15 Best Things to Do in Malaysia

Can’t decide between visiting dive sites and tropical beaches, adventuring in the mountains or exploring swish city centers? Deliberate no more – Malaysia has you covered. This Southeast Asian nation has an astonishing variety of landscapes, cultures and cuisines.

In the cities, minarets, mandirs and Chinese temples share the skyline with high-rises. Beyond the urban bustle are rainforests, mountains and radiant beaches. From Peninsular Malaysia to the island of Borneo, traditional arts, crafts and recipes endure – even as cities hurtle toward the latest architectural and gastronomic trends.

Here are 15 of Malaysia’s most unmissable experiences.

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1. Sip Tea in the Cameron Highlands

Once upon a time, Malaysia’s British colonialists fled to higher ground, founding hill stations where they could retreat from the heat and jump-start a tea industry. The most famous are in the Cameron Highlands, and it’s now mostly tourists (local and international) who come to seek respite from Malaysia’s muggy lowlands. At 1300–1829m, these heights offer plenty of hikes, as well as strawberry fields and souvenir stalls, but the quintessential Cameron experience is sipping a bronze-hued cuppa while looking out at the rippling carpet of tea estates.

Planning tip: Boh Sungei Palas not only has emerald hillsides to gaze upon but also has the most informative displays on tea making. A splendid tea house overlooks the estate at Cameron Valley Tea House, and a further-flung option is Boh Tea Garden, which has guided tours.

2. Climb into the Magical Batu Caves

Sheer limestone cliffs rise above, ahead stretches a staircase of 272 steps and looking you smack in the eye is an imperious gilded statue, the Hindu god Lord Murugan – newcomers to Malaysia won’t soon forget their first heady ascent to Batu Caves, nor the cheeky macaques that beset them on all sides. This popular day trip from Kuala Lumpur (just 13km and easily done by train) draws repeat visitors galore. Tourists, pilgrims and locals all clamor to this natural wonder and spiritual spectacle.

The complex of limestone caverns has entrancing temples, each with dioramas showing mythical scenes. The central Temple Cave has been a Hindu shrine since 1890. After touring its two yawning chambers, take a side quest across a short bridge to the quieter Ramayana Cave, where dioramas illustrate the eponymous Sanskrit epic poem of duty and virtue.

Planning tip: If the regular crowds don’t daunt you, time your visit for the Thaipusam Festival (late January or early February), when crowds of devotees descend upon the caves, some partaking in ritual piercings – it’s an immersive and unforgettable event.

3. Dive in the Pristine Perhentian Islands

Culture, check. Food, check. Malaysia is also one of Asia’s best honeymoon destinations, especially the Perhentian islands, where clear waters lap golden sand. But don’t doze off in your sun lounger just yet – the Perhentians are even more magical beneath the water.

Snorkelers can spy on coral reefs within reach of the beach (try Teluk Pauh and Shark Point, both on the big island). Better yet, wriggle into a wetsuit and dive among green sea turtles, barracuda and colorful reef dwellers like yellow boxfish. More experienced divers can join excursions down to the MV Union Star. This sunken freighter is known as the “Sugar Wreck” for the cargo it transported before meeting its rusty end; today, the wreck swirls with stingrays and scorpionfish.

Planning tip: The Perhentians are a wonderfully calm (and comparatively budget-friendly) place to take a diving certification course before testing your skills among the local nurse sharks (they're harmless).

4. Eat at the Markets in George Town

The capital of Penang island is awash in street art and crammed with boutiques selling arts and crafts. But before hitting George Town’s attractions, heed your grumbling stomach. The best things to do in Penang revolve around eating and drinking, and the state capital has the biggest banquet.

In a city rife with food markets, elegant cafes and everything in between, the only dilemma is where in George Town to begin. Our dream menu features digging into chicken curry at venerable Indian spot Hameediyah, slurping Hokkien mee (noodles fried with meat, boiled squid, prawns and strips of fried egg) at Lorong Baru Hawker Stalls and following our nose to grilled satay skewers and spicy-sweet rojak (a mixed vegetable dish with a thick shrimp-based sauce) at Anjung Gurney Night Market. Other must-try dishes are spicy, fishy Penang laksa, and char kway teow (rice noodles sizzled with huge prawns); some of the best are served at Kafe Heng Huat.

