Hi all,
I have 8 days in Malaysia booked for next week. Flying in to KL. Nothing planned so far but I'm thinking of doing some scuba in the perhenian islands and also going to Taman Negara National park for a few days.
Could people give me some advice as to where to go? Keen to hike,scuba and get lots of cool wildlife pictures. I'd love with someone with experience to give me some advice!
You mean, you don't have to pay to feed the elephants? Everywhere else I've been, you have to pay to feed the animals.
Not when you volunteer.
You spend about half an hour to an hour cutting papaya or watermelon and then feed it all to the elephants.
If you want to feed without putting in the work then you can buy peanuts or sugar cake to feed them.
They have a baby elephant which they let us feed too from a big bottle.
Perhaps you might like to check out Cameron Highlands. The Mossy Forest in Mount Batu Brinchang is good for hiking and there are walking trails also - listed as Top things to do in tripadvisor article. Because Cameron Highlands is up in the hills, it is a little cooler for hiking :-)
The tea plantations are fabulous as well, and I relish sitting down at the plantations' cafe for a cuppa & light snacks. Some scenic pics of the cafes.
Downpours can be very heavy, was caught in one when hiking the Mossy Forest at Mount Brinchang. Raincoats a must.
Cameron highlands are amazing. People say you need a real 4wd to get to the top of mossy forest but you totally don't. I did it in a shitty proton with lots of weight in bad weather. All the passengers needed to get our for the steep uphills (the car didn't have enough torque) but the terrain was not an issue. It's a must see.
Another way is a package where they take a 4WD and drive you to these places, and leave you there to explore. These can be booked at the townships themselves (Tanah Rata, Brinchang). Here are just examples to give a flavour. Prices are very reasonable too: e.g. the Adventure Tour1 (covers various places including Mossy Walk) from 9am - 2pm is only RM50 (equiv to AUD16.13).
But for more flexibility, better to book when you are already there, for the next day or whatever. You get more choices and also combinations.
AS a dual Malaysian Aus citizen, i recommend the following.
Highly recommend the state of Penang and Langkawi . My other advice is to take the train from Airport and use uber whenever u r in the city.. And exchange your currency in Bukit Bintang rather than at the Airport or back here in Australia.
Hi,mark17kazuo, it seems you are the right person I should ask for info about K.L. We will be going to K.L. next month. Please advise me which is better to get a taxi or über if we wish ( 4 of us being seniors ) to go to Genting Highlands from KLI 2 ( we will fly by AirAsia ). What phone no. to get an Uber ? Can I use my IPad to get an Uber? Another issue is we intend to stay at one of the many hotels at SS2 Petaling Jaya where it is well famous for many eateries , can you recommend a good hotel there for us ( not necessary a budget hotel) , but something between 3 to 4 stars as we are seniors and are willing to spend a little more for comfort. Thanks in advance for your forthcoming help.
Hi
In regard to travelling and phone . I am actually clueless, as I have never live long enough in Malaysia to to own a phone or drove. But, I do believe uber is the best way to go for "in city transport' . As for going to Genting Highland, I think it best to arrange public transport like a Bus.. Again I am clueless about this bit. You might want to check whether the hotel there arrange such service at a fixed price..
I would recommend using AirBnB (google it) and book the whole place… It cheaper, and the owner at your friendly request could even provide transport at a small fee … It all about good reviews in AirBNB… Don't be surprise if you see hotel also been advertise on AirBnb !
I used to live in Petaling Jaya (PJ) so am familiar with SS2 area.
Is there a reason why you chose to stay in SS2 instead of other areas of PJ, are you perhaps visiting someone in the area?
Yes, SS2 is filled with local coffee shops, hawker food stalls, daily morning wet market & monday night market, but aside from that, there's nothing much to see (if you're a tourist!) and you'll need a car/taxi/uber to get around.
You can charter a taxi, those that you pay a flat fee to drive you to and fro from KLIA to Genting Highlands. Otherwise, you may take the ERL train from KLIA2 to KL Sentral train station then get on a bus to Genting from there. You may want to check this link out, http://www.rwgenting.com/plan-your-trip/travel-planner/trans….
Hope this helps!
