Malaysia

We’ve compiled the best of the best in Malaysia - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.

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  • 1. Agnes Keith House

    On a hill overlooking town and Sandakan Bay, the home of author Agnes Newton Keith is a trip back in time. American-born Keith came to Sandakan in the 1930s with her British husband, a North Borneo Company official, and wrote books about her experiences. "The Land Below the Wind" introduced Sabah to many Europeans, and "Three Came Home," chronicling Keith's captivity in a Japanese prison camp during World War II, is Keith's best-known work. The 1950 Hollywood film version was partially shot in Sandakan. Keith's two-story wooden villa, destroyed during World War II and rebuilt identically when the family returned in 1946, includes period photos and memorabilia evoking the highs and lows of Keith's time in Sabah. The house was nearly destroyed again during the 1990s before the Sabah Museum restored it. The grounds include exquisitely tended gardens and an observation pavilion with sweeping views of the town and harbor.

    Jalan Istana, Sandakan, Sabah, 90709, Malaysia
    089-221--140

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: RM 15, Daily 9--5
  • 2. Arked Punggai Beach

    Big waves and strong winds characterize this long stretch of beach, where a few resorts are located. Generously shaded by a line of trees, it’s an easy beach to laze the day away on while snoozing and reading with occasional dips to cool off. Locals like to fly kites here because of the steady winds. Amenities: showers, toilets, camping. Best for: solitude, walking.

    Tanjung Punggai Pengeran, Johor, 81600, Malaysia
  • 3. Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum

    Peranakans, also called Straits Chinese, are descendants of the Chinese who migrated to Malacca and adopted the Malay culture; here you can learn about the history of Malacca and get an inside look at what life was like for these families in the early 20th century. The historical museum is housed inside the stately traditional house of Baba Chan Cheng Siew. A guide leads you on a house tour and tells stories about the families' lives and their belongings, including fine examples of china, jewelry, and silk embroidered panels.

    48--50 Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, Malacca, Melaka, 75200, Malaysia
    062

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: RM16
  • 4. Batu Layar Beach

    A quieter alternative to the busier Desaru Beach, Batu Layar Beach (Sail Rock) is a wide, sandy virgin beach characterized by its sail-shaped rock, a submerged reef with a staghorn coral field. A tranquil spot, it's the perfect place for a picnic and offers easy swimming in the turquoise water.  The beach may be closed during monsoon season. Amenities: Showers; toilets. Best for: swimming, camping, solitude.

    Bandar Penawar, Johor, 81600, Malaysia
  • 5. Chinatown (Petaling Street)

    Chinatown

    KL's thriving Chinatown, commonly referred to as Petaling Street or Jalan Petaling (its main stretch of street), is known for two main things: shopping and eating. Here vendors hawk knockoff goods like watches, sunglasses, and T-shirts in the market, and bargaining is expected and essential; a good rule of thumb is to accept one-third the original asking price. You can also find inexpensive souvenirs and knickknacks here, such as wooden bead bracelets and imitation silk coin purses in chinoiserie prints. After shopping, be sure to visit one of the food stalls on or just off Petaling for claypot noodles, barbecue, and Hokkien noodles, or walk five minutes to Central Market, which is filled with local food and tropical juice stalls. Cool down with a glass of air mata kucing, an iced fruit drink made from winter melon (tong kua), monk fruit (lo han kor), dried longan (long ngan), and sugar. The best spot to find it is the Air Mata Kucing stall on the southern end of Jalan Petaling near Jalan Hang Lekir. Also in Chinatown, the Taoist Sze Ya Temple and Hindu Sri Mahamariamman Temple both deserve a visit.

    Jalan Petaling Between Jalan Hang Lekir and Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free
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  • 6. Dayang Bunting Marble Geoforest Park

    Located on an island with the same name, Dayang Bunting features caves and karstic landscapes, but the biggest draw is the Lake of Pregnant Maiden. Local legend has it that the waters in this lake are beneficial to women's fertility. Possibly contributing to this tale is that, from afar, the outline of the lake appears to be shaped like a heavily pregnant woman lying on her back. Go for a dip or rent paddle boats and canoes (RMB20–RMB30) for a quiet ride on the turquoise waters. Watch out for the monkeys on the walk leading to the lake, as they're known to snatch food, drink, and anything shiny, including glasses and earrings. Travel agents throughout Langkawi can help arrange transportation to the island.

    Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: RM5
  • 7. Filipino Market

    Right by Le Meridien hotel, KK's Filipino Market—formally known as Kota Kinabalu Handicraft Centre—is a maze of stalls, selling a range of crafts and souvenirs from around the region. Look out for traditional woven baskets, dry-food goods, and cultured pearls. Follow your nose and you'll be led to fish and prawns being grilled slowly over little gas stoves and numerous other vendors preparing scrumptious snacks. Evening is the best time to visit.

