Malaysia Tourism - Travel to Malaysia

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Quick Facts
Capital	Kuala Lumpur
Government	constitutional monarchy
Currency	ringgit (MYR)

Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia located partly on a peninsula of the Asian mainland and partly on the northern one-third of the island of Borneo. It shares borders with Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei and has a coastline on the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca.

Regions in Malaysia

Map of Malaysia

Cities in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur - the capital
Johor Bahru - gateway to Singapore

Other destinations - Travel to Malaysia

Mount Kinabalu (Gunung Kinabalu) 4,100 m highest point

Islands and coral reefs

Understand Malaysia Tourism

Malaysia was formed in 1963 through a merging of the former British colonies of Malaya and Singapore, including the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo. The first several years of the country's history were marred by Indonesian efforts to control Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's secession in 1965.

Today, Malaysia is a mix of the modern world and a developing nation. With its investment in the high technology industries and moderate oil wealth, it has become a leader of the southeast Asian region. However, the development has been uneven leading to the often used description of Malaysia, "First world infrastructure, third world mentality." Contributing to this is the bumiputra policy, or Malay-first policy, which provides privileges to the ethnic Malays at the expense of the minority Chinese and Indian populations. The resulting inequity has posed challenges in moving the country forward.

Geography in Malaysia

The climate in Malaysia is tropical. The northeast monsoon (October to February) deluges Borneo and the east coast in rain and often causes flooding, while the west coast (particularly Langkawi and Penang) escape unscathed. The milder southwest monsoon (April to October) reverses the pattern. The southern parts of peninsular Malaysia, including perennially soggy Kuala Lumpur, are exposed to both but even during the rainy season, the showers tend to be intense but brief.

The terrain consists of coastal plains rising to hills and mountains.

People in Malaysia

Ethnic groups: Malay and other indigenous 58%, Chinese 24%, Indian 8%, others 10% (2000)

Religions: Muslim, Buddhist, Daoist, Hindu, Christian, Sikh; note - in addition, Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia

Government in Malaysia

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Independence: 31 August 1957 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day/Malaysia Day, 31 August (1957)

Constitution: 31 August 1957, amended 16 September 1963

Get into Malaysia

Travel to Malaysia By Plane

Most international flights land at Kuala Lumpur's international airport KLIA, although there are also some direct flights to Penang, Langkawi, Johor Bahru and Kota Kinabalu. National carrier Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has an extensive network covering Asia and Europe and regularly ranks high in airline quality assessments, while Malaysia-based low-cost carrier Air Asia now covers a number of neighboring destinations including Bangkok and Jakarta.

Travel to Malaysia By Train

Sleeper train services run from Bangkok and Hat Yai in Thailand to Butterworth near Penang, with connections onward to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. There is also a less used eastern route from Hat Yai to Sungei Kolok on the Malaysian border, but there are no through trains to the nearest Malaysian station at Wakaf Bahru.

Travel to Malaysia By car

Land crossings are possible from Thailand and Singapore in peninsular Malaysia, as well as from Brunei and the Indonesian side of Borneo. An international drivers' license is usually required.

Travel to Malaysia By Bus

Long-distances buses into Malaysia run from various points in Thailand, Singapore and Indonesian Borneo.

Travel to Malaysia By Boat

Cruises from Singapore up the Malaysian coast run regularly. Ferry services also connect Johor Bahru to Singapore, as well as Sumatra and the Riau Archipelago in Indonesia.

Get around in Malaysia

Malaysia Tourism By plane

Largely thanks to budget carrier Air Asia, Malaysia is crisscrossed by a web of affordable flights with prices starting at RM 9 for flights booked well in advance. Flying is the only practical option for traveling between peninsular Malaysia and Borneo, as well as reaching some of the more remote outposts of Borneo.

Malaysia Tourism By Train

KTMB's services in peninsular Malaysia are cheap and reasonably comfortable, but rarely a match for other forms of transport in terms of speed. The main western line connects Butterworth (near Penang), Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru.

Malaysia Tourism By Car

Malaysia has an excellent highway network, culminating in the North-South Expressway from Singapore all the way to the Thai border. Gas is cheap at a little over 1 RM per liter, but tolls are payable on expressways.

