MALAYSIA TRAVEL (2023) | 10 Places You Can’t Miss on Peninsular Malaysia & Sabah

What's up guys we're here in Malaysia. We've been traveling around the country for about a month and in this video we're going to show you 10 amazing places that you can't miss when visiting here. So hope you enjoy it. Malaysia lies just north of the equator in Southeast Asia. The country is composed of two regions, Peninsular Malaysia which is also called West Malaysia and the island of Borneo or East Malaysia. The island of Borneo is shared by the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak as well as the Indonesian Kalimantan and the tiny nation of Brunei. While Peninsular Malaysia is celebrated for its bustling cities, melting pot of culture, tasty food and beautiful architecture, Borneo is home to an abundance of flora and fauna, numerous ethnic tribes and dense jungles. In this video we highlight 10 amazing places to visit in Malaysia. We'll first mention five places in Peninsular Malaysia and then five places in state of Sabah. We're not including any places in Sarawak at this time but that'll be for our Malaysia part 2 video one day. Make sure to watch until the end because we also share a few travel itineraries and travel tips. Now let's dive in. We are Zach and Ina. We make helpful videos about destinations around the world so you can easily plan your own adventures. Malaysia's capital and largest city is located in the west of Peninsular Malaysia. Being a transportation hub and jumping point to the rest of the country, this is usually the first place that people visit. Kuala Lumpur is best known for its diverse cultural and architectural highlights. This includes the renowned Petronas Twin Towers, the immense KL Tower, the historic Merdeka Square and the nearby Batu Caves which house several Hindu temples and statues. If you plan on visiting Kuala Lumpur, make sure to watch our full video to learn all about the fun things that you can do there. Located to the north of Kuala Lumpur, the Cameron Highlands is a hilly region filled with sweeping tea plantations. And while the tea plantations themselves are a major attraction, it's the scenic landscapes that make it truly worth a visit. Multiple hiking trails wind through the forested hills and plantations offering spectacular views. We hiked trails 6 to 10 which is one of the most popular hikes in the area. As you can see the hiking trails are not very well maintained here in this area and if it rains it can be very slippery so you have to be very careful. Although it can get rainy here at times, it's actually refreshingly cool compared to the humidity and heat that you find in the rest of the country. The town of Tanah Rata is a great place to explore the highlands from and we left a link to the place that we stayed at in the description below the video. Located to the east of the Cameron Highlands, Taman Negara is Malaysia's oldest, largest and most popular national park. The protected rainforest here is estimated to be more than 130 million years old and is a true hotspot for biodiversity with many flora and fauna species being endemic, rare, vulnerable or threatened. You can enjoy many activities at the headquarters of the park near Kuala Tahan such as jungle trekking, bird watching, caving, cruising down the river rapids and night safaris. But our favorite activity was visiting the indigenous Batek tribe who are nomadic hunters and gatherers inhabiting the park. The island of Penang is located off the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia connected by two bridges to the mainland. It's a popular tourist destination famous for its mix of eastern cultures. The west of the island is home to UNESCO listed Georgetown where you can find colorful colonial houses, intriguing temples and some of the world's best street food. In contrast, the north and east of the island is covered with lush nature, beautiful beaches and an abundance of wildlife. Check out our full Penang video for more things to do here. Our favorite destination on Peninsular Malaysia was the island of Langkawi located off the northwestern coast. Celebrated for its laid-back atmosphere and stunning natural scenery, Langkawi has some of the most beautiful beaches in the country as well as magnificent viewpoints, waterfalls, jungle-clad hills and mangroves. Some activities you can't miss here include cruising the mangroves at Kilim Geo Forest Park, relaxing at secluded beaches in the north and riding the cable car to the top of Macingchung Mountain. We have another full video all about this magical island so make sure to check it out if you're thinking about going there. So now we'll go over our favorite places in the state of Sabah located in the northeast of Borneo Island. Its capital city Kota Kinabalu is the gateway to the natural highlights of the region. It's a modern city with a few touristic highlights such as the floating mosque and Tangjung Aru Beach which is likely the best place to watch the sunset into the South China Sea. But Kota Kinabalu is also a great place to gain insight into Sabah's tribes. There are several cultural