Things to do in Malaysia

Malaysia is a country in two halves. The peninsula runs from Thailand down to Singapore, while Sabah and Sarawak lie across the South China Sea on Borneo. From Kuala Lumpur, Sabah is a flight of nearly three hours.

How the peninsula divides

• Kuala Lumpur. The capital, with the Petronas Towers, the National Mosque, the colonial Sultan Abdul Samad building and Independence Square, where the flag went up in 1957.
• Penang. George Town, an old trading port, is a UNESCO site. It is about four hours from Kuala Lumpur by road.
• The Cameron Highlands. Tea hills at altitude, cool enough for a jacket in the evening.
• Langkawi. An island group off the north-west coast, near the Thai border, and a UNESCO geopark. It is about an hour by air from Kuala Lumpur.
• Borneo. Sabah holds Mount Kinabalu at 4,095 metres. Sarawak has the caves of Gunung Mulu.

Three places, three kinds of day

Bookings cluster in three places. Kuala Lumpur has a private city tour that runs through the palace, Thean Hou Temple, the mosque and Chinatown.

Two long private transfers leave Kuala Lumpur, one for Penang and one for Singapore. Each takes about six hours in all. Two of those hours go on sightseeing stops.

Langkawi has parasailing and a three-hour jet-ski tour among the islands. The tour stops at a freshwater lake on Dayang Bunting. Borneo, Melaka and the highlands are still missing.

Practical

• Weather. Kuala Lumpur sits near 32C by day and 23C by night in every month, with thunderstorms most afternoons. Langkawi is driest from November to April. The east-coast islands close for the monsoon between November and February.
• Money. The ringgit is the currency, and Grab is the usual way to hail a car. Hotels and restaurants often add a 10 percent service charge, so tipping is not expected.
• Water sports. Life jackets are provided, but the jet-ski tour expects basic swimming. Weight limits apply to parasailing.
• Mosques. Shoulders and knees must be covered, and robes are usually lent at the door.
• The Singapore border. Bring passports and allow extra time at Johor on weekends and holidays.