Hello, if you want to get an uber you will need internet connection, so if you have roaming set up or just buy a sim card and register your details through the app (can also be installed on Ipad if your ipad has internet). However from the airport i would recommend using the airport taxi's (the ones where you book at the counter and they give you a set price) do NOT get sucked into the taxi drivers that are just waiting at arrivals and asking if you need a taxi. Go to the counter.
For everywhere else, Uber is great, and its very cheap, if you want more comfort you could even request an Uber black (a more high end car) , you enter in your destination and pick up point and you can get an estimated quote (this doesnt really apply for when peak traffic is ) but once when i was caught in a 1.5 hour jam, it was only around $20 AUD for the whole ride for Uber X. Be warned though , taxi drivers really hate Uber so get in the car with no eye contact as fast as you can, do not say 'i have an uber coming'.
ss2 is a bit far from the normal tourist areas and is more for locals. There is 'All you can eat ' Durian stores in that area though :) However for comfort and if you have a bit more budget, I would recommend One World hotel. It is quite close by and there is a massive shopping center (1 Utama) connected to it so it is very convenient.
hope that helps.
You can booked express bus from the website for travel from KLIA2 to Genting, takes 2 hours, cheap, easy and covenient, find the bus quite comfortable too.
Hi. For uber or grabcar which is similar to Uber u need a smartphone and a data plan which u can buy once u collect luggage at the airport.
At the airport I suggest buying a taxi voucher.
Unless u like the casino or interested in the shows Genting has not too much to offer. The hotels there are of poor quality.
There are no real hotels beyond the 3 star variety in SS2. Nearest would be Best Western, Crystal Crown and a few others all of which I dont really recommend.
I would look around Tripadvisor also as there are names, phone numbers and reviews of taxi drivers who rent by the day.
am born in Malaysia and fully agreed with what mark17kazuo suggested above.
esp: Penang is a must for food and heritage, 2-3 nights minimum.
Great advice mate! Can I just ask if Lankawi is super touristy? I'm looking for somewhere quiet and cheap for my diving.
Langkawi is an Island, north of West Malaysia…
I suspect it would be quiet, just need to take ferry trip from Kedah or just fly there directly via AirAsia
Langkawi IS touristy!
You might want to check out Pulau Perhentian (West Malaysia - the one below Thailand) or Sipadan (East Malaysia).
I've been to Perhentian twice but did not dive, the place is beautiful!
Was reading up the the Perhentians were less busy/touristy and better for beginning diver. I'm not sure how true this is but it sounds like if I went there I could visit Penang.
@spazattack91:
To get to Pulau Perhentian, the fastest route would be flying to Kota Bharu airport, then taking a taxi to the jetty which you can buy tickets for ferry/boat rides to the island. This is located in Kelantan (a state in Malaysia), which is the right side of West Malaysia, next to the South China Sea.
Penang is located on the left side of West Malaysia, between Indonesia and Malaysia. I'm not sure if there are direct flights between Penang & Kota Bharu.
Langkawi and Penang is really close by, if you have limited time. But again, I won't recommend diving in Langkawi. Langkawi is a tax free island, beer used to be really cheap but I've not been there in years so I can't comment on prices.
@spazattack91:
this is very true. And Perhentian has better corals and the water was clearer as well. If you go to Langkawi, there is a ferry taking you back and forth to Penang.
http://www.pulauperhentian.com.my/getperhentian.php
And actually there are other Islands with very good corals and diving experience. I personally don't fancy Langkawi that much. But that's just me.
Perhentian Islands isn't near Penang, it would take 5 hours by bus, plus 1 hr ferry so at least 7 to 8 hours and probably a full day door to door.
Perhentian is on the east coast, Penang is on the west coast of the Malaysia Peninsula.
Penang is also another 6 hours from KL so if you wanted to go KL->Perhentian->Penang->KL it would be really full on. Alternative is just to add more days to your trip.
Great advice mate! Can I just ask if Lankawi is super touristy? I'm looking for somewhere quiet and cheap for my diving.
Hello - Malaysian born here. Yes Langkawi is quite touristy, but I have heard good things about Pulau Redang and that its cheaper and awesome for diving / activities.
