When planning our world trip Malaysia wasn’t really on our radar. It’s one of those countries that you don’t hear a lot about. Most people that are backpacking in Asia go to Thailand or Vietnam. But we highly recommend adding Malaysia to your list! That’s why we created this travel guide for Malaysia.
Malaysia is a very versatile country with a lot to offer. It’s easy to get around and most people speak English in the bigger cities. We traveled through Malaysia for 5 months and visited both the mainland and Borneo. One minute you’re in the middle of the jungle and the next you’re visiting a beautiful temple.
In this travel guide, we will highlight everything you need to know to be prepared for your trip to Malaysia. If you feel like something is missing, please let us know!
Things to know before you go
One thing to keep in mind, especially if you’re traveling the east coast of the mainland, is that most people are Muslim. If you travel during Ramadan you might have trouble finding a place to eat during the day. Check the dates of Ramadan if you’re traveling to Malaysia. And if you have trouble finding food, look for Chinese restaurants, they’re one of the few that are still open.
Be mindful of what you’re wearing. People might not say anything if you’re wearing short skirts or pants or even spaghetti tops, but locals don’t wear things like that. When traveling to smaller towns you’ll mostly see people wearing robes and hijabs. In bigger cities, it’s easier to blend in, but most people wear long pants and shirts.
Although Malay is the main language, most people speak at least a little bit of English. Most restaurants offer menus in English, public transport is in Malay & English, and stores sell products that often have a translation in English. This makes Malaysia very attractive and a good place to start if you haven’t been to Asia before.
Prepare to be hot! The tropical climate makes it hot and humid, which sometimes is a nasty combination. We would either do something early in the day or late at night. It doesn’t really cool down but this way you escape the hottest part of the day. Most malls have air conditioning so they’re a great escape from the heat midday. If you want to cool down travel to Cameron Highlands and enjoy a nice breeze and cooler temperatures. Daily rain storms are common but they usually don’t last that long.
Places to visit
There is a lot to see and do in Malaysia. Don’t try to do everything in a hurry but pick a couple of highlights that allow you to travel at a slower pace.
We basically did two trips that both lasted about a month. The first one took us from Kuala Lumpur to Malaka and Johor Bahru before we flew to Borneo. Here we visited Kuching, Mulu National Park, Kota Kinabalu, and Sepilok. I would call this the culture and animals route. We saw fireflies, proboscis monkeys, and orangutans.
The second trip kept us on the mainland. From Kuala Lumpur, we headed to Ipoh and visited Cameron Highlands. From here we drove to Penang before crossing over to the east coast. We visited Kota Bharu and booked a day trip to the Perhentians Islands. We drove onwards to Kuala Terengganu and Cherating before heading back to Kuala Lumpur.
Don’t forget about Taman Negara National Park. We visited a rainforest in Borneo before we took this trip and we couldn’t fit it in. But if you’re not heading to Borneo, this is your chance to experience a rainforest!
Visa
One of the great things about Malaysia is that most people don’t need to apply for a visa beforehand. When you arrive you get an entry stamp that allows you to stay in Malaysia for up to 90 days. This entry stamp is also known as a social visit pass. This will allow you plenty of time to travel around.
Some countries are required to apply for an eVisa. These countries are China, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Serbia, and Montenegro. eVISA bearers are allowed to stay in Malaysia for no more than 30 consecutive days per entry. This is largely dependent upon the type of eVISA that you have.
If you travel between the mainland and Borneo you will get additional entry stamps for each region. These stamps can take up quite some space, so make sure you have enough pages in your passport.
When to visit
Malaysia doesn’t really have seasons where temperatures change a lot. Overall it’s around 30 degrees Celcius year-round and temperatures don’t drop below 20 degrees Celcius. What does change throughout the year is the amount of rain you’ll get on a day.
If you’re visiting the west coast the best time to travel is from November to April. If you’re keen on visiting the east coast you’re better off traveling from January to august. Kuala Lumpur gets most of its rainfall from October to March. Considering that Borneo is famous for its rainforest, you might get rain year-round.
All in all, it’s hard to pick one month that’s perfect for traveling to Malaysia. We’ve experienced that you will always get rain. It’s not all day every day and the rest of the day the weather is usually fine. So bring an umbrella and you’ll be prepared for anything!
Things to do
1. Kuala Lumpur
You can’t visit Malaysia and not spend time in Kuala Lumpur. Most flights will take you to the capital anyways, so take a couple of days to explore. Our 10 favorite things to do in Kuala Lumpur will help you get started.
