Malaysia travel information

Best time to travel

When you’re planning your Malaysia trip, keep in mind the tropical climate. Basically, Malaysia can be split into two parts: East and West. Click here for a map of Malaysia.

East Malaysia
Best time to travel is March – mid October. The east coast is where you’ll find most of the tropical islands. The rest of the year, in our winter months (mid-October – February) the heavy and tempestuous monsoon storms pass along the east coast and during this monsoon season most of the island resorts are closed and boat crossings to the islands are regularly cancelled due to rough seas.

West Malaysia
West Malaysia is fine all year round. There isn’t really a monsoon season here; on average most of the rain falls in the months December, January and February, though these showers are nowhere near as heavy as on the East Coast and shouldn’t hamper your travels at all.

Borneo (Sabah and Sarawak)
Borneo is fine all year round. Most of the rain falls in the months October – March, particularly December and January around Kuching in Sarawak. Don’t let a bit of rain put you off though, you’ll find the occasional shower is a welcome relief in the otherwise tropical heat. In Sabah most of the rain falls from May – November, though it’s usually a lot less than in Sarawak.

Travelling in Malaysia during Ramadan
Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country which means that Ramadan, the islamic month of fasting is widely observed. The Ramadan shouldn’t really affect your travel plans, though there are some points you should be aware of. Restaurants and street stalls may be closed during the fasting hours (sunrise – sunset) and some shops operated amended opening hours. Respecting the local social conventions is greatly appreciated so although visitors are under no obligation to observe the Ramadan, as a courtesy you may want to be discreet about eating, drinking and smoking in public places during the fasting hours. The three-day Eid celebration that marks the end of the Ramadan is traditionally the time to visit families and friends or enjoy a short holiday. During Eid it may be busier than usual in the popular tourist regions like Cameron Highlands or Taman Negara. Click here for an overview of the Malaysia national holidays.

Things to do in Malaysia

Escape to paradise
Dotted throughout the tropical seas of Malaysia are probably the most beautiful islands in South-East Asia. They’re the perfect place to begin or end your trip. We’ve fallen in love with the islands in the north and south-east, though on the west coast you’ll also find Pulau Pangkor, a great place for a few days of sun and sand halfway during your Malaysia trip, or the slightly larger Pulau Langkawi with its sparkling white beaches and clear waters perfect for snorkelling. On Borneo you’ll find the diver’s paradise Pulau Spadan and Pulau Tiga. No surprise, we definitely recommend planning a couple of days on one of the islands either at the start or end of your trip.

Tropical jungle
Taman Negara and Endau Rompin National Park in Malaysia and Bako, Similajau and Gunung Mulu National Park on Borneo. You could get a taste of the jungle on a luxury stay in Taman Negara, or go on one of our multi-day trekkings which will take you deeper into the dense rainforest. Higher up in the comfortably cool Cameron Highlands, rainforest make way for endless tea plantations. Because of their geographical location these natural highlights can easily be combined with modules in both East and West Malaysia. On Borneo you can get a taste of the jungle on shorter, one-day or half-day treks, or choose from one of our longer more adventurous jungle treks.

Cultural highlights
Melaka, south of Kuala Lumpur, is a city full of colonial heritage, while on Penang you’ll find more of the Chinese Malaysian history. Pulau Langkawi in the north-west has lots of beautiful beaches, as well as more contemporary attractions like second-largest aquarium in Asia and an impressive modern art museum. Around Marang and Kuala in the north-east you can experience the real Malaysia during a traditional homestay. You’ll spend a couple of days as the guest of a local family and take part in the daily life of the Malaysians. On Borneo you can visit the Iban tribe and experience traditional life in the jungle.
For more information, click on our modules or itineraries page.

Malaysia travel information - The street's the best place to try local food

Food
Malaysian cuisine is extremely varied. It includes Chinese, Thai and Indian dishes as well as the local cuisine, and in most hotels and restaurants you’ll also find Western food on the menu. The Nyonya cuisine is typically Malaysian. It’s a unique combination of Chinese and Malaysian with sweet, sour, hot and spicy flavours. Make sure you try the food stalls on the street, particularly the Muslim Indian ‘Mamak’ stalls. The food is freshly prepared, extremely tasty and very cheap. The islands and coastal regions are great for fresh fish, but every region or city has its own specialities. For more Malaysia travel information check out the tips at the bottom of the modules pages.

Drinks

Drinking water: Unlike what you might expect from most countries in South-East Asia, the tap water in Malaysia is safe to drink. It does taste of chlorine though. Usually tap water is boiled first and then cooled with ice cubes. Having your vegetables, salad and cutlery washed in this water shouldn’t be a problem, but to minimise your chances of getting sick we suggest sticking to bottled water for drinking. You can buy it in virtually every hotel and most shops on the street.

Alcohol: Malaysia is predominantly a Muslim country and as you may know many Muslims abstain from alcohol. Try to respect the local customs by not drinking alcohol in public places, for example food stalls. Some places don’t serve alcohol at all, so you can occasionally expect a polite ‘no’ when you ask for a beer. Most hotels and restaurants popular with foreign visitors do serve alcohol and it usually isn’t a problem to have one or a couple of drinks here.

Malaysia travel information - Bottled water, available everywhere

Malaysia travel information - Keep your eyes open in the water

Swimming
Malaysia has some of the world’s most beautiful beaches and tropical islands and the azure waters are great for swimming, snorkelling and diving. Bear in mind though that, especially in monsoon season from mid October - February, there may be jellyfish in the waters along the coast. Most of the jellyfish (clear with short tentacles) are harmless, but along the north-west coast around the islands Penang and Langkawi, the box jellyfish occasionally occurs. Coming into contact with the long, stringy tentacles of the box jellyfish can be lethal. To be safe, check with the locals or the hotel staff before you go into the water, and keep your eyes open.

Language
Bahasa Malayu is the official language in Malaysia and is also spoken in southern Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia. In the more popular tourist areas most of the locals speak English, but even in the more remote places there’s usually someone who knows at least a bit of English.

Phone calls
To make a phone call it’s best to use a so-called scratch card, available everywhere in the little kiosks, in supermarkets and most souvenir shops. They’re very easy to use and the instructions are on the card. You scratch the card to reveal a multi-digit code. From a phone cell dial the (free) number on the card and type in the code and then the number you want to call. To use your mobile, check with your provider for rates and coverage. You can also buy a local pre-paid SIM-card, for example Digi or Celcom which will save you a lot of money if you’re calling within Malaysia.

Malaysia travel information - Most of the locals speak English

Malaysia travel information - Time to celebrate

Time zones
Malaysia is 8 hours ahead of GMT. Malaysia does not operate Daylight Saving Time.

Holiday periods
During the local school holidays and national holidays it can be particularly busy in some places on weekend. If you're looking for peace and quiet on one of the tropical islands it's wise to keep these holiday periods in mind. Click here for the exact dates of local holiday periods.

Religion
Though predominantly Muslim, Malaysia also has a large Hindu, Christian and Buddhist population. The Ramadan is widely observed and although it shouldn't affect your travel plans too much, there are some issues you should be aware of if you're in Malaysia during this month. More information on the Ramadan can be found at the top of this page.

Voltage
In Malaysia voltage is 240Volt with British 3-pin plugs which means you won't need to bring an adaptor.

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