Detour: Pay a visit to Penang's Tropical Spice Garden, an eco-attraction with natural trails through gardens with over 500 acres of tropical flora and 300 varieties of spices. Tours and cooking classes are available on-site, as well as an excellent restaurant.

5. Hike Through Taman Negara

Reality check: for all of Malaysia’s natural splendor, the country faces serious environmental challenges, like encroachment of palm plantations on forested land. These threats make pockets of unspoiled nature like Taman Negara even more precious. Literally translated as “National Park,” Taman Negara is 4343 sq km of primeval, protected land crossing Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu states. Its 130 million-year-old rainforest is among the oldest in the world (pipped to the title by Australia’s Daintree), and along its trails, you’re enclosed by the deafening soundtrack of jungle life.

Fairy-sized katydids whirr through the forest, macaques chatter in the branches, and hornbills clack their beaks from above. If you’re lucky, a gaur (an Asian bison with a distinctive bowl cut) will lumber into view. If you're incredibly lucky, you’ll see a glimpse of a tiger, elephant or ultra-rare Malayan peacock-pheasant.

Planning tip: Whatever your fortunes spotting wildlife, don’t miss walking the 45m-high canopy walkway, taking a firefly boat ride or joining an after-dark hike to see things that go bump (or squeak or scuttle) in the night.

6. Ride a Trishaw Around Historic Melaka

Trishaws are a bone-rattling, traffic-dodging, three-wheeled form of transportation. To some, they’re a joyride; to others, a menace. But in Melaka, trishaws are out of this world, as likely lavished in flowers, tinsel and knockoff logos as adorned with Hello Kitty neons, the Frozen logo and lighting rigs that could almost guide lost ships to shore. More than 300 of the blingiest trishaws around ply their trade in Melaka, with some offering history tours.

Aboard a trishaw, you might trundle past the Sultanate Palace and the spiky silhouette of the replica Flor de la Mar. You can spin through Dutch Square, which is lined with pinkish buildings like Christ Church. And as the sun dips below the horizon, your trishaw will begin to twinkle with fairy lights, lanterns and neon signs – it’s hard to resist snapping a selfie.

7. Go Off-Grid on a Private Island at Royal Belum

What does solitude even mean in the era of smartphones? Find out by going cold turkey on a private island in Royal Belum State Park, way up north in Peninsular Malaysia's Belum-Temengor Rainforest.

As you take the longboat to the resort, your vibrating phone will fall into a slumber. To replace the constant overstimulation, dive off the island jetty for a swim, sleep in an A-frame tent and awake to watch for all 10 species of hornbills swooping overhead. You can take guided hikes through the jungle in search of whopping great rafflesia blooms, and watch out for tell-tale elephant footprints in the mud.

8. Witness Bats in Flight from Eerie Mulu Caves

The island of Borneo is an everyday Eden, where rainforests and reefs teem with wildlife. Amid this natural abundance, it’s challenging to zoom in on one particular spectacle, but Gunung Mulu still rises to the top.

At this national park, toothy limestone pinnacles add drama to a landscape of 60 million-year-old rainforests, twisting streams and deep grottoes. The most momentous experience is seeing the skies blacken with bats pouring out of the mouth of Deer Cave. Up to 3 million bats hang around in these dank chambers, and their midair acrobatics are to flummox hawks waiting for a mouthful.

Planning tip: Tours take you inside Deer Cave and amid the spiraling stalactites of nearby Lang Cave before you step outside to watch the aerial spectacle from around 5pm.

9. Meet Magnificent Apes in Borneo

Humans share approximately 97% of our DNA with orangutans, so why not pay these long-lost relatives a visit? Make Sepilok your base: at the 43 sq km Sepilok Orang-Utan Rehabilitation Centre, you can watch shaggy apes swing into view. The center pairs young primates with older partners to school them in the ways of the jungle before release.

Next, head to Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary, less than half an hour’s drive away. Listen for the thundering sound as they race across the wooden boardwalk at feeding time. Their squishy noses and pot bellies have a strange dignity that is so like us humans.

Add a third mammalian encounter by visiting Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre, which rescues members of Southeast Asia’s smallest bear family. There are 43 of these honey-guzzling cuties on site.