2. Mulu National Park
A visit to a rainforest is something special and Mulu National Park makes it extra special. Not only did we fly into the smallest airport we’ve seen but there is a lot to choose from. Walk through the canopies, watch the bats leave the caves at night, visit different caves, and – if you’re up to it – hike the pinnacles.
3. Cameron Highlands
The coolest place in temperature in Malaysia, so that’s reason enough to visit. You’ll find a lot of tea plantations, strawberry farms, and there are a lot of hiking trails. We visited a butterfly park as well. The best way to visit is by renting a car or hiring a driver for a day because public transport isn’t that convenient.
4. Perhentian Islands
Malaysia has a lot of beautiful islands where you’re able to enjoy the beach and snorkel or dive. We choose the Perhentian Islands and booked a day trip. If you have time, spend it on one or more of the islands to experience bounty beaches.
5. Sepilok Orangutans Rehabilitation Center
There are two places in Borneo where you’re able to see orangutans up close. One is near Kuching and the other one is in Sepilok. After reading up we decided to go Sepilok for a more authentic and quieter experience. Animal welfare is most important here and they keep a good eye on visitors to make sure you don’t disturb the orangutans.
6. Ipoh
If you want to marvel at street art, Ipoh won’t let you down! We did a tour of the city and saw some beautiful pieces. It’s a very laid-back kind of town. On your way there stop by the cave temple that’s right outside of Ipoh.
7. Melaka
We are Dutch so we had to stop and visit Melaka. There is so much Dutch heritage in this town. But even if you’re not Dutch Melaka is worth a visit. The buildings are something else and there is a lot of information everywhere.
8. Legoland
If you’re looking for something goofy, pay a visit to Legoland in Johor Bahru. Not only do they have beautiful buildings and statues made completely out of Lego, but there are fun rides as well. We spend about half a day in the park but you could combine it with the waterpark.
9. Fireflies & Proboscis Monkey Tour
There are a couple of places that offer a firefly tour, usually in combination with other animals. The best one we did was in Kota Kinabalu. We saw a lot of proboscis monkeys during the day and at night we witnessed an invasion of fireflies. Truly magical!
Budget
Malaysia is cheaper than western countries but a little bit more expensive than Thailand or Vietnam. In Kuala Lumpur, you’re usually able to book an Airbnb at a reasonable price. We paid around 35 euros per night. In all the other places we used Booking.com to find cheap but comfortable accommodations. You might end up paying more during long weekends or holidays.
Foodwise you have a lot to choose from. In a lot of Asian countries, it’s cheaper to buy street food, but in Kuala Lumpur, that’s not always the case. Sometimes you’re better off eating at bigger chain restaurants. We usually eat out once a day and the other time we end up eating noodles, sandwiches, soup, or pasta. This way we keep our food budget around 25 euros per day.
Public transport is quite good in Malaysia and doesn’t cost a lot of money. We’ll add 5 euros per day for this, which brings the total to 65 euros per day. We travel as a couple, so if you’re a solo traveler you’ll probably spend less.
Getting around
We were really surprised with the quality of public transport in Malaysia. After traveling in chicken buses and hanging on for dear life it was a nice change of scenery to have a decent seat and air conditioning. The long-distance buses are cheap and comfortable and it’s easy to figure out where to buy tickets and end up on the right bus.
In Kuala Lumpur, you have buses that will take you from the airport to the city center. The city has an extensive subway system that’s mostly above ground. A great way to see more of the city on a hot day. You buy tokens for each trip at the machines at each station.
If you’re looking for a little bit of freedom you could rent a car and drive around yourself. This gives you the option to stop wherever you would like. Traffic is pretty self-explanatory and people are considerate of other drivers.
Add Malaysia to your travel itinerary
As you can read Malaysia has a lot to offer, so if you’re traveling through Asia don’t forget to include Malaysia as well. This travel guide for Malaysia is not all there is to do, but if we would write everything done this blog would never end!
Don’t be afraid to explore and get off the beaten track. The most surprising things happen when you take a risk. We liked the smaller cities to get a real feel of what life is like in Malaysia. Beautiful street art, a lot of history, and good food make for a great trip.
Have you been to Malaysia or is it on your list of places to go to? If so, what did you think? If not, what is keeping you from visiting Malaysia? Let us know in the comments!
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