Initial Malaysian Trip Planning, Help Needed
 

We are considering a trip to Malaysia which would be either October or November....is that a good time to visit? Some of the things we would like to include is climbing Mt. Kinabalu, seeing the orangs (can be a day trip), hopefully a beach stop for snorkeling and relaxing (Redang or other), and 1 or 2 nights in KL. Our trip will probably be about two weeks so wondering what might be a good itinerary and route to do all this. Any suggestions for lodging, transportation, special sights, etc. would be appreciated. Our other thought was Vietnam and Laos so give your thoughts on that as well if you have visited both areas.

I believe you have read my Borneo trip report, which gives a lot of information. I can't remember where you are flying from, but Malaysian AIr, whgich is an excellent airline often has good specials. They would take you in and out of KL, and might give you a discount on in-country flights. You'll want to fly to Kota Kinabalu from KL. There are nice beaches outside of KK, and there is a Shangri-La there that gets good reviews.

Decide how you want to see Orangs. If you are content with captive "rehab" centers, you can see them easily. Most places to see Orangs are a flight (not a day trip) from KK. As you know, I encourage people to consider actually seeing them in the wild. The Borneo Rainforest Lodge is a fabulous experience. If you opt to do both Mt. Kinabalu and the Rainforest Lodge, do Mt. Kinabalu first, as once you've seen the Danum Valley, you know what pristine rainforest looks like (and it doesn't look like Kinabalu Park).

I loved Kuching, which is in Sarawak, a short flight from KK. There is a rehab center you can visit there that is a day trip from Kuching. (I have not been there.)

If it were me, I'd spend a good 10 days in Malaysian Borneo - see the Orangs, have your beach time there, and then spend a last couple of days in KL.

I've spent time in Laos and VN as well. These are very differnt destinations. Laos and VN would be a cultural trip, Borneo would be much more a nature trip.

Hi

My wife and I went to Malaysia on vacation last year and we went to KL, Langkawi and Perhentian. I have posted a trip report with pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/malaysia_kuala_lumpur.htm and maybe you can find some useful info there to start with. When it comes to the weather you should check out http://www.weatherbase.com :d

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

We have been to Malaysia twice, loved the shopping in KL stayed in Shangri-la Hotel, will stay there again on next trip this November. Cheap taxis, good day time shopping, good night market.
Borneo - Shangri-la Rasa Ria Hotel, great hotel for wonderful relax. We took short flight to see orangutans in Sepilok - a very good experience and a worthwhile project to help return orangutans to the wild.
Also Langkawi lovely place for relaxing.
I'm sure whatever you do you will have a great holiday in Malaysia.

Monsoon storms would be brewing off coastal Sabah/Sarawak in Oct-Nov. It's not exactly a good time to holiday in places fringing South China Sea (read: that includes Redang and parts of Indochina). KL, Langkawi, Andaman sea island archipelago and west coast peninsula Malaysia will be OK. I suggest you cover places fringing Straits of Malacca instead .. Penang, Sumatra Medan, Lake Toba, Phuket, Langkawi, Taman Negara, KL, Malacca .. etc.

If you like climbing mountain, you can try Mount Tahan, the highest in peninsula. The trail is much tougher touristy Kinabalu that comes with railings, steps and dorm. Just you and nature. Its gateway is at Merapoh, west Taman Negara. You can hire guides and porters there.

There are two Shangri-La hotels in KK. The Rasa Ria and the Tanjung.
The Rasa Ria has an Orangutan sanctuary adjacent to it,and a wonderful beach location. However,the beach has a problem with sand flies,and at certain times a major problem with jelly fish. That said it is still a very nice hotel but 45mins from KK.
The Tanjung is much nearer to town and offers better sea swimming and some snorkeling.
The Sepilok sanctuary at Sandakan is a flight away and can be quite easilly done as a day trip. We did exactly that and were even able to fit in a visit to the Puu Jih Shih Buddhist Temple, The Sandakan POW camp memorial centre and several other places of interest. A long day, but certainly doable as a day trip.
To reach the top of Mt Kinabalu is a two day trip and not an easy climb.
The Tambunan Rafflesia Reserve is a must in Kinabalu Park. Here you might see the worlds largest flower!!!

For those who wonder what's Rafflesia, see a documentary I uploaded two weeks ago at link http://www.lonelyplanet.tv/Clip.aspx...7EF76E53A5E67C

Contrary to popular belief, Rafflesia is also found in peninsula - if you know where to look.

Borneo is a splendid place to visit, especially for the nature lovers. The best time to visit Borneo would be between April - August. Not only it's teh best time of the year in terms of its weather, you'd get to experience the traditions and cultures of the indigenous tribes of Sabah (North Borneo), their local dishes and not forgetting their warmth hospitailty.

-Charles
www.excitingborneo.com

Hi,
I went to Malaysia last month (may 12th) for about 11 days. I can give you an itinerary which I did and you could take off from there.
We landed at KL from India and took the internal flight (Air Asia) from there to Kota Kinabalu(KK). An overnight there - we did the philipino and the night market and a pub called cocoon by the esplanade. The next day flew to Sandakan and proceeded to the wild life camp - 3days/2 nights. It is a must do. We were lucky to see the 'old man of the jungle' - the orang really in the 'wild' (and not at the sepilok rehab)- truly amazing sight. The night and early morning safaris by speed boats are awesome. After the 3 day camp we got back to Sandakan for a day. Visited the famous Keith Agnes's house and had lunch at the Old English Tea house. A must. Next flew into KK by air asia -an overnight.Next day our travel agent took us to the kinabalu park and from there we got on to our climb to mt. kinabalu with an overnight halt half way at laban rata.Early morning (2.30 am!!) start to the summit and got to see the spectacular sight of the sun rise. On return went for the most relaxibng massage at jari jari (in KK).Next day we went to the nearby island for a day trip (snorkelling and diving)lunch included. Went to the monsipiad village the next day. Back to KL and then homeward bound.

When you tell Malaysians you want to see the orangs, they'll tell you that orangs are everywhere and there's no need to go into the jungle! Hutan means jungle hence orangutans.
Penang is popular with tourists and no I don't know Jason of travelbuddy.
Malaysia is much more developed than Laos and Vietnam and therefore can be more expensive.