I agree with kza2610. Langkawi is rather touristy. Been to Redang, and it is fab and cheap. Booked a package that included stay, meals, some trips to marine park, and deep sea snorkeling sites. (Food was great, good chef started then at resort). Those who have been to Perhentian as well as Redang, would love to hear your comments as to how the two compare? Many thanks.
I worked In the perhentians for 6 months and dived with flora Bay divers did my divemaster internship there. Loved the diving.. Crystal clear waters.. Lots of reef sharks, turtles everywhere and a couple of wrecks.. And tauken laut which is a rock popping out the ocean where you can swim round at various levels.. With lots of whale shark sightings. We did a day trip to readang and that was a great days diving also. It was (8 years ago) more of a back packy place but that's sure to have changed now they were building hotels when I was there.. No cars on either Islands.
I worked In the perhentians for 6 months …
Reminds me a bit of that campaign The Best Job in the World. Might not be, but gotta be closed … :-)
Thanks for info.
Just found article: 10 best dive locations in Malaysia, which might be of interest to OP. Redang is No 5, and Perhentian No 9 according to it. This aside, I would still love to hear people's opinions about Perhentian, if any. Would like to visit :-)
Went to a resort at Pulau Lang Tengah last August, since I got the the full package with food and activities included I got to visit and snorkel at all three islands along with having a short day trip walking around. Didn't get to do diving but my overall feel was that
Lang Tengah:
- Small and Quiet, from what I recall only three resorts are on the island and there's no internet
- Not a whole lot of public amenities or services, it's pretty much just the beach, jungle and the resorts with no roads or anything in between them.
- Where they took us to snorkel had a decent amount of corals and fishes here, visibility was fairly good too at the time
Redang:
- More developed, has actual asphalt roads in some parts to connect around the resorts and a larger selection of resorts and associated stores and restaurants.
- Along with this, more people and not as quiet as Lang Tengah was.
- Also found our snorkelling here to be fairly good as with Lang Tengah.
Perhentian:
- Free public wifi (albeit slow) everywhere
- Several resorts situated in the central area between the two main islands along with some nice public paths and some food stores.
- Water taxi would likely be fairly cheap in comparison to a private charter to go to Redang and Lang Tengah. I remember my resort asked for several hundred ringgit if you wanted to book a private boat.
- Unfortunately the day this trip was scheduled, visibility wasn't good at any of the typical spots so the resort took us to a spot in the middle of the two islands. No corals and very very few fish. The only thing to see was one or two turtles here and there.
All of this is only based on my very limited time at the other islands, for what it's worth I paid 2360 ringgit for a 3 nights 4 day package for two people at Summer Bay Resort Lang Tengah I found that when I was looking up resorts at these three, the very basic places were appropriately priced but the higher end stuff seemed absurdly expensive for what you were getting. I guess it's just a result of lack of competition in comparison to places like Boracay.
Lastly as a side note I do recall reading some peoples comments on tripadvisor about cheap places in redang and perhentian that locals occasionally would steal peoples unattended possesions so that was what put me off them. Regardless, given due diligence into the place you intend to stay I'd recommend visiting any three of them.
I thought Malaysia doesn't allow dual citizenship.
As per the question from the OP, I have visited Malaysia multiple times over the years. There's lots to do n see. It really depends on what you like. I'm not much of a nature person, so cant really recommend any nature related activities.
8 days seem like a long time, so I'd probably hire a car and drive around. 2 most interesting places culturally are Penang and Malaka.
I probably won't do genting highlands unless u r up for some gambling.
Someone not used to the driving conditions there (esp in and around KL) might find it rather challenging. If so, a bus tour or something might be less stressful :-)
Pavilion is great for high end shopping and dining.
Sungei Wang u can grab more bargains.
Midvalley if u r willing to travel is really a shopping destination.
Never thought of visiting KL but looks like some interesting things to do.
I got return flights for 370 bit I've heard it's one of the best places in the world to dive. Thanks so much for all the advice every one!
The only top grade dive site in Malaysia is at Sipadan in Sabah. 3 hours flight from KL
Are there beginner dives there? I also need to have booked earlier for an entry permit right?
I've seen just qualified OW divers there. Not a good idea though.. 20+ dive experience would be ideal.
Then you need to sort out the permits. Sipadan diving can get pretty expensive because of the permit situation. But it is one of world's best dive sites.
