Malaysia: the perfect Southeast Asia destination for beginners

In case you have never been to Southeast Asia and are a bit daunted by immersing yourself in a completely different part of the world, Malaysia is a great place to start. This doesn't mean that it isn't thrilling for 'advanced' travellers. We would even say Malaysia is an underrated travel destination, as there is so much diversity in sights to explore!

There's the metropolitan city of Kuala Lumpur, tiny atmospheric villages like Ipoh and Malacca, the perfect combination of old and new in Penang, lush nature parks and tropical islands.

Another cool thing about Malaysia is that about half of it is located on the peninsula of the Southeast Asian mainland (also known as Peninsular Malaysia), while the other half is located on the island of Borneo (also known as Malaysian Borneo or East Malaysia).

We've visited Peninsular Malaysia and will take you along the main highlights and things to do in this travel guide!

Recommended itinerary

We would say that three weeks is the perfect amount of time to explore the diversity of mainland Malaysia. Think of adding another week if you want to take it a bit more slowly, for example, to incorporate a bit more relaxation time on the tropical island(s).

In case you want to visit Malaysian Borneo as well, you should definitely double the amount of time. This destination is great for people who want to dive deep into tropical rainforests and who are looking for a much more off-the-beaten-path experience.

In this itinerary, we will share the highlights of:

• Kuala Lumpur

• Malacca

• Cameron Highlands

• Penang

• Langkawi

Missing from this guide, but what we would consider adding as well are the Taman Negara National Park, the Perhentian Islands and the town of Ipoh. At the end of the guide, you will find some practical information for a visit as well.

Kuala Lumpur

We arrived in Kuala Lumpur when we were still recovering from a really bad case of 'Bali belly'. Therefore, we were hardly able to do anything and were mostly chilling on the couch, watching Netflix...

However, we did find a little bit of energy to visit the famous Batu Caves, with the colourful stairs and mountain-high Buddha statue. You don't see it in the picture, but the stairs are full of cheeky monkeys that try to rid you of your stuff. Nevertheless, this challenging trip up the stairs will be rewarded with the most stunning cave at the top. The Batu caves are super easy to visit, just take the metro from the city!

Other fun things to do in Kuala Lumpur are visiting the Petronas Twin Towers, the forest eco-park and food markets like Jln Alor, Central Market or Chinatown. We unfortunately weren't able to do any of those things, and there is probably much more, so next time we visit Kuala Lumpur, we'll update this page for sure!

Malacca

Malacca is an atmospheric, little, historic town in the south of Malaysia. It's easy to visit by public transport from Kuala Lumpur, as well as Singapore. The town is known for the colourful street art houses along the river and throughout the centre.

The history of Malacca is rich, because of its strategic location, as the 'Strait of Malacca' hints. Throughout the years, Malacca has been ruled by a Malay sultan, then occupied by the Portuguese, subsequently the Dutch and finally the English.

Malacca is a melting pot of ethnicities and cultures like Indian, Pakistani, Indonesian and Peranakan Chinese (more on this special population group later). Therefore, it's also a great culinary spot. You can go for some traditional Pakistani curries at Pak Putra but also go to one of the super hip coffee spots like the Daily Fix Café. There are also cute stores with nice souvenirs.

Especially from the Dutch era much has remained, such as the town hall (with dozens of hideous 'rickshaws' in front of it, driving tourists around with loud music), two churches and fortifications. As Dutchies, it is very strange to see the gravestone of someone from a little Dutch town and the VOC logos (the old infamous Dutch trading fleet) on the other side of the world.

Another impressive site to visit is the Melaka Straits Mosque which is uniquely located on pillars above the sea!

Cameron Highlands

You can visit Cameron Highlands all the way from Malacca by bus. Even though it's located high up in the jungle and the mountains, it is still easily reachable by public transport.

We stayed in the town of Tanah Rata which felt a bit German because of the timbered apartment complexes. It is quite strange to see such a European style so long after the English colonization. At the time, many English people sought refuge here from the hot and humid climate in the rest of the country, which is why it became a tourist area with resorts and golf courses.

There are several fun things to do here. Our highlights were visiting the mossy forest (a beautiful and rare cloud forest ecosystem) and the tea plantations. The roads here are not good, especially those leading to the mossy forest, so it's advisable to rent a four-wheel drive or go with a guide. We chose the latter, and it was great because you also got to learn a lot about the area and its sights.

A visit to the BOH Tea Centre is highly recommended as well. Here you can learn more about the tea-making process and taste the most delicious milk tea with a gorgeous view of the plantation.

Another thing the Cameron Highlands are great for is hiking. There are several routes you can take, but be careful, you wouldn't be the first person to disappear in the dense jungle... (search for Jim Thompson and visit his mansion in Bangkok when you're there). We walked from the Big Red Strawberry Farm (where you can get some amazing desserts) back to Tanah Rata.

Along the way you can eat some Chinese or Indian food as it's quite a culturally diverse region here! We ate at Singh Chapati and Taman Apple Cameron Steamboat & Grill. The latter is quite an odd but fun local experience.

The highlands are named after Cameron, the first Englishman who wrote about this area. The second Englishman who came here thought that this would be an excellent location for tea plantations because of the climate, after which the area was transformed into one large tea plantation. Today, also many vegetable and fruit greenhouses can be found in the area.

Penang

Penang is a really cool island and one that should definitely be part of your Malaysia itinerary. In case you're already in Malaysia, you can easily get there by taking the train or bus to Butterworth and then from there a short ferry ride up to Penang. You'll arrive in the capital of Penang: Georgetown. This is a great place to stay, because of all the little museums, shops, cafés and restaurants.