Traffic drives on the left. Beware of reckless motorcyclists, especially at night.

Malaysia Tourism By Bus

The cheapest way to travel in Malaysia is by bus. All towns of any size have a bus terminal offering connections to other parts of the country. There are many companies of varying degrees of dependability, but two of the largest and more reliable are Transnasional and NICE/Plusliner. 24-seater "luxury" buses are recommended for long-distance travel.

See Malaysia

Do Malaysia

Jungle tours : There are various beautiful national parks in Malaysia, including the Taman Negera National Park. There are many different types of expeditions available, ranging from those where you hardly lose sight of the hotel to those were you are fully immersed in the jungle with only the guide and yourself if you are willing to pay the money! Tours vary from about 4 days to 2 weeks or more. It is very unlikely in most of the national parks for you to see a tiger or an elephant, this is only really likely if you are going to be staying for longer than a few days, i.e. for a couple of weeks at least. One of the most common forms of wildlife that you will encounter in the jungle however are definatly leeches! In the rainforest it is very very humid but actually it is not incredibly hot. This is because of the large amount of shade afforded by the canopy created by the interlocking trees. Shop around for deals of getting into the jungle and make your decision based on what type of person you are. If you are going to enjoy a lot of hiking without seeing any other people for days or even weeks then you can have that choice, alternatively you can have a much more 'packaged' tour in which you will probably stay in a very built up tourist town which has probably just grown out of the demand for people wanting to stay in the jungle.

If you are ever in Sabah, then try climbing Mount Kinabalu. The highest mountain in South East Asia. It is a long walk up the first day. Then you get a nights accommodation near the top and in the morning you walk up to the summit for sunrise, if you can make it. If you do this then consider talking your sleeping bag to the top and leaving everything else, except you camera at the accommodation. It is nice to get in to it if you get to the top early! And if you can afford it stay in the heated accommodation. Once you have reached the top and admired the view for a while, you turn around and take a stroll back down the 'hill'. You get to the bottom a lot faster than you get to the top. Just about 4 Hours.

Islands, coral reefs and diving : One of the most stunningly beautiful things about Malaysia are its array of tropical coral reefs, home to a wide variety of fish and plants alike, including sharks! Here are some of the places in both Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo in which you can go diving:

Malaysia Talk

Languages: Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese dialects (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai; note - in addition, in East Malaysia several indigenous languages are spoken, the largest of which are Iban and Kadazan

Buy

The Malaysian currency is the ringgit, abbreviated RM or MYR. One ringgit is divided into 100 sen. Since 1997, the exchange rate to the US dollar has been fixed at RM 3.80 to 1, which due to the comparative strength of the Malaysian economy has made Malaysian products quite cheap overseas.

Kuala Lumpur is a shopping mecca for clothes, electronics, computer goods and much more, with very competitive prices by any standard. Traditional Malaysian fabrics (batik) are a popular souvenir.

Eat - Travel to Malaysia

The crossroads of Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisine, Malaysia is an excellent place to makan (eat in Malay). Look out for regional specialities and Nonya (Peranakan) cuisine, the fusion between Malay and Chinese cooking.

Drink

Malaysia is an Islamic country but alcohol is widely available, although some states (notably Kelantan and Terengganu) place considerable restrictions on sale by and to Muslims. However, prices are comparatively high, with a can of beer prices at RM 4 and up even in supermarkets -- only the tax-free island of Langkawi stands out.

Sleep - Malaysia Tourism

The choice of accommodation in Malaysia runs the gamut, ranging from RM20 beds in tribal longhouses to Pavarotti's favorite, the US$1000+/night luxury resort of Pangkor Laut.

Learn

Work

Stay safe - Malaysia Tourism

Crime levels are relatively low in Malaysia, but common sense precautions should be observed. Pickpockets and snatch-and-run thieves ply their trade in Kuala Lumpur and large cities, and the security of cheaper accommodations may have room for improvement.

Credit card fraud can be a problem, so use plastic only at large, reputable retailers, and do not let your card out of your sight.

http://www.geographia.com/malaysia/ - very good website for people thinking of travelling to Malaysia.
http://allmalaysia.info/ - Malaysia in a nutshell
http://www.emmes.net/ - Malaysia Travel Helper (English & Deutsch)