villages where you can learn about the history and traditions of the ethnic local groups in the form of a live museum. We visited Marimari Cultural Village where we sampled local delicacies and watched traditional dance performances. At the end of the tour our guide gave us some great insight into the tribes of Sabah. Hello my name is Yvonne. So I'm a tribe from Kandazan, the subtribes of the largest tribe, the Dusun tribe. In a different tribe they have their own tradition, they have their own costumes and also houses for you to see. In Sabah specifically how many different tribes are there do you know? So we have like hundreds. If I mention it to you maybe you'll be in a long book. Located right off the shore of Kota Kinabalu, the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park is made up of five islands and their surrounding colorful reefs. While you can stay on one of the islands and simply relax, this park is mostly known for its water activities such as scuba diving and snorkeling. We ventured here on a day tour from Kota Kinabalu and spotted many jellyfish and even blacktip reef sharks. Kinabalu Park is a two-hour drive to the east of Kota Kinabalu. The park is renowned for Mount Kinabalu sitting at an elevation of 4,095 meters or 13,435 feet. It's Malaysia's highest mountain and it's a popular hiking destination. You need at least two days to scale the peak but there are also shorter trails to discover the unique tropical flora and fauna of the area. The nearby town of Kundesang is home to short hikes with sweeping vistas of Mount Kinabalu. Nonetheless, Kinabalu Park is immense and has different access points. The Poring Hot Springs near Renau is another popular site which is about a 45-minute drive from Kundesang. Sepalok is located at the edge of a forest reserve right next to Sandakan which is Sabah's second largest city. It's home to a few conservation centers with the Sepalok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center being the most popular one. Between 60 and 80 orangutans live independently in the reserve and about 25 orphaned orangutans are housed in the nurseries. It's a great opportunity to see these animals up close especially during feeding times. Other places worth visiting include the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center where you get a glimpse of the world's smallest bear as well as the Rainforest Discovery Center which is home to a large rainforest skywalk. The skywalk sits up in the trees and makes it easier to spot animals. Situated about 132 kilometers or 82 miles away from Sandakan, the Kinabatangan River attracts nature and wildlife enthusiasts. The river stretches about 560 kilometers or 350 miles making it the second longest river in Malaysia. But what makes this place truly unique is its dense and diverse concentration of wildlife. Some of Borneo's most distinct animals live along the river banks such as orangutans, hornbill birds, pygmy elephants, crocodiles, and proboscis monkeys. The best way to explore this area by going on a multi-day river safari. We have another full video about our three-day Kinabatangan River safari experience so check that out for more details on how to do it if you're interested in exploring this amazing area. As we promised at the beginning of our video we'll now share three things that we learned in Malaysia that will help your own trip. First as the weather is humid and hot you should bring lightweight comfortable walking shoes, breathable clothes, and an umbrella. Generally locals in the cities are used to foreigners and are more relaxed but in more rural areas it's a good to wear more modest attire as Malaysia is largely a Muslim country. Secondly public transportation between major destinations is easy and efficient in Malaysia. You can use the 12go.asia website to book bus, boat, and train schedules in West Malaysia. For public transportation in Sabah we recommend using Easybook as it seems to have the most accurate routes. When traveling larger distances we recommend flying as it's actually fairly cheap as well. Finally to get around in the city it's easiest to use the Grab app. It's widely used and cheaper than taxis. Apart from the smaller islands like Langkawi we don't recommend renting a scooter to get around because the traffic can be difficult and dangerous to navigate. We also included a few Malaysia trip itinerary options on the screen here in case you want to use them to guide your own adventure to some of the places that we visited. The state of Sarawak is also worth visiting so we'll have to do a part two video about that region one day. There are also other beautiful places in Malaysia that we didn't mention and we've included a short list with destinations on the screen here for you. If you're planning your Malaysia trip we recommend keeping things organized with our interactive travel planner. Find a discount code below. We also included important links in the description that will help you with your own trip around the country such as an interactive map to get to each place that we mentioned. We'll catch you on the next adventure.