Malaysia, the Main Attractions Between Emotion and Nature

23 main tourist attractions in Malaysia

Malaysia offers two very distinct experiences: the peninsula and Borneo (an island shared with Indonesia and Brunei). The peninsula, or western Malaysia, is a mix of Malay, Chinese and Indian flavours with a modern, efficient capital, Kuala Lumpur. Malaysian Borneo features some of Malaysia's most interesting places, with wild jungle, orangutans, granite peaks and remote tribes. Combined with some splendid islands, luxury resorts and colonial towns, Malaysia, for most visitors, offers a happy mix of experiences.

Nearly 2 million foreign tourists arrived in Malaysia in 2017. Many of them were citizens of neighbouring countries such as Singapore and Indonesia, but a growing number of foreign tourists are discovering this country.

The best tourist attractions in Malaysia:

23Gunung Gading National Park

Gunung Gading National Park Aspiring botanists can visit Gunung Gading National Park, where the largest flower in the world grows. Rafflesia blooms can grow up to a metre in diameter and have an unpleasant smell. The blooms die after a few days; the good news is that they can bloom at any time of year, although the best period is from November to January. But there is more to see than just a single flower. The Sarawak park has beautiful beaches, rugged mountains and jungles made for hiking.

22Manukan Island

Manukan Island Water activities shine on Manukan Island, the second largest island of Tunku Abdul National Park, Malaysia's first marine national park. Located in the eastern state of Sabah, the park is known for its large beaches: the best beach is at the eastern end of the island. Travellers will also find coral reefs offshore that offer some very spectacular diving and snorkelling. Manukan Island has the most developed tourist facilities of the park's five islands and is reachable by ferry from Kota Kinabalu.

21Kek Lok Si Temple

Kek Lok Si Temple As temples go, Kek Lok Si Temple in Penang is a relatively new temple, dating back only to 1891. Despite its youth, it is one of the most important Chinese Buddhist temples in Southeast Asia. The Temple of Supreme Bliss, as it is also known, is an impressive sight, with countless images of the Buddha, other Buddhist icons and deities. It is the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia and attracts pilgrims from all over Southeast Asia. The main attraction of the complex is the Temple of Rama IV with its 10,000 carvings of the Buddha.

20Batu Caves

Travellers heading to the Batu Caves near Kuala Lumpur will be rewarded with some rather beautiful Hindu works of art. The three main caves that form the Batu Caves make it the most popular Hindu shrine outside India and attract thousands of devotees at Thaipusam, an annual Hindu festival. The highlight of the site is a gigantic statue of a Hindu god, reachable by climbing 272 steps to the Cathedral Cave. Monkeys also enjoy the site and can be seen playing there.

19Semenggoh Nature Reserve

Semenggoh Nature Reserve The Semenggoh Nature Reserve is famous for its orangutan rehabilitation programme in which orphaned or rescued orangutans are taught to live in the wild. For this reason, the surrounding forests have a thriving population of orangutans that breed in the wild. The best time to see the orangutans is during the morning and afternoon feeding sessions. The Semenggoh Nature Reserve is also home to a thriving bird population with colourful exotic Malaysian birds, including the Bornean black magpie, the ruffled yellow woodpecker, the Malaysian honeyguide and the brown owl.

18North Borneo Railway

North Borneo Railway Travellers can take a trip back in time with a ride on a 1900 steam train, the North Borneo Railway. The only train on Borneo, this old-fashioned train chugs about 83 miles from Tanjung Aru to Papar. Taking the train is a good way to see local villages with houses built on stilts and rice paddies worked with water buffalo. Travellers savour Asian and continental dishes while travelling in one of the five restored carriages. The train runs only on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

17Bukit Bintang (Kuala Lumpur)

Travellers who like to make the most of the whole day will have a field day at Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur's main shopping district. Bukit Bintang has several shopping malls, including Benaya Times Square, one of the largest shopping malls in the world. This mall houses an indoor theme park. The district is full of malls and luxury shopping centres specialising in electronics. After a day of shopping, visitors can relax in a pavement café or nightclub, since Bukit Bintang is also Kuala Lumpur's trendiest entertainment district.

16Redang

Redang Island is made for beach lovers, with its white-sand beaches and crystal-clear ocean water, which makes it popular with snorkelling enthusiasts: snorkelling is the island's main attraction. Divers love it too. Although it is one of the largest islands off the eastern Malay peninsula, it is small enough for visitors to get around on foot, on roads or by jungle trekking. Redang Island is one of nine islands in a marine nature reserve. Accommodation is mostly resort-style.

15Sarawak Cultural Village

14Bako National Park

Bako National Park is a popular tourist attraction in Malaysia for travellers who love the great outdoors. Located in the state of Sarawak on Borneo. Travellers can see wildlife, rainforests, waterfalls, beaches and sea banks. The park's biggest attraction is the bizarre proboscis monkey with its obscene snout, although it is rare and hard to spot. It also has great nature trails, from easy walks to full-day hikes through the jungle, so all visitors should be able to find something that suits them.

13Christ Church (Melaka)

Christ Church is a landmark in Malacca. Built by the Dutch in the mid-18th century, it is the oldest Protestant church in Malaysia. Built in the typical 18th-century Dutch architectural style, the building is known not only for its colourful façade but also for its contents. These include a bell cast in 1698; gravestones, inscribed in Portuguese, that are embedded in the church floor, and a brass lectern. It is now an Anglican church.

