Whether it's island beaches, magical reefs or lush tropical jungles, you just need to come to one country to find them all.
A country blessed with many natural treasures, Malaysia is undoubtedly a tropical paradise holiday destination for any enthused traveller seeking exotic adventures. With world renowned dive sites, virgin rainforests and tropical beaches, you will be spoilt for choice.
World Renown Dive Site
- Pulau Sipadan, Sabah – Made famous by Jacques Cousteau, this diving mecca is celebrated as one of the world’s top dive destinations (as heralded by Rodale's Scuba Diving Magazine). With an abundant diversity of marine life, any diving enthusiast will be greatly awed while greeted by sea turtles, manta rays, hammerhead sharks, schools of barracudas and more.
Tropical Island beaches
- Pulau Perhentian – Located off Peninsular Malaysia’s East coast in the South China Sea, this popular island boasts pristine white sandy beaches and crystal clear blue waters. Literally meaning “stopover”, Perhentian island is frequented by city dwellers and tourists for scuba diving, snorkelling, sunbathing, turtle-watching, or its nightly beach parties at Pasir Panjang.
- Pulau Redang – Also off the East coast of Malaysia, Redang is an island more recognized for its conservation of the dwindling sea turtle population. Here, you can choose to volunteer as part of the conservation project with SEATRU, or just wander about the island as a beach bum keen to appreciate its rich marine parks.
* Note that due to the monsoon season affecting the East coast, these two islands are usually closed to tourists during the months of November-February.
- Pulau Langkawi – West coast Malaysia’s jewel of the straits, Langkawi is a quick getaway for the island traveller who wants a little buzz of activity and the serenity of an island. An established duty-free zone, you can choose to shop for souvenirs in Kuah town, participate in a mangrove forest tour, take a trek to one of its two waterfalls, explore historical sites or be pampered in one of the many spa resorts on the island.
Oldest Virgin Rainforests
- Taman Negara, Pahang – Practically the backbone of Peninsular Malaysia, this 130 million year old rainforest is home to the mouse deer, Indochinese Tiger and critically endangered Sumatran Rhinoceros. Visitors to the park can attempt climbing the harsh rainforest mountain terrain of Gunung Tahan, bird watch, camp out, jungle trek or appreciate its biological attractions atop a canopy walkway.
World Heritage Site
- Kinabalu Park, Sabah – Honoured by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, this national park is crowned by the relatively easy-to-climb, Mt Kinabalu, Borneo’s highest peak. The mountain’s surrounding area contains a diverse range flora and fauna, and is home to the rafflesia – a large parasitic flowering plant which smells like rotting meat.
- Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak – Known for its majestic tropical limestone caves, take an adventure trek through this national park to explore its biological diversity. You can witness the spectacular daily exodus of its bat population, or explore limestone formations in a cave chamber big enough to fit two airplanes!
The copyright of the article Discover Malaysia in Malaysia Travel is owned by Zona Marie Tan. Permission to republish Discover Malaysia must be granted by the author in writing.
