18 day itinerary

Hi

My boyfriend and I are travelling to Malaysia in April for 16 days. We fly in and out of KL and that is as far as we have planned. Ideally we'd like to fit in 5/6 relaxed days on a beach where we can do some snorkelling, some time on a trek or at a nature reserve and then a few days in Kl before we fly home.

Any suggestions? While we want to see as much as we can on our trip, we don't want to spend a lot of days travelling.

thanks

For snorkelling try the east coast between Kota Bahru and Kuala Terranganu. There are quite a few great islands off this area that are fabulous and you are well beyond the monsoon season and the water should be clear and calm.
The east coast of Malaysia is very different than the west coast. The east coast has a large Muslim influence, the people are very warm and welcoming and food somewhat different. The one caveat is if you like to drink it is more difficult to find and more expensive and normally only available in Chinese establishments.

We love the east coast.

For snorkelling try the east coast between Kota Bahru and Kuala Terranganu. There are quite a few great islands off this area that are fabulous and you are well beyond the monsoon season and the water should be clear and calm.
The east coast of Malaysia is very different than the west coast. The east coast has a large Muslim influence, the people are very warm and welcoming and food somewhat different. The one caveat is if you like to drink it is more difficult to find and more expensive and normally only available in Chinese establishments.

To save time getting there Airasia flies KL to Kuala Terenganu and an airline called Firefly fly from Penang.

Penang is a very lovely and interesting city on the west coast but the snorkelling is very limited however there is an Island nearby call Langkawi and it is also very good snorkelling however the water is often a little more turbid. Is is accessible by air from KL and also from Penang via a very enjoyable ferry ride.

We love the east coast.

Agree with the East Coast..the Perhentians for example.

You could fly to Kota Bharu (or take bus or train) and then boat over to the Perhentians.Then head down overland to either Taman Negara (jungle treks) or the Cameron Highlands (hill trekking)and from there back to KL.

The beaches/snorkelling in the north east are good but the trekking in Malaysia is nothing special IMHO.....though you can find some tougher jungle treks if you look.

For the beach I'd also recommend the east coast islands. Perhentian is the obvious choice, but also Lang Tengah and Redang are beautiful:
http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/EastCoast/Perhentian/
http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/EastCoast/Lang_Tengah/
http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/EastCoast/Redang/

For the trek there are a number of options:

1. Stay in west Malaysia
   Visit the Royal Belum State park, the Gunung Stong state park & Gua Ikan, possibly have a look at the tea plantations on the Cameron highlands:
   http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/Kelantan/
   http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/WestCoast/Belum/
   http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/WestCoast/Cameron/

2. Base yourself in Kuching and do daytrips to the attractions in the area, or stay for a night or two in the NPs in the area (for instance Bako, Tanjung Datu etc), then fly to Perhentian via Kota Bharu:
   http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/Sarawak/
   There are also nice beaches in Sematan, although not as beautiful as those on Perhentian.

3. Do the Mulu NP + the Kelabit highlands: great trekking opportunities, beautiful caves and nature, then fly to Perhentian via Kota Bharu

4. This option is much more expensive, but very, very cool: stay in Sabah, visiting the wildlife areas in Sepilok, Labuk bay, Kinabatangan river, Danum valley, Tabin) and/or do the Mt Kinabalu climb (not all of these places, as there won't be enough time). Then do the beach either on Sabah's northern coast (islands around KK or for instance Mantanani) or, even better, the islands around Semporna which are breathtakingly beautiful:
   http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/Sabah/

Yes,I forgot about Borneo ;-) Kelabit Highlands is very nice for trekking........

I'd recommend heading over to East Malaysia - Sabah/Sarawak for the best beaches (and probably the best trekking as well). Kuching is a good base for a few nights to visit NPs and also maybe do activities like caving e.g. http://www.kuchingcaving.com/.

That said, as others have mentioned there are plenty of great options on Peninsular Malaysia. If you stay based in PM, the Perhentians are very nice. alfredm's post above lists some of the best options.

Thanks so much for all of your replies. We are going to stay on Peninsular Malaysia and the plan would be to fit in Penang, the Cameron Highlands (or if anyone has suggestion for a better hill Station) for a day or two and then head to the Perhentians.

I have heard that bus travel is better and sometimes quicker than train? I would consider flying KL to Penang but maybe with the time spent in airports etc the bus/train is a better option, would maybe get to see a bit of the country on our route too. Am presuming that bus is the way to go on to Cameron Highlands and then on to Perhentians. Will fly back then to KL.

If any of you have any advice on the best ways to get about or places to stay in these locations I'd be really grateful. Happy to have a mix of basic accommodation and nicer places.

Thanks!

Kl to Penang I'd use the bus..too much time wasted going to and from airports,checking in etc.Bus is much less hassle.

Down to the CH you can use a bus or a private shuttle minbus...same to go on to the coast (for Perhentians).

Fly back to KL from KB is cheap and easy...or night bus if you prefer to save some cash.

An very enjoyable alternate is the train KL to Butterworth and then the Ferry across the straits to Penang. The train stops in Butterworth about 1 minute on a very easy walkway from the ferry terminal. The ferry lands in Penang right beside some lovely old Chinese Clan settlements on jetty's and near the down town area.

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