The rest of Malaysia is more or less average by Asian standards
If you love diving, indonesia is the best place to dive. Komodo island is the best diving place i have seen anywhere. Not really relevant for your question, but just helping another diver :)
Did the Gillies and they were much better than east coast Thailand. I just wanted to check Malaysia off the travel list is all.
No problem with KL, Penang, Redang and Tioman Island. Sipadan may be the top grade diving site but not sure of the security situation.
I'd recommend using Uber where available and GrabCar where it isn't.
After you collect your bag in KLIA2 there are shops selling sim cards. For 40MYR($13AU) you can get a sim card with data for a month that you can use for Uber/Grab/Google maps and a few phone calls if you need.
Here is some more details on sim cards but they're much the same. I would go Celcom just for the extra coverage.
Is it possible to get uber from klia2 to KL, or are there restrictions (like only airport taxis can operate there). If yes, roughly how much would it cost? In the past, I have taken the KLIA express, but this require change at KL Sentral, so perhaps an Uber taxi straight to destination might be more convenient. Many thanks in advance.
i would recommend taxi's just for airports. It will be easier to go to the counter and book and you can catch one straight out, instead of booking an uber, going to the carpark area in the heat and looking for them to arrive.
OK thank you very much. Any idea how much it will cost? (Currently, KLIA express costs RM$55 one way to KL Sentral)
depends how many ppl / baggage u have, if theres 'too many' they ll ask you to take a premium taxi. but normal taxi for 1 with small baggage would be about… $25 AUD
Theres also a VIP package where they carry all yr luggage 4 u, accompany u on the train, and once u arrive at KL Sentral, take yr luggage for u to a waiting limo which will then take u to yr hotel.
@shazam7: Haha, while enticing, I will probably go for something cheaper, and spend the money elsewhere. Thanks for the info, still good to know. Never know, one day … :-)
just be careful with the taxi drivers though. Some of them are very dodgy and would purposely take you to the busy route just to rip you off. And even more so now that they are furious about Uber and Grabcar 'stealing' their customers.
Thats why dont ever accept the offers of the taxi drivers waiting at arrivals offering their services. If you go to the airport counter, they charge you the fare based on suburb up and you pay there and they give you a ticket to hand over to a driver.
Take the train. It is way more convenient and comfortable than a taxi or bus.
Yes, train is really comfy. Trouble is at KL Sentral, need to switch to road transport again. Thought maybe one type of transport to destination is less hassle.
Get a hotel at KL Sentral like all the normal white people.
Aloft gets my vote.
Hilton and Le Meredin have a very old fashioned vibe to them.
I normally stay in Pudu or Bangsar South, and the train is still the most convenient.
@Drew22: Thanks for the info. I am used to places around Pavilion/KL CC. Not sure there is much to do around KL Sentral :-) Agree, the train/monorail are good forms of transport.
@bluesky:
Depends on how adventurous you are with food.
Bricfields and Bangsar have great food and some good coffee too.
Google Fat Americano @ Dr.Inc
@Drew22: Just googled, thanks, will go try this Fat Americano. Am intrigued, espresso and coke not something that comes to mind as great combination!
Any other suggestions for food places are welcomed, am fairly adventurous with food (just not to the degree of scorpions/insects :-))
There is a prepaid taxi desk at KL Sentral so you can get a taxi to your hotel without the usual KL Taxi drama. From memory it was 15RM to Bukit Bintang.
Also the train currently has 20% return tickets if you buy using a mastercard at the self service machine or online.
@daveaus: Thanks, appreciate this info. Perhaps you can help, if you have used the online purchase before. So I used this page to buy using a mastercard, it took me to next page, which prompted for card details. After card info was all entered, the price indicated was still full price (not offer price) with a proceed button.
Oz sites usually show the price that one commits to; but perhaps things are done differently there. Have you used this before and know it will charge the reduced price? If yes, I will feel a lot more comfortable proceeding! :-) Many thanks in advance.
@bluesky: Hi, I am not sure as I used the self service machines at the airport but I do recall it showing the discounted price before I paid. The machines are easy to use and have an English option so I would recommend doing that rather than online.
@daveaus: Thanks for your reply. The promotion is till end Sept, so will just miss out, if using self service machines.