10. Marvel at a Spectacular Mosque in Kuala Kangsar

Malaysia is studded with magnificent mosques, from Mughal marvels to functional modern constructions, but one masjid (mosque) steals the show for its sheer grandeur: Masjid Ubudiah in the rocky region of Perak. Designed by famed architect AB Hubback, the mosque has whopping gold domes and Italian marble that are a visual feast. It’s not the only showpiece in town, either: take a spin around Muzium Diraja Kuala Kangsar and the Galeri Sultan Azlan Shah for an extra dose of architectural opulence.

11. Look for Bearded Pigs in Bako National Park

Sarawak’s Bako National Park checks off much of the Bornean wildlife must-see list: dense jungle, mischievous monkeys, slinky water monitors and orchids peeping from the ground. More than 190 bird species flit, soar and chatter through Bako, the oldest national park in Sarawak.

So what makes it distinctive? Firstly, the sea stacks that lend it a dramatic silhouette, sculpted by the action of water (admire them from Pandan Kecil beach). And secondly, the prospect of spotting bearded pigs, whose fuzzy bodies and shaggy snouts make for a gruff and adorable encounter.

Planning tip: Staying overnight is the best way to maximize your chances of a sighting. Take a night walk with an experienced guide who will point the way.

12. Dive with Turtles at Pulau Sipadan

Malaysia boasts a few marine paradises, but Pulau Sipadan is uncommonly remote and wild. The island is an extinct volcanic cone where coral reefs flourish and palm trees provide scant shade on bone-white beaches. These waters are a catwalk of superstars: head out on a dive and spot big-eye trevallies, hammerhead sharks and two species of turtle – green and hawksbill. They’re so abundant that it’s not unusual to see a dozen turtles on a single dive.

Planning tip: The journey to Sipadan takes effort. After landing on Malaysian Borneo, you’ll either connect to Tawau or bus onward to Semporna, from where you can day trip to the island (or stay elsewhere on the archipelago; Pulau Sipadan itself doesn’t allow overnight stays).

13. Get a Bird’s-Eye View on Pulau Langkawi

Pulau Langkawi is a true holiday island, with blond beaches and rugged jungles. The best way to experience its splendor? Get up high.

Ride the SkyCab up to Gunung Machinchang (713m), where engineering marvel Langkawi Sky Bridge stands; or drive up to admire views from 881m Gunung Raya. Alternatively, zip-lining helps you feel the wind in your hair and gives you a shot of adrenaline as you fly above the geopark’s canopy, startling a few hornbills along the way.

14. Join a Cooking Class in Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia is a confluence of cuisines. There are thriving scenes for Malay, Peranakan, Indian and Chinese food, always with distinctly local and regional twists; try Penang laksa, Ipoh chicken bean sprouts and every variety of cendol (an icy, coconut milk refresher) you can find. Fading colonial influences from the Dutch, British and Portuguese also lend their recipes to this steaming smorgasbord.

Some flavors will forever be a twinkle in the chef’s eye, but you can take a few recipes home by joining a cooking class. Kuala Lumpur is an excellent place to study; skilled chefs will guide you through recipes like prawn fritters, nasi lemak (coconut rice with all the trimmings) and famous beef rendang.

Planning tip: LaZat Malaysian Home Cooking has been around since 2007 and offers a changing menu that spans the classic rice noodle dish char kway teow to fragrant kapitan chicken and sago pudding.

15. Scale Mt Kinabalu

The highest mountain on Borneo, Mt Kinabalu is Malaysia's first UNESCO site. Viewed from below, this cloud-spearing summit (4095m) inspires awe: an outlying peak that rises far higher than its neighbors in the Crocker mountain range. But experienced from the summit, Mt Kinabalu is even more heavenly.

Your penance for this heavenly vantage point? A thigh-burning ascent, some 8.7km each way. But every phase of the journey (split across 2 days) opens up a new natural wonder. The rough steps and stony pathways propel you ever higher above the tree line, past lunar rock faces, high-alpine grasslands and tangled carpets of ferns, rhododendrons and bamboo. At Panalaban, you’ll bed down in a hostel for the night – or at least for a few fitful hours because you’ll be out of bed early to reach the spiky granite summit at sunrise.

Planning tip: March to August is dry season for climbing. Limited permits to climb are issued each day, and you have to climb with a guide.