Kuala Lumpur
Resembling twin silver rockets, the Petronas Towers are the perfect allegory for the meteoric rise of the city from tin-mining shanty town to 21st-century…
Must-see attractions in Malaysia
Forest Research Institute Malaysia
Malaysia
A fresh green haven in easy reach of Kuala Lumpur, the 545-hectare Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) is an active centre of forest management…
Kuantan
Located 26km north of Kuantan, the limestone karst containing Gua Charas towers high above the surrounding palm plantations. The caves owe their fame to a…
Chinatown, Merdeka Square & Bukit Nanas
The huge open square, where Malaysian independence was declared in 1957, is speared by a 95m flagpole, one of the world's tallest. In the British era, the…
Kuala Lumpur
At the heart of the mammoth KLCC development, this excellent park offers a 1.3km soft-surface jogging track, a great children's playground and paddling…
Malaysia
State history, from traditional weapons to blow-by-blow accounts of European invasions, is well presented at this museum 2.5km southwest of central…
Malaysia
A world away from the resorts is 80-hectare Cape Rachado Forest Reserve. A paved road (pedestrians only) leads through towering jungle to brilliant-white…
Kuala Lumpur
Housed in a 60-storey tower designed by British architects Foster and Partners, this impressive art gallery presents exhibitions spanning various media…
Melaka City
Touring this traditional Baba-Nonya (Peranakan) townhouse transports you to a time when women peered at guests through decorative partitions and every…
Galeri Diraja Sultan Abdul Aziz
Malaysia
Housed within a well-restored colonial-era building are treasures of the Selangor Sultanate, which dates back to 1766. The building, designed by prolific…
Taiping
With many of Perak's museums in dire need of more funding, Taiping's well-maintained Muzium Perak stands out. Parts of the pristine, whitewashed building…
Cameron Highlands
This scarlet-and-yellow temple complex, just south of Brinchang, about 1km off the main road, is stacked high with gleaming golden statues of Chinese…
Malaysia
Be prepared to get very wet on the exhilarating 1½-hour hike to Chiling Waterfalls, a 20m-tall, triple cascade. Register at the cabin by the small bridge …
Kuantan
This museum's collection is housed in an attractive colonial-era building just north of the Padang. The museum focuses on the state's culture, history and…
Pahang & Tioman Island
This abandoned and much forlorn (there's a tree growing from its roof) two-storey wood and stone palace was built in 1935. With unusual twin yellow…
Pahang & Tioman Island
One of Malaysia's historic polo clubs, this huge and verdant polo field is located next to Istana Abu Bakar; if you've a car, it's well worth driving…
History & Ethnography Museums Complex
Melaka City
The ground floor of the Stadthuys houses Melaka's most interesting museum, which focuses on the city's fascinating history and ethnography. Exhibits…
Sarawak
One of the best places in the world to see semiwild orangutans in their natural rainforest habitat, swinging from trees and scurrying up vines, Semenggoh…
Sabah
Imagine a cathedral-like inner chamber shot with splinters of sunlight and a cave floor swarming with cockroaches, and you have the Gomantong Caves. The…
Malaysia
It's referred to as a hill station, but Genting is consumed by a heavily developed entertainment complex. Don't expect mountain walks and stone cottages;…
Perak
This 1175-sq-km park within Belum-Temenggor Rainforest was gazetted in 2007 to protect a rich menagerie of tigers, tapirs, panthers and the Sumatran rhino…
Malaysia
On Pulau Carey island, 40km southwest of Kuala Lumpur (reachable by road), this Orang Asli village is well worth a visit to learn about the distinct…
Kuching
Built by Charles Brooke in 1869, the Astana (a local word meaning 'palace’) – conveniently labelled in giant white letters – and its manicured gardens…
Gunung Mulu National Park
A 3km walk through the rainforest takes you to these adjacent caverns. Deer Cave – over 2km long and 174m high – is the world’s largest cave passage open…
Chinatown, Merdeka Square & Bukit Nanas
KL's urban roar is replaced by buzzing insects and cackling birdlife at this forest of tropical hardwoods, covering 9.37 hectares in the heart of the city…
Pulau Tioman
Its sleepy hideaway bliss is slightly ended by the road crossing the island interior, but Juara remains lovely, offering two long stretches of wide, white…
Sandakan
A beautiful rainforest garden marks the site of a Japanese POW camp and the starting point for the infamous WWII 'death marches' to Ranau. Of the 1793…
Sarawak
Built by Charles Brooke in 1880 to take control of the Upper Rejang, this wooden fort – built of belian (ironwood) – was renamed in 1925 to honour Ranee…
Sarawak
Occupying a remote, rugged peninsula at Sarawak’s far northwestern tip, this compact 14-sq-km national park features endangered mixed dipterocarp…
Batu Caves
Centrepiece of the Batu Caves complex and one of Malaysia's most photographed sights, Temple Cave sits atop 272 colourful steps populated by scampering…
Sarawak
A raised boardwalk leads 3.1km (3½ to four hours return) through swampy old-growth rainforest to the mouth of the Great Cave, a vast cavern approximately…
Ipoh
With a craggy cave mouth beneath a towering cliff, Kek Look Tong (1920) has the most impressive approach of all Ipoh's temples. Three Sages dominate the…
Ipoh
Developed in 1926 by Chinese Buddhists Chong Sen Yee and his wife, this temple (7km north of Ipoh) is popular for its mesmerising murals and panoramic…
Gunung Mulu National Park
Wind Cave, named for the cool breezes blowing through it, has several chambers, including the cathedral-like King’s Chamber, filled with dreamlike forests…
Lake Gardens, Brickfields & Bangsar
On a palm-fringed plaza, with fine views of KL's skyscrapers, stands this bombastic monument. Commemorating military sacrifices in the name of Malaysian…
Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park
Sabah
The islands of Manukan, Gaya, Sapi, Mamutik and Sulug, and the reefs in between, make up the 49-sq-km Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park. Only a short boat…
Perak
With bands of Italian marble and enormous gold domes, Masjid Ubudiah is a contender for the title of Malaysia's prettiest mosque. Commissioned by Perak’s…
Kuala Lumpur
Search out this innovative project space, where various contemporary design and technology skills are taught and can be practised. Laser engravers, 3D…
Kuching
The south bank of Sungai Sarawak along Main Bazaar and Jln Gambier is a lovely tree-shaded promenade, with walkways, lawns and food stalls. It's a fine…
Perak
Immerse yourself in biodiverse Teluk Rubiah forest with a little help from this informative eco centre. An offshoot of green NGO EcoMY (www.ecomy.org),…