Lastly, we highly recommend going to Taman Negara Pulau Pingara, one of the smallest national parks in the world and a must-see when you're in Penang. It's on the opposite side of the island, but easy to reach by taxi.

When you arrive here, people will try to sell you a boat trip back to the starting point of the hike. We felt like it was a tourist trap, but we did end up needing it (because it was another 2-hour walk back) and luckily managed to book a cheaper one once we made it to the beach. If you don't want to end up without a secured boat ride you can already book it at the entrance of the park.

We also liked searching for street art and walking along the fortress, because you get a taste of the atmosphere and history of Georgetown. A lot of tourists also go to see the 'jetties', which are communities that live in wooden houses on the water. We honestly felt a bit uncomfortable doing so as many people living here have quite a tough life and it also feels like you're invading their privacy. If you're into some Kuala Lumpur/Singapore vibes, you can visit the huge Gurney Mall and nearby hawker centers (food markets).

Another fun thing to do in Penang is to visit Bukit Bendera, which you can reach by first taking a taxi and then the cable car. Bukit Bendera is a hill that used to be a resort for the English colonizers, due to the more temperate climate. Nowadays, it is some sort of amusement park.

From the top of this hill, you'll have a beautiful view of the island. You can also visit the pricey but seemingly beautiful the Habitat, which is a walking bridge through the rainforest. Finally, you can walk around the hill itself, although we did see quite some dogs along the way, so don't do this at sunset when they are most active.

Georgetown is a culinary hotspot, it has a great mix of restaurants from local, to Chinese to Western. It has an incredible number of hip coffee shops. We especially loved The Mugshot Cafe (for coffee, breakfast and lunch), Tai Tong (for dim sum), and Yin's Sourdough Bakery & Café (toasted bread with Kaya, a popular sweet coconut spread).

We can highly recommend a visit to the Pinang Peranakan Mansion to learn about and see more of Peranakan culture and the 'clans' that ruled the city. Peranakan is the name of people mostly of Chinese origin who settled in this region a long time ago and who have developed their own unique culture with Malay and British influences.

The hike to Pantai Keractu, where there's a small turtle sanctuary, a beautiful beach and a lagune, was really doable. Although you'll sweat your clothes off, it won't take you too long and it's a very nice hike through the jungle.

On the boat, we were able to see the beautiful park from the water and even came across a dolphin and some monkeys. If you want, they can drop you off at Monkey Beach, where there are some small bars. You shouldn't be afraid of monkeys though...

Langkawi

Langkawi is a wonderful island near the Thai-Malaysian border. You can reach it by ferry from Penang or mainland Malaysia and even Thailand. It's advisable to rent a scooter or car to explore the entire island. We chose the car and were very happy with it as we experienced it as the most suitable option for the island.

The busiest part of the island is around Pantai Tengah and Pantai Cenang, which are very long stretches of beach with a lot of nice seaside bars and restaurants. This is a nice place to hang out and relax after a day of exploring the island. We especially enjoyed the food at Yasmin Syria Restaurant (Syrian food in Malaysia?!). There are also plenty of bars where you can enjoy a cocktail and sunset on the beach. In our opinion, however, you'll find the prettiest beach on the island in the north, namely Tanjung Rhu Beach.

Two things you should do when you're in Langkawi are visiting the Kilim Geoforest Park and the Sky Bridge. The park is an astonishing piece of nature. For very little money, you book a boat tour at the entrance of the park, which will show you the bat cave, the mangrove forest, the eagles (from which Langkawi got its name), and the impressive limestone rock formations that make it an official Geoforest park. If you're lucky, you'll see huge lizards and the funny-looking Dusky Leaf Monkeys.

The Langkawi Sky Bridge and Sky Cab are two amazing pieces of engineering. The sky cab is the steepest cable car in the world and therefore not for the faint-hearted. You will, however, be rewarded with the most amazing views on the way and once you've made it to the sky bridge. You'll be able to appreciate the beauty of the island the most once you've been to these places, which is why they are must-visits on our list.

Practical information

Modes of transportation
We travelled to Kuala Lumpur by plane. It's one of the biggest airports in the region and therefore very reachable. When you're already in the region, it's also possible to travel over land, e.g. by bus or train from Thailand or Singapore. We even took the ferry from Langkawi to Thailand which went very smoothly.

Because the infrastructure in Malaysia is so great, you can take a bus or a train for a few dollars, which you can book on the spot or in advance using the 12GO website. You can also rent a car like we did in Langkawi, which is possible starting from about 25 dollars a day. In cities, you can best move around by taxi for which you can use the Grab or Uber app.

Best time to travel
Because Malaysia is so spread out, the best time to visit is quite regional. As monsoons (tropical storms) happen here, it's best to avoid the wet seasons.

The dry period for this itinerary, i.e. the west side of mainland Malaysia, is from November to February. We were actually there in October and can't remember seeing any rain, so if you really want to travel in low season, you might want to test your luck just like us. It might be a bit more humid, but we always prefer to catch the tail of the rainy season as everything is a bit less touristy and therefore cheaper. Nature also tends to be at its lushest then.

In case you want to visit the east side of Malaysia, such as the Perhentian Islands, the dry season runs from April to September. As the monsoon hits the hardest in this region, it's best to avoid travelling here during that time (October to March). This is also the reason why we skipped it entirely.

As Borneo is quite large, it's hard to say what the best time to travel there is. Generally, the worst time is January and December and the best time is from April to October. It is rather hot and humid here all year round, so (mentally) prepare for that.

In short, it's best possible to combine a trip to West Malaysia and Borneo or Borneo and East Malaysia. West and East Malaysia are not possible to combine in case you want to be sure you will be avoiding monsoons.