With this Malaysia itinerary you will discover the highlights of this beautiful country in Southeast Asia. Malaysia is a wonderful country to travel through. It has a diverse nature that will take you to a completely new environment at every destination. Besides mainland Malaysia, you can also visit Malaysian Borneo to spot wild orangutans on a jungle tour or climb the 4,095-meter-high Mount Kinabalu. An itinerary for Malaysia is so diverse that there is something fun for everyone.
Content of this blog:
Best travel time Malaysia
Mid-March to mid-October is the dry season and this is the best time to travel to Malaysia. Because Malaysia still has a lot of rainforest and nature, there may be occasional rain but not as much as in the rainy season. The rainy season runs from mid-October through mid-March. During this time it is still possible to visit Malaysia, but you should expect some harsher rain pouring in one day.
General information, useful for your itinerary Malaysia
In Malaysia, you pay with the ringgit. 1 euro equals +/- 4.5 ringgit. Food and drink is cheap in most places (with the exception of Kuala Lumpur). You pay around €3 for a local dish + drink. For more information on expenses, see the overview of costs in Malaysia.
Malaysia borders Singapore and Thailand. From Thailand, you can travel to Langkawi from the most southern island of Koh Lipe. From Singapore, you catch a bus to Kuala Lumpur in 4 hours. Upon arrival in Malaysia, you will automatically be issued a 90-day visa. This also applies to the Malaysian part of Borneo.
Kuala Lumpur
From the Netherlands or any other country, the first thing you probably do is fly to Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur. You can explore this metropolis in 3 or 4 days thanks to the good transportation. Among other things, visit the Wilayah Mosque, where you will get a comprehensive tour from the guide and have a luxurious dinner at the 421-meter-high Kuala Lumpur Tower. Read the 15 best activities in Kuala Lumpur here.
Melaka
From Kuala Lumpur, travel on to the colorful town of Melaka. The bus ride takes around 2 hours. Book your tickets in advance with 12GO.Asia. This is a very convenient website that shows you when and what time buses go to your destination. You can also book and pay for tickets online immediately. 12GO.Asia also has an app where you can immediately show the purchased ticket on the bus. Transportation in Malaysia is very well organized.
Melaka was a Dutch colony for nearly 200 years, and you can see that in the streets. So you have the Stadthuys, which has a large museum with a timeline of Melaka, very interesting. There is also a lot of street art, which makes it a fun city to walk around in. Friday and Saturday nights feature the Jonker Street Walk Night Market, which is a sight in itself and not to be missed. Stay 1 to 2 days here to take in all the fun activities in Melaka.
Tip: From Melaka, you can get to Singapore by bus in 2 to 3 hours.
Pangkor Laut Resort
If you’re ready for true luxury, it’s time to head to the Pangkor Laut Resort. From Melaka, take a bus back to Kuala Lumpur. From Kuala Lumpur, you then take a bus to Lumut. From here you can take the ferry to Pangkor Laut.
This island and resort is described as the Maldives of Malaysia. You can have 3 days of ultimate pampering in a beautiful place. The cabins are spacious, the island is well maintained and everything is taken care of during your stay. Check booking.com for prices per night or read our in-depth review of our stay here.
Cameron Highlands
For us, Cameron Highlands was one of the best places to be in Malaysia. From Pangkor Laut, you can get here in 5 hours by bus. The climate in the Cameron Highlands is a lot cooler than in the rest of tropical Malaysia. You can easily rent a motorbike here and drive to all the sights. You come to the Cameron Highlands to see the tea plantations, obviously drink a lot of tea, and go on beautiful hikes. There are several jungle trails you can walk and this article describes all of them in detail. Be sure to save this article when you visit the Cameron Highlands. Stay here for at least 2 days before traveling on to your next destination: Penang.
Penang & Georgetown
Direct buses depart daily from Cameron Highlands to Penang. Tickets for the bus can easily be purchased in advance through 12GO.Asia. Be sure to book this at least 1.5 days in advance as this is a popular route. In fact, there are only 2 buses per day from Cameron Highlands. The bus takes about 4.5 hours.
Penang is known as the street food capital of Malaysia (and the rest of Southeast Asia). Besides good food, there are fortunately many other fun things to do in Penang. Consider visiting Malaysia’s largest Buddhist temple, the Kek lok si temple or hiking and sunbathing in Penang national park and exploring all the street art in Georgetown. Read in depth about the 7 most fun activities in Penang here. It is best to take at least 3 days to explore Penang.
Langkawi
Continue your Malaysia travel itinerary to Langkawi. From Penang, take a bus that takes 2 hours to Kuala Kedah. From there, you can drive to the ferry in 15 minutes by cab or Grab. The ferry then takes another 1.5 hours and then you are standing with your feet in the sand. Langkawi is a beautiful island with a nice center at Pantai Cenang, but also undiscovered areas. There are several beautiful beaches and it is most fun to hop on the motorbike and drive around the island. Enjoy 4 or 5 days here enjoying the beautiful weather and all the fun things to do.
Explore the east coast of Malaysia
Besides Langkawi and Pangkor, Malaysia has more islands. The most famous islands on the east coast are the Perhentians and Tioman. These are both beautiful islands that, like Pangkor, are compared to the Maldives. Note that these islands are not accessible during the months of November through February due to the rainy season.
Borneo
If you still have time to spare, you can combine your Malaysia itinerary with a visit to Borneo. This third largest island in the world has much to offer in terms of nature. You visit Borneo mainly for the jungle and the orangutans that still live in the wild here. In addition to this Malaysia itinerary, we also have an itinerary for Malaysian Borneo.
Do you want to combine Borneo and Malaysia during your trip? Then check out the ultimate itinerary for Malaysia and Borneo in 3 weeks.
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