12Kinabatangan River

The Kinabatangan River is the second longest river in Malaysia, stretching for nearly 550 km from the mountains to the Sulu Sea. Located in the state of Sabah on Borneo, the Kinabatangan River is known for its varied wildlife and vegetation. It is a good place to see Asian elephants, crocodiles, proboscis monkeys and Bornean orangutans — it is one of two places in the world to find 10 species of primates, as well as 200 species of birds. It is also known for its rainforests and limestone forests and for its saltwater and freshwater swamps.

11Sipadan

Sipadan, in the Celebes Sea, is a diver's paradise. Malaysia's only oceanic island, Sipadan was formed by living corals on top of an extinct volcanic cone. Because of the rich marine life, it is one of the best diving spots in the world. Sipadan has more than 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of different corals, all waiting to be explored. Divers can come across hawksbill and green turtles, manta rays, schools of barracuda and whale sharks. The island also has beautiful sandy beaches.

10Cameron Highlands

The Cameron Highlands is one of the most extensive hill stations in Malaysia, first developed by the British in the 1920s. It has a population of over 34,000 people made up of Malays, Chinese, Indians and other ethnic groups. The Cameron Highlands is renowned for its trails. They lead visitors through the forest to waterfalls and other peaceful spots. Besides its jungle walks, the sanctuary is also known for its tea plantations, and visitors can book various "tea factory" tours.

9Georgetown Inner City

Named after the British King George III, Georgetown is located in the north-eastern corner of the island of Penang. Most of the population of George Town is of Chinese origin. Because of strict controls, George Town has preserved many of its colonial-era shophouses to this day. It is officially recognised as a unique architectural and cultural landscape without parallel in Southeast Asia. The town really comes alive in the evening, when most locals head to nearby street vendors for meals and drinks.

8Taman Negara

Taman Negara, which literally means "national park" in Malaysia, is one of the oldest tropical rainforests in the world. It features massive trees, waterfalls, jungle trips of varying lengths and the longest canopy walkways in the world. Several trails allow the visitor to explore the forest without a guide. Taman Negara is a paradise for endangered species such as Asian elephants, tigers, leopards and rhinoceroses, but numbers are low and sightings are very rare. It is unlikely that you'll see anything more than birds, small deer, lizards, snakes and perhaps a tapir.

7Pulau Tioman

Tioman is a small island located off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. In the 1970s, Time Magazine selected Tioman as one of the most beautiful islands in the world. Since then tourists have flocked to the island in search of a taste of paradise. The island is surrounded by numerous white coral reefs, making it a paradise for divers, while the interior is densely wooded. Visitors outnumber the village inhabitants outside the monsoon (from November to February), but Tioman can be practically deserted at other times.

6Mount Kinabalu

With a summit height of 4,095 metres, Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain in Borneo. The mountain is known worldwide for its extraordinary biodiversity of botanical and biological species. Over 600 species of ferns, 326 species of birds and 100 species of mammals have been identified on and around Mount Kinabalu. The main peak of the mountain can easily be climbed by a person with good physical fitness, and it does not require mountaineering equipment, although climbers must always be accompanied by guides.

5Petronas Twin Towers

Petronas Twin Towers Kuala Lumpur's Petronas Twin Towers were the tallest buildings in the world before being surpassed in 2004 by Taipei 101. However, the towers are still the tallest twin structures in the world. The 88-storey towers are built largely of reinforced concrete, with a steel and glass façade designed to resemble patterns found in Islamic art, a reflection of Malaysia's Muslim religion. The Petronas Twin Towers feature a skybridge between the two towers on the 41st and 42nd floors.

4Langkawi

Malaysia's most famous tourist destination, Langkawi is an archipelago of 99 islands in the Andaman Sea. The islands are part of the state of Kedah, which is adjacent to the Thai border. By far the largest of the islands is the eponymous Pulau Langkawi with a population of about 65,000, the only other inhabited island being nearby Pulau Tuba. Surrounded by long white beaches and with an interior of jungle-covered hills and steep mountain peaks, it is easy to see why this is Malaysia's most heavily promoted tourist destination. The most famous beaches are on the west coast, with a wide choice of restaurants and eateries and some of the best resorts in Langkawi.

3Perhentian Islands

Located off the north-eastern coast of Malaysia, not far from the border with Thailand. The Perhentian Islands are the must-visit place in Malaysia for budget travellers. They have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and great diving with plenty of budget accommodation. The two main islands are Perhentian Besar ("big Perhentian") and Perhentian Kecil ("small Perhentian"). Both islands have white-sand beaches lined with palm trees and turquoise blue sea.

2Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre

Sepilok Orang Utan rehabilitation centre was opened in 1964 to save orphaned orangutans rescued from logging sites, plantations and illegal hunting. Orphaned orangutans are trained to survive in the wild again and are released as soon as they are ready. The Orang Utan sanctuary is located within the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve, largely virgin forest. Around 60-80 orangutans live free in the reserve. It is one of the main tourist attractions of Sabah and an important stop on any Malaysian itinerary.

1Mulu Caves

The Mulu Caves are located in Gunung Mulu National Park in Malaysian Borneo. The park includes incredible caves and karst formations in a mountainous equatorial rainforest setting. The Sarawak Chamber, located in one of the underground caverns, is the largest cave chamber in the world. It has been said that the chamber is so large that it could hold about 40 Boeing 747s, without overlapping wings. The huge colony of wrinkle-lipped bats in the nearby Deer Cave emerges almost every evening in search of food in a spectacular exodus.