    Jalan Tun Fuad Stepfens Pusat Bandar, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, 88000, Malaysia

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free, Daily 9--10
  • 8. Gomantong Caves

    These limestone caverns are Sabah's best known source of swiftlet nests, used to make bird's nest soup, Chinese medicines, and other luxury products. The caves are filled with rickety rattan and bamboo scaffolding that villagers use to harvest nests from crevices on cave roofs and walls. Mainly composed of congealed saliva, the most coveted white nests can fetch upwards of US$250 per pound. The dense forest around the caves is full of wildlife and walking trails. Venturing into the caves themselves means wading through bird droppings thick with insects in the dark. The caves are about 2½ hours from Sandakan and are included in some local tours.

    Gomantong Hill Lower Kinabatangan, Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: RM 30
  • 9. Harmony Street (Jalan Tokong)

    So-called Harmony Street in Malacca's Chinatown neighborhood (its official name is Jalan Tokong Besi) takes its nickname from the trio of interesting religious attractions found here. The intricately carved Cheng Hoon Teng Temple is Malaysia's oldest Chinese temple, dating from 1646 and still in use as a Buddhist temple while the 18th-century Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Temple is Malaysia's oldest Hindu temple. The third house of worship is Kampung Kling Mosque, which is not the oldest mosque in Malaysia (that honor belongs to Masjid Kampung Hulu, also in Malacca and built by the Dutch in 1728), but it was finished back in 1868 and is notable for its pagoda-like architecture.

    Jalan Tokong Besi, Malacca, Melaka, Malaysia

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free
  • 10. Islamic Arts Museum

    More than 7,000 artifacts make up the permanent collection at Southeast Asia's biggest museum of Islamic arts. Pieces range from delicate jewelry and vibrant tapestries to hand-written Korans and large-scale architectural models. The 12 permanent galleries represent the diversity of Islamic people and the multicultural heritage of Malaysia. If the Arms and Armour gallery doesn't appeal to kids, the Children's Library will; it's packed with books and also offers arts and crafts. Visit the on-site restaurant for a taste of Middle Eastern cuisine, and stop by the gift shop on your way out to pick up Islamic crafts and jewelry to take home.

    Jalan Lembah Perdana, Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, 50480, Malaysia
    032-092--7070

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: RM14, Daily 10--6
  • 11. Kek Lok Si Temple

    Southeast Asia's largest Buddhist temple, Kek Lok Si ("Temple of Supreme Bliss") was founded in 1890 by an immigrant Chinese Buddhist. A maze of souvenir stalls leads to Ban Po Thar, a seven-tier tower that displays a Chinese base, a middle tier with Thai architecture, and a Burmese crown on top. On the hillside, above the pagoda, a huge bronze figure of Kuan Yin ("Goddess of Mercy") was completed in 2002. The temple faces the sea, and the view from the cable car and the upper levels is fantastic. During Chinese holidays, particularly Chinese New Year, the temple is a hive of activity and celebration.

    Penang Island Air Itam, Georgetown, Penang, 11500, Malaysia
    048-283--317

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free
  • 12. Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary

    An irony of deforestation and plantation development is that surviving forest areas become home to a wide variety of wildlife that once occupied a far larger range. The Kinabatangan River flows through rain forest, freshwater swamps, and mangroves, harboring monitor lizards, reticulated pythons, pigtailed macaques, proboscis monkeys, orangutan, and even elephants. Bird life includes such spectacular creatures as the Asian paradise flycatcher, stork-billed kingfisher, brahminy kite, and several species of hornbill venerated by Borneo's indigenous people. Several tour operators offer Kinabatangan trips via Sukau, a village about two hours from Sandakan by boat or road.

    Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia
  • 13. Kuan Yin Tong Temple

    About a mile from the center of Bintulu, this interesting Chinese temple includes a lovely garden courtyard, koi ponds, a waterfall, and carved Chinese zodiac animals. Three churches are nearby.

    Km. 2, Jalan Sultan Iskandar, Bintulu, Sarawak, 97000, Malaysia
  • 14. Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary

    This unique facility provides a rare opportunity to check out the endangered and extremely odd-looking proboscis monkey. Found only on Borneo, it's recognizable by its potbelly and distinctive long, bulbous nose. The sanctuary spans hundreds of acres of mangrove forest that had previously been slated for development as an oil-palm plantation. The combination of plantations and deforestation has made the proboscis an endangered species; some estimates say fewer than 5,000 remain. Because of their specialized diet (proboscis monkeys break down their food in a complex digestive process—thus the big bellies), they can't be moved. Efforts are currently underway to protect more of the monkeys' habitat. At Labuk Bay, observation platforms allow good views of the proboscis, as well as silver langurs, maroon-leaf monkeys, and several bird species. The sanctuary is about an hour's drive from Sandakan.

