Sandakan
This atmospheric two-storey colonial villa, Newlands, tells the story of American writer Agnes Keith and her British husband Harry, the Conservator of…
Must-see attractions in Malaysia
Maritime Museum & Naval Museum
Melaka City
Embark on a voyage through Melaka's maritime history at these linked museums, all covered by the one ticket. The most enjoyable of the Maritime Museum's…
Penang
This 873-hectare forest reserve contains a chunk of Penang's virgin rainforests. Guides are rarely available, so pick up a hiking leaflet at the ranger's…
Melaka City
Especially beautiful at morning or dusk, this gold-domed mosque overlooks the Strait of Melaka from its shoreside perch on an artificial island a short…
Kota Kinabalu
Built in classical style, this mosque is far more attractive than the State Mosque in both setting and design. Completed in 2000 it can hold up to 12,000…
Kuala Lumpur
This daily wet market, serving the working class of Chow Kit, packs a heady, chaotic atmosphere. It sprawls across several blocks including new sheds, old…
Melaka City
Malaysia's oldest still-operating Chinese temple, constructed in 1673, remains a central place of worship for the Buddhist and Taoist communities here. It…
Kota Kinabalu
This centre features 1.4km of wooden walkways passing through a 24-hectare mangrove swamp, where you can expect to see scuttling fiddler and mangrove…
Melaka City
Built in 1753 from laterite bricks brought from Zeeland in Holland, this eye-catching cherry-pink church is one of the most photographed and imposing…
Kuala Lumpur
A modern concrete and blue glass gateway marks the entry to this neighbourhood of traditional Malay wooden houses. Gazetted by the British in 1899,…
Sarawak
This living museum centres on seven traditional dwellings, including three tribal longhouses, a Penan hut, a Malay town house, a Melanau tall house and a…
Melaka City
The oldest functioning mosque in Malaysia was, surprisingly, commissioned by the Dutch in 1728. The mosque is made up of predominantly Javanese…
Kuala Lumpur
This heritage preservation society has its head office in a 1920s colonial bungalow. The building, once part of a neighbourhood of British officers'…
Kuching
Thought to date to around 1840, this fine Hokkien Chinese temple with intricate rooftop dragons was fully restored in 2004. There's a big celebration here…
Pulau Tioman
The backpacker haven of Kampung Salang is around the headland north of ABC, Monkey Beach and Monkey Bay. Come to snorkel off nearby Coral Island, do a…
Malaysia
The impressive Istana Lama, a black hardwood palace, was completed in 1908 as a temporary replacement for an even older palace that was razed by British…
Sabah
Near the top of the Crocker Range, next to the main highway, 20km north of Tambunan, this park is devoted to the world's largest flower. The Rafflesia…
Johor
According to legend, the highest mountain in Johor is the home of Puteri Gunung Ledang, a mythical princess whose presence is said to permeate the jungle…
Kuching Wetlands National Park
Sarawak
The only way to see the majestic mangroves of 66-sq-km Kuching Wetlands National Park is by boat. About 15km northwest of Kuching, the park has no office,…
Malaysia
It’s a short walk through landscaped parklands to the top of Bukit Malawati, with views across the mangrove-dotted coastline. Once an administrative and…
Kuala Terengganu
This is the largest island in the estuary. It is changing fast, with modern housing estates being built on reclaimed land, but there is still a sizeable…
Kuantan
Visit quiet Sungai Lembing in the hills to explore the informative regional museum (RM2) that covers the history of local tin mining to the collapse of…
Pulau Tioman
The moderately priced resorts here, offering all-inclusive packages, make Paya popular with Singaporeans, the mainland Chinese and the organised-tour set…
Sabah
About 15km northeast of Tenom and originally set up as an orchid centre, this vast park has become a major research facility and tourist attraction,…
Kuala Lumpur
Pakhruddin Sulaiman and his wife, Fatimah, have been amassing one of Malaysia's top private art collections since around 1996, when they bought two major…
Melaka City
More than 12,500 graves, including about 20 Muslim tombs, cover the 25 grassy hectares of serene 'Chinese Hill'. In the middle of the 15th century, the…
Kuantan
This fascinating museum charts the rise and fall of the 'El Dorado of the East', as Sungai Lembing was known after the Pahang Consolidated Company Limited…
Sarawak
Mixed dipterocarp forest, among the lushest and most threatened habitats in Borneo, is front and centre at this 22-sq-km national park, which more than…
Malaysia
Life, death and daily rituals of Peninsular Malaysia's indigenous peoples, the Orang Asli, are well explained at this museum in Gombak, half an hour by…
Malaysia
Animal lovers may prefer to give all zoos a wide berth, but overall Malaysia's National Zoo is mindful of animal welfare and prides itself on educating…
Sarawak
A modest wooden structure existed on the site of this colourful riverfront Taoist temple as far back as 1871; it was rebuilt in 1897 but badly damaged by…
George Town
Looking splendid after a major restoration, Cheah Kongsi is home to the oldest Straits Chinese clan association in Penang. Topped by a tiled pagoda roof,…
Malaysia
On the estuary of Sungai Selangor, at the foot of Bukit Malawati, this 240-hectare park features three ecosystems to explore: secondary forest, an…
Kuantan
Try and get here early after lunch (or first thing in the morning) to have the eerie sensation of being alone in some of the longest and deepest tin mines…
Sarawak
This all-wood, 22-door longhouse has the traditional Kelabit layout. On the dapur (enclosed front verandah) each family has a hearth, while on the other…
Sarawak
Sarawak’s first marine park, established in 1999 to protect four species of endangered turtle, consists of the coastline and waters around four islands:…
Kuala Terengganu
Touted as the world’s first ‘Islamic civilisation park’. Taman Tamadu Islam is divided into two zones. Zone A is free to the public and houses the Crystal…
Sarawak
Batang Ai National Park's dipterocarp rainforests have the highest density of wild orangutans in central Borneo and are also home to gibbons, langurs and…
George Town
The largest and most intact of the clan jetties, Chew Jetty consists of 75 elevated houses, several Chinese temples, a community hall and lots of tourist…
Kota Bharu
Kota Bharu’s main beach was once known as Pantai Cinta Berahi, or the Beach of Passionate Love. In keeping with Islamic sensibilities, it’s now known as…
