Despite the equatorial climate and a successful location, in the immediate vicinity of Thailand, Malaysia, of course, loses to his northern neighbor in popularity. Many simply do not consider this country as a tourist destination due to a lack of information and know about it only because of the capital of Kuala Lumpur: here is the largest transport hub in Asia and the stages of the Grand Prix of Formula 1 are held. In this article we will not touch the capital, but we will talk about other places that deserve to visit them.
I want to go to Malaysia
Langkavi Island
Of all the resort zones of Malaysia, the most popular place is the island of Langkavi and there are several reasons at once. Firstly, there are pretty good beaches here-there are both well-groomed and very crowded, and vice versa, wild, not particularly clean, but almost deserted.
The beach, which is considered the most attractive for relaxation, is Chenang, it stretches almost 2 kilometers along the southwestern tip of the island. Life on it boils in the afternoon and calms down in the evening, but night activity is practically absent. If you want an even more relaxing vacation, then go to the COK beach, which is located in the western part of the island, but be prepared for the fact that you will have to move around the island by taxi or on rented transport (car, scooter or bicycle) – public transport on Langkavi is very poorly developed.
Another factor that Langkawi makes a priority direction in Malaysia is that the island is a zone of duty -free trade. If you can’t imagine a vacation without cigarettes and/or alcohol, then here you can save a lot, since in the rest of the country these categories of goods are taxed and quite expensive.
In addition to a beach holiday on Langkavi, there is practically nothing to do, but still there are several attractions that you should look at.
The most popular place where all tourists come without fail (and in this connection it can be very crowded, especially on weekends, so it is better to go as early as possible) is a cable car and a air bridge (Langkawi Cable Car and Sky Bridge). At the gondola (SkyCab) you can climb to the top of Mount Mat Chinchang, to a height of 708 meters. The length of the cable car is 1200 meters and the rise process is interesting in itself – the views open simply incredible! However, there are two viewing platforms above, so you can enjoy the views of the sea and the jungle from them.
Sky Bridge suspension is located a little below, 125 meters long – it hangs over a hundred -meter abyss, so if you are looking for a thrill, then you are here!
Even from the interesting thing – on the island there is a waterfall “7 wells”, crocodile and snake farms, the largest oceanarium “Underwater World” and a rice museum in Asia.
Penang Island
Despite the fact that the islands of Penang and Langkavi are located in the same Andaman Sea (to be precise, then in the Malacca Strait connecting the Andaman and South China Sea) and are relatively close to each other, they differ very significantly.
If Langkavi can be called a large village, then Penang is a more developed place, with modern infrastructure, high -rise buildings, good roads and convenient public transport. Penang is a more lively island than Langkavi, there are many cafes and restaurants, there are night clubs and other entertainment institutions, shopping centers, souvenir shops, etc.
But Penang cannot boast of the beaches – they are on the island, but they are inferior in quality to Langkavi beaches. In fact, there are only three beaches – the most developed, Batu Ferrighi, and two smaller ones – Tanjung Bungah and Tanjung Tokong. All of them are located in the north of the island.
Penang is more attracted by its historical component, the capital of the island of Jordtown is a very atmospheric and pleasant colonial town, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. You can take a walk on it just like that, and if you want to see the sights – temples, churches, museums, old houses, such as Fort Cornalis, Blue House, National CHINATIN and Little India, Penang Museum, Glass Museum and much more.
In addition to walking around Georgetown, there are also interesting places in other parts of the island. It is definitely worth visiting the temple of Kek Lock Si, as well as Penang Hill, with the observation deck to which the funicular leads.
We also advise you to pay attention to the Penang National Park, the Botanical Garden, the Spice Garden, the Butterfly Park, the Snake Temple, the floating mosque and the farm of tropical fruits.
Penang does not make sense to consider as the only direction for vacation, but you should definitely look here if you want to see Malaysia and plan to actively travel around the country.
Perkhentian Islands
Perchentians are a group of small islands located on the other side of the mainland Malaysia, in the South China Sea. Among tourists from Russia, they are even less popular than Langkavi, most likely because, firstly, it is more difficult to get there, and secondly, there are no attractions and there is practically no infrastructure. But just thanks to this, this is one of those places where nature has been preserved almost in its original form.
