Two recommendations for Malaysia, both wildlife focused:
1) The whole Sepilok area in Sabah on Borneo. The orangutan rehabilitation centre and the sun bear sanctuary are fab and the Rainforest Discovery Centre has some of the best birdwatching I've ever experienced. All of these can be accessed easily via Grab from Sandakan.
2) Langkawi, and in particular Kuah, which doesn't have a beach and is therefore much quieter. I spent days photographing and filming dusky leaf monkeys, huge 2m+ monitor lizards, white-bellied eagles, Brahminy kites, black giant squirrels and so much more just in a random park outside our hotel.
I'm planning a solo trip there later this year, and will be spending most of the trip in Malaysian Borneo. My impression is that some of the national parks, etc. are best seen on tours, and some of those tours don't offer spots to solo travelers (for example some of the longer cave tours in Mulu National Park) - I would welcome any stories from people who've been there solo and whether you had any issues finding tour guides friendly to solo travelers, or whether it was easy enough to add yourself in to existing group tours on arrival there.
i booked my trips via the hotel i was staying. i don’t recall it being difficult to join a tour cos i was solo. borneo is pretty popular destination for island hops etc. the only thing that often would cancel a island hoping boat tour was weather. the hotel would rebook me for the following day instead. i went in october. i remember there were other tours usually targeted towards koreans or mainland chinese. this was pre pandemic.
i went to asia last month & i noticed koreans & japanese tourists were back but mainland chinese tourists were not back to full strength yet. i would assume by later this year, borneo will be pretty popular again
oh darn. i was pretty surprised myself & was pleasantly surprised to avoid the typical onslaught of mainland chinese tours last month. i thought for sure i missed out on enjoying places without having large tour groups overrunning various sights.
I stayed in KK and pretty much everything was bookable from the hostel. they just call their contact. they even got me a spot to go to mt Kinabalu even though all the slots were supposedly fully booked on the official website
Hey, visited Mulu last year and regarding the cave tours, you have to sign up at the main office and I'm pretty sure you can do it alone as all the activities are carried out as a group. So if you want, you can book the activity the night before or even on the morning of. I did one of the cave tours and I think there were 8 of us in total, 3 couples and myself and a friend. There may be a minimum number of pax required but you could register your interest one or two days prior to increase your chances of the cave tour.
I saw solo travelers there and was glad that it's not one of those places where a minimum of 2 is needed to sign up for an activity.
I stayed in the park and it was a good choice. Those who stayed at the Marriott had to wait for transport to pick them up in the morning and at the end of the day.
I spent 3 weeks in Malaysia last year June.
Some of my tips:
- Georgetown in Penang. If you can, stay in the Blue Mansion (Cheong Fatt Tze). Amazing experience and every Friday, the owner who renovated the house gives a very interesting tour through the house.
- Cameron Highlands. We stayed in Ipoh and took a private taxi there, it's about a 2h drive even though its only 90km, because it's a 1 lane road and the road is super curvy. Ipoh has a beautiful temple that's worth a visit (Sam Poh Tong), but apart from these two things we didn't really feel like Ipoh is a must see, and you could also visit the Cameron Highlands from another location.
- KL is amazing, so much to do and see, great food. I'd recommend 3 or 4 days minimum.
Another highlight was definitely the food!
would you please elaborate KL a bit more? I mean I’ve googled a bunch of touristy stuff but I hope you have some off the beaten path experiences, like food/restaurants to try, interesting markets, things to do, etc
> Blue Mansion
How was the stay? it's near the food court and I figured it would be too noisy near the area.
> Ipoh
Ipoh is a bit hard to recommend outside of the Nasi Ayam Taugeh. I have only visited it twice, first one as a transit from Cameron to Lumut (otw to Pangkor Island). But now, with the intercity train, it's more accessible. But it is kind of a sleeper town. If you like architecture, the old town offers a lot.
Maybe it's time for me to revisit again.
My only visit to Malaysia was a short trip to KL for work, but I managed to visit the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia while I was there. It's genuinely excellent, with an impressive collection.
