda district about 30km from Sungai Petani or 40km from Butterworth its long, white, sandy beach attracts a heavy weekend crowd. There are island-hopping trips to the neighbouring islands of Pulau Bidan, Pulau Telur and Pulau Songsong available on hired boats. There is a cave close to the beach where some historical artefacts have been found.