Three cultures at one table
Malay, Chinese and Indian communities live side by side, and you taste it: nasi lemak for breakfast, char kway teow in Penang, roti canai at any hour.
Main destination
Malaysia
Cities where three cultures meet, one of the world’s oldest rainforests and islands in clear water.
From the towers of Kuala Lumpur to the ancient forest of Taman Negara and the jungles of Borneo, Malaysia surprises at every turn. Our team designs journeys that mix culture, nature and quiet days on the islands.
What you’ll remember
- Kuala Lumpur, where old and new sit side by side
- The Taman Negara rainforest, one of the oldest in the world
- Penang’s heritage streets and food
- Borneo’s rainforests and wildlife
- Island time on Langkawi and Tioman
Why Malaysia
Borneo’s wildlife
In Sabah you can watch young orangutans at Sepilok and look for proboscis monkeys and pygmy elephants from a boat on the Kinabatangan River.
Heritage port towns
George Town and Melaka are UNESCO-listed, with shophouses, clan houses, temples and mosques sharing the same old streets.
Easy to travel
English is widely spoken, roads are good and domestic flights are short, so Malaysia is easy to travel with children or on a first trip to Asia.
Our journeys in Malaysia.
Each one is a starting point, shaped around you.
Borneo: Into the Wild
Kuching — Sarawak interior — Mulu — Sabah
From Highlands to Islands
Kuala Lumpur — Taman Negara — Cameron Highlands — Penang — Langkawi — Perhentian Islands
Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur by Sea
Bangkok — Khao Sok — Koh Lanta — Koh Lipe — Langkawi — Kuala Lumpur
When to go.
The current month is outlined. Conditions shift a little every year.
West coastKuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi January — idealFebruary — idealMarch — goodApril — goodMay — goodJune — idealJuly — idealAugust — idealSeptember — goodOctober — goodNovember — goodDecember — ideal
Warm all year with afternoon showers; drier Dec–Feb and Jun–Aug, wetter around April and in Oct–Nov. Langkawi and Penang are at their driest Dec–Feb.
East coast islandsPerhentian, Redang, Tioman January — off seasonFebruary — off seasonMarch — goodApril — idealMay — idealJune — idealJuly — idealAugust — idealSeptember — idealOctober — goodNovember — off seasonDecember — off season
Calm, clear water Apr–Sep; the north-east monsoon brings rough seas Nov–Feb, when many island resorts close.
BorneoSabah and Sarawak January — goodFebruary — goodMarch — idealApril — idealMay — idealJune — idealJuly — idealAugust — idealSeptember — idealOctober — goodNovember — goodDecember — good
Best Mar–Sep; Nov–Feb is wetter, though the rainforest and its wildlife are there all year.
Ideal Good Off season
Getting there
Kuala Lumpur is the main international gateway. Penang, Langkawi and Kota Kinabalu in Borneo are short domestic flights away, and Malaysia is easy to reach overland or by boat from southern Thailand.
Visa & entry
Many nationalities can enter Malaysia visa-free. Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo run their own passport checks, even on domestic flights. Rules change; our pre-departure pack covers what you need.
Pace
The peninsula and Borneo are separated by the South China Sea, so we treat them as two parts of the trip, linked by a short flight, and match each to its best season.
From the journal
Malaysia, your way.
Tell us when and with whom. Our Asia-based specialists shape the trip with you.
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