It is on the Perkhenians that the best beaches in Malaysia are located, the same “bounty” from postcards and advertising booklets – a blue sky, small white sand, clean and warm azure sea, a magnificent and rich vegetation, a rich underwater world.
The group of the Perchentian islands includes two main ones – more, with decent hotels, the island of Besar and smaller, with the hotels simpler – the island of Kil, a favorite place for backprackers. The remaining three islands are very small and completely uninhabited.
There is no transport on the islands, even there are no roads as such, only paths – most of the islands are covered with thick tropical vegetation, with rocky plateau, and between the beaches you can only move on boats.
On the Permean Islands it is easy to lose time – from entertainment there is only a beach vacation, mixed with snorkeling and diving, but all this is at the highest level. This is one of the best places in Malaysia to get acquainted with the underwater world-crabs, turtles, fish-clowns and fisheries, barracades, slopes, moray residents live here. But there is no standing close contact with representatives of both the underwater fauna and flora – the archipelago is a reserved zone and part of the national park, so it is very strict with fishing, collecting corals and shells.
If you need a more peaceful vacation – choose a Besar, but you want more activity, go to Kil – you can’t say that life there is a key, but you can sit in the bar on Long Bich and play billiards.
Cameron Haylands
Cameron Highlands is the largest Malaysian mountain resort. It is not on the coast, but in the depths of the country, so here, of course, there are no beaches, but foreign travelers, just like the Malays, do not come here at all. The fact is that the Cameron Highlands are located at an altitude of 1300-1800 meters above sea level and thanks to this the climate here is much softer than on the coast or in Kuala Lumpur.
Highlands come to Cameron to, firstly, relax in nature-there are many beautiful trekking in the jungle and waterfalls. You can take a walk in beautiful places and make one -day trips to the mountains. Many come here for the sake of the second in the height of the mountain in Malaysia – Gunung Brinchang (2,000 meters above sea level),
From the top of which a chic view of the city and the surroundings opens.
Secondly, it is an opportunity to see how tea is growing and walking on tea plantations. They, of course, are not as large-scale as in India or in Sri Lanka, but in any case, they look very impressive, especially if you have never seen them before.
Thirdly, strawberry farms. Thanks to a moderate climate, this region is ideal for growing strawberries, and a great many plantations are broken here. With many of them there are shops and cafes where you can taste the berry dessert, ice cream, fruit drinks, aromatic coffee or tea, as well as buy freshly combined strawberries.
Malacca
Malacca is one of the oldest colonial cities in Southeast Asia that have survived to date. Despite the fact that a significant part of the city was destroyed during numerous military interventions, the city still retained its charm and attractiveness, and today it is one of the most interesting places in Malaysia.
It is located in the southern part of the country, halfway from the capital to the southern border, so that those who travel from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore like to visit it.
Colonial development in the city center, along with Georgetaun on the island of Penang, is included in the UNESCO in the List of the World Historical Heritage. In the middle of the last millennium, the city of Malacca was the largest trading port in Southeast Asia and one of the most important points of the Portuguese Empire, and today only the ruins of the Famose fortress remained from its former greatness, or rather, its gates, but they are one of the main attractions of the city.
In general, because of her profitable geographical location, Malacca regularly passed from hand to hand-after the Portuguese, it was owned by the Dutch, and then the British, so today the city is a multinational and multicultural mix of medieval Europe and modern Asia. Here, the traditions and culture of several countries have taken root, and representatives of different nationalities, religions and religions peacefully get along with each other.
In addition to the Famose fortress, another visiting card of Malacca is Dutch Square, with the Foundation of Queen Victoria, the clock tower and the remarkable Stadthuys building with red walls. The square is located in the historical center of the city and this is a favorite place among tourists and local residents.
In the evening, you must definitely go to the Chinatown area – after 5 hours on the main street of the Chinese quarter, Jonker Street) is overlapping and it is filled with food trays – here is a real paradise for street food lovers!