    Mile 19 Jalan Labuk Junction SPS 3, Sandakan, Sabah, 90000, Malaysia
    089-672--133

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: RM 60
  • 15. Longhouses

    These wooden houses on stilts, with thatch roofs and bamboo walls, are the traditional dwellings of Sarawak’s indigenous groups, and (by arrangement) these hospitable people will welcome you inside. You will usually arrive by longboat, and you’ll usually be offered a meal and a tour by gracious hosts—you may even be able to spend the night. A number of longhouses on the Kemena River can be reached within a half-hour drive or boat trip from Bintulu. Any local travel office in Bintulu will help you arrange the tours, usually for around 75 rinngit.

    Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia
  • 16. Malacca River Cruise

    Now a lot cleaner than it used to be, the Malacca River is worth a short scenic cruise to see old warehouses, churches, Malay villages, and bridges from a different perspective. The facades of many historic buildings along the route have also been painted with murals, making the cruise a bit of an art tour as well. The departure point is next to the Maritime Museum—a minimum of eight passengers is required before they'll leave—and tours last about 30 minutes. It's especially nice to do the cruise at dusk, as the sky changes color, or at night, when many buildings along the way are illuminated (and it's much cooler, weather-wise).

    Jalan Tun Sri Lanang, Malacca, Melaka, 75100, Malaysia
    062-814--322

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: RM16
  • 17. Mt. Kinabalu

    Mountain

    The biggest tourist attraction in Sabah is less than a two-hour drive from KK. Mt. Kinabalu is Malaysia's first World Heritage site and—at 4,095 meters (13,435 feet)—it's the highest peak in Southeast Asia. It's a must-visit for botanists, bird-watchers, and nature lovers. While all climbers need to be in tip-top shape before undergoing the challenge, it is regarded as one of the easier mountains of its height in the world to conquer. Keep an eye out for 800 species of orchids and 600 species of ferns, as well as a glimpse of Rafflesia, the largest flower in the world. Those not feeling up for the climb can scour around Kinabalu National Park. While the wildlife is not quite as varied as what you will find at the top, there are still more than 4,000 species of flora and fauna to explore. Surrounding hot springs and treetop walks are also worth experiencing.

    Mount Kinabalu National Park, Ranau, Sabah, 88100, Malaysia
    60-88889098

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: RM15
  • 18. Niah National Park and Caves

    Thick rain forest covers this gorgeous 12-square-mile park, where caves thought to have been inhabited 40,000 years ago are accessed via a short boat ride (0.50 ringgit). Alight from the boat onto a boardwalk that runs between the caves: the Great Cave, at 820 feet wide, is one of the largest caves in the world; the Painted Cave is filled with ancient rock paintings; and the Traders’ Cave is where bird nests were historically collected for soup—and sadly, they still are, though the practice has been decreasing. The park is about a two-hour drive from the Bintulu pier.

    Miri, Sarawak, 98200, Malaysia
    8-573–7450

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: 10 ringgit, payable at park headquarters, Daily 8–5
  • 19. North Borneo Railway

    Originally constructed in 1886 to transport tobacco to the coast for shipping, North Borneo Railway was restored in recent years to offer travelers a chance to board an old steam train and ride through the coastal towns, rice fields, and rain forests that lead from Kota Kinabalu to the agricultural town of Papar. Two journeys take place per week (Wednesday and Saturday) year-round and last for about four hours. Breakfast and a typical "tiffin" colonial lunch is included in the ticket price and served onboard. Booking is required at least a day before departure.

    The Magellan Sutera Resort, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, 88100, Malaysia
    088-308--500

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: RM345, Closed Mon. Tue. Thur. Fri. Sun.
  • 20. Penang Botanic Gardens

    A nearby cascade of water has given Penang Botanic Gardens the widely known nickname of the "Waterfall Gardens." Originally established by the British back in 1884 out of an old granite quarry site, the gardens lie in a deep valley and feature 30 hectares (75 acres) of tropical forests. Keep an eye out for long-tailed macaques, dusky leaf monkeys, and black giant squirrels, and be sure not to feed the monkeys—there are plenty of signs to remind you and a steep fine for anyone who breaks the law. Don't try and tempt them with snacks or bottled drinks either; they'll simply snatch them from you, occasionally aggressively.

    673A Jalan Kebun Bunga, Georgetown, Penang, 10350, Malaysia
    042-264--401

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free

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