MALAYSIAMalaysia
HIGHLIGHTS
(^) Pulau Perhentian ( p481 ) Wake up; swim; lie on beach; nap; snorkel; eat; wander; snooze.
(^) Mt Kinabalu ( p497 ) Hoofing it over pitcher plants and moonscapes for the sunrise atop a
looming granite spire.
(^) Semporna Archipelago ( p505 ) Smiling in your scuba mask while backstroking past peaceful
turtles, aloof sharks and technicolour coral.
(^) Pulau Tioman ( p473 ) Hopping from one perfect beach village to the next, diving reefs and
wrecks and spotting monkeys in the jungle.
(^) Taman Negara ( p487 ) Getting wet, muddy and covered in leeches but loving every swash-
buckling minute of it.
(^) Pulau Penang ( p461 ) Gorging on the country’s best hawker food, breathing in sinus-
tingling incense and exploring Georgetown’s rickety alleyways.
(^) Off the beaten track ( p523 & p523 ) Sipping wild teas and crunching pineapple at a wob-
bly longhouse in Bario and the Kelabit Highlands, then climbing the limestone crags at
Gunung Mulu’s Pinnacles.
FAST FACTS
(^) Budget US$18 a day
Capital Kuala Lumpur (KL)
Costs dorm bed RM12, two beers RM18,
four-hour bus ride RM
Country code (^) % 60
(^) Languages Bahasa Malaysia (official),
Chinese (Hakka and Hokkien dialects),
Tamil, English
(^) Money US$1 = RM3.46 (ringgit)
(^) Phrases selamat pagi (good morning),
terima kasih (thank you)
Population 25 million
Time GMT + eight hours
Visas people of most nationalities visiting
Malaysia are presented with a 30- to
90-day visa on arrival
TRAVEL HINTS
Malaysia is a Muslim country so dress appropriately by covering everything to the knees and
over the shoulders. Airfares can be so cheap around Borneo that flying is sometimes cheaper
than bussing.
OVERLAND ROUTES
From Peninsular Malaysia, you can head into Thailand and Singapore. From Sarawak, you can
enter Indonesia (Kalimantan) and Brunei. Brunei can also be entered from Sabah.
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