@bluesky: If you buy it off the kiosk at KLIA2 with yr card, can confirm they will only charge the discounted rate.
@shazam7: Thanks, I assume you meant the manned kiosk? Is that right? That would be good, can confirm with them first.
Still promotion only last till end sept, and can only be done in person. Fingers crossed they will extend the promotion just a bit :-)
@bluesky: The kiosk is manned in case u wanna pay cash or if u prefer someone to serve u. Within the kiosk area, there is a machine where u can select a ticket and pay by CC. I was referring to the machine.
@bluesky: Around KL Sentral, 2 5 star hotels with restaurants, 1 4 star hotel with rooftop bar, 1 new mall, across the road at Brickfields, great local food and blind man massage.
1 stop to Midvalley Mall where u can shop til u drop.
Hop on to monorail get off at Bukit Bintang for Lot 10/Sungei Wang/Pavilion/Jalan Alor.
Hop on LRT, get off at Pasar Seni for Chinatown, or KLCC to see the twin towers.
@shazam7: Thanks, appreciate the info.
Had blinders on since I was used to the golden triangle. But this time will check out this area.
Haven't read the comments, so not sure if it's already suggested. But definitely go to Penang if you're a foodie. We tend to stay and glutton our ways in Georgetown rather than Batu Ferringhi. Georgetown still has the soul and has great food to go with it. Enjoy!
+1 from me for Georgetown in Penang! Could have spent weeks just walking the streets, soaking in the atmosphere, and eating all over the place.
Batu Ferringhi is massively over-rated in my personal opinion. Would not go back to it again. The beach at Pantai Cenang in Langkawi was MUCH nicer… :-)
Hey I spent 5 days in taman negara back in 2013 - highly recommend it
Taman Negara is amazing - probably the best part of Malaysia imo (went in july)
Went to Malaysia in 2013 to the following: Langkawi (the cabin, Pantai cenang), Penang (Ren I Tang, Georgetown) and KL (Aloft, sentral).
Langkawi is not that pretty. Was a disappointing trip. And beer is not that cheap even being "tax free". Only thing worth doing is the 3 Island tour for 20myr from the beach.
Penang is nice and Georgetown is good but can be expensive getting around. Again I wasn't super impressed - all that kind of street food I can eat in Bangkok for cheaper minus the laksa and cendol.
KL is agin, diaspointing. Best thing we did on the whole trip was do a 1 ringgit tour of Putrjaya. Amazing place with huge masjids and pretty building and easily accessible by train. Jalan Alor (eating street) is nice. Petronas towers are very impressive.
If I went back I would look into:
Pherentians 100%. Seen and heard awesome things for beaches and diving.
Tioman. Close to KL and again heard very good things.
Malaka. Not far from KL and looks like an awesome cultural destination.
I've heard the diving in Sabah is phenomenal, but as previously mentioned can be for more advanced.
Thailand is much better for beaches, food and vibe. Check out Ko Lipe. Close to Langkawi and 1000 times more beautiful.
All the best on your trip.
Use UBER in Malaysia as much as possible, it's way cheaper than the Taxi's and less stress. Be warned, the Taxi drivers don't particularly like UBER, so try to sit in the front seat. It will be hard organising an uber from the airport.
Take the train ~$13aud or bus ~$4aud to KL Sentral, then take the train to bukit bintang station (or a uber)
Buy a HOTLINK (MAXIS) sim card $13 should get you by fod the trip.
Definitely try to go to Penang, but mainly for the food. Street food is Amazing and the famous Cendol.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On_irgPTxWc (the Kuay Teow opposite is amazing).
The food in Malaysia is amazing, the party scene is pretty good too.
If you are more upscale, try Ben's Restaurants (pretty good Hainanese), also try Kyo Chon (Korean Fried Chicken restaurant - my favourite)
Cheap electronic gear - Low Yat Mall
Cheap other stuff - Sangei Wang (spectacles for like $33)
Changkat in Bukit Bintang is awesome
If you want a good cheap hotel near/in the city. Try Furama in Bukit Bintang. It's awesome and you can get executive rooms with free cocktails and canapes for under $100 usually using Orbitz etc. Probably a short Uber to the central areas (or you can walk if you can live with the heat)
8 days is a bit long in KL tbh, but it's an awesome place though for shopping and generally safe. I probably agree that other countries have better sights, but the food is by far the best for me.