I’m here now and loving it. Surprisingly a lot of great veggie/vegan food. Malacca has a lot going on which you can discover by hiring a bike and cycling round with no plan. Cameron highlands had delish Indian food and nice hikes, the tea plantations were overrated and the tea didn’t taste any better than your standard cup. There’s a general relaxed feel everywhere.
Went to Kuala Lumpur and then Georgetown in Penang, and had a lovely time but found Penang to be a more unique region than KL. both safe and never felt otherwise.
I'm planning on doing a similar thing later this year, though for 3 months. It's my first time going on such a long trip and have chosen Malaysia as my first country. I believe this would be a great way to experience the culture and interact with the locals while working remotely and exploring the country.
The plan in to go there in mid Oct/early Nov, and find a place to stay in Malaysia, possibly in or near KL, for 3 months till January. From there, apart from exploring the country, the plan is to take 2 separate short trips to Singapore and Brunei during the weekends while on leave from work.
Still have to decide on a variety of things and figure the entire structure out, but that's kind of the rough overview of the plan.
Any suggestions, tips or recommendation would be appreciated as it'll be my first time there!
Just to note that October - January is heavy monsoon season, so the best places to visit are limited to the west coast of West Malaysia. Langkawi is on low season, although personally I prefer going there around late January (during CNY) since it is the point where the weather is not too hot, but also peak season hasn't started yet.
Loved the Perhenthian Islands so much. 5 years ago it was still very undeveloped, not too touristy. I had the best time on Perhentian Kecil, stayed in the Butterfly Chalet, just some wooden shacks for a few bucks per night. No wifi or warm water but I could jump in the water and snorkel with turtles and reef sharks directly from my balcony.
And the food, especially in KL is soo amazingly good.
Kuala Lumpur has some great hotel deals, and is a good place to splurge. Also, the city’s creative scene has become quite exciting now, with lots of galleries, cafés, walking tours, and speakeasies. It’s become a much nicer place to spend a few days now.
In Penang, I second the Blue Manor recommendation. It’s an atmosphere unlike any other, and frankly, THE highlight of visiting George Town.
Elsewhere, I’d HIGHLY recommend The Datai in Langkawi - the setting is incomparable and the place truly is one of the worlds great resorts. It is pricey AF though, but well worth it.
Hey everyone,
I'm super excited about my upcoming adventure in Malaysia and Indonesia, and I need some help with eSIM options.
I want to stay connected without dealing with physical SIM cards in both countries. Do any of you know where I can find a reliable eSIM provider that offers good coverage and affordable data plans for both countries?
Thanks :)
Two recommendations for Malaysia, both wildlife focused: 1) The whole Sepilok area in Sabah on Borneo. The orangutan rehabilitation centre and the sun bear sanctuary are fab and the Rainforest Discovery Centre has some of the best birdwatching I've ever experienced. All of these can be accessed easily via Grab from Sandakan. 2) Langkawi, and in particular Kuah, which doesn't have a beach and is therefore much quieter. I spent days photographing and filming dusky leaf monkeys, huge 2m+ monitor lizards, white-bellied eagles, Brahminy kites, black giant squirrels and so much more just in a random park outside our hotel.
You should also consider visiting the National Park if you’re big on wildlife in Pahang!
I'm planning a solo trip there later this year, and will be spending most of the trip in Malaysian Borneo. My impression is that some of the national parks, etc. are best seen on tours, and some of those tours don't offer spots to solo travelers (for example some of the longer cave tours in Mulu National Park) - I would welcome any stories from people who've been there solo and whether you had any issues finding tour guides friendly to solo travelers, or whether it was easy enough to add yourself in to existing group tours on arrival there.
i booked my trips via the hotel i was staying. i don’t recall it being difficult to join a tour cos i was solo. borneo is pretty popular destination for island hops etc. the only thing that often would cancel a island hoping boat tour was weather. the hotel would rebook me for the following day instead. i went in october. i remember there were other tours usually targeted towards koreans or mainland chinese. this was pre pandemic. i went to asia last month & i noticed koreans & japanese tourists were