I've been to Taman Negara and Tioman (Malaysia).
While I enjoyed my time at TN, I found it pretty boring. We have good rainforests in QLD and I found them pretty comparable. Keep in mind that going into the forest in TN pretty much requires you to join a group tour, which I am not a fan of, but if that's fine with you, go for it.
Tioman was nice enough. I had the most terrible food poisoning of my life there. Avoid meat there if possible. The waters around Tioman are very dirty - people there seem to just throw their rubbish into the ocean. Those living there don't seem to understand the necessity of putting your rubbish in the bin.
If wildlife photography is your goal, you're much better off going to Borneo. Short flight from KL. Go see some orangutans!
If you go to Perhentian Islands, there should be day tours where you can snorkel (not scuba) with baby sharks.
The bird park in KL is worth a visit if you're there. Also a small butterfly park there if you have nothing else to do.
You'll probably go back another time seeing as how cheap flights to KL are, and how Malaysia has revamped the low-cost carrier terminal recently (KLIA2). So you're better off spending more time at less places.
Enjoy!
I'm an Australian living in Malaysia at the moment.
You have your itinerary more or less about right. If you're going to Perhentian Islands and Taman Negara (i haven't been to either) you need to leave some time for travelling in between, because it takes at least half a day to get around. Particularly if you're going on regular buses (typical mode of transport around here).
Day 1 - Arrive in KL
Day 2 - Go to Taman Negara
Day 3 - Taman Negara
Day 4 - Leave Taman Negara and head to Perhentian Islands
Day 5 - Perhentian Islands
Day 6 - Perhentian Islands
Day 7 - Leave Perhentian Islands
Day 8 - Head to Airport.
Taman Negara is pretty nice for a walk, and many tour companies do one or two night overnight stays. Perhentian is pretty good for snorkelling or scuba diving though I think its more a place people go to just relax. You may be able to bookend your trip with some time in KL. Don't expect to do much sightseeing in KL, the best things to do are go to the malls (Mid Valley, Pavillion or KLCC are the big 3) and just chill out. It's generally hot outside and things are far apart to do much walking around outside in KL.
Penang, Melaka, KL (and Singapore) are on the west side of Malaysia, if you go Taman Negara, Perhentian Islands, it's on the east coast (check a map), and 8 days would make it pretty rushed to enjoy both sides. There's less transport and its less developed on the east coast.
Borneo would increase the costs (flights and transport) and you'd probably lose 2 days flying there and back, so perhaps save that for another time. Besides, there's too much dodgy stuff going on in Borneo with people being kidnapped.
In KL, you can visit Royal Selangor if it interests u. Lots of good reviews.
https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attraction_Review-g298570-d45…
Lot 10 Hutong is a great place for tourists to explore street food. Plenty of good food in KL.
If you love hiking, try Mount Kota Kinabalu in Sabah.
Sabah is fine…just stay away from isolated island. Manukan island is a popular place to go scuba diving etc.
You can also find proboscis monkeys, orang utans and some exotic wildlife in Sabah. You can visit the long house (tribe house), head hunters etc…
Thanks for all the suggestions. The Royal Selangor sounds interesting. Do you have to book for the free tour? Or can you just turn up, and they run the tour at regular intervals in the day? Thanks.
I read from tripadvisor that the free shuttle goes there too.
Click on the royal selangor officual link. Click on "plan a visit". The hotels listed can arrange free shuttle to pick u up.
It's free to visit the place. If u are intetested to make ur own pewter, pay a small fee and u can make ur own bowl etc with ur name on it.
Thank you for the info. Cheers.
Hi we are also going to kl- 4 adults and 2 young children under 4. Could anyone please advise if hiring a personal driver from kl to Penang would be preferable to flying ? I understand the drive is long but with taxi and wait and boarding to and from airport might be around same time ? Plus was thinking it might be less disruption for young children in a van with a couple of sightseeing stops on the way?
It certainly sounds a lot less gruelling, with the kids. It might even be enjoyable with sightseeing stops.
Elephant Sanctuary near KL gets my approval.
Can even volunteer by cutting up fruit for the elephants and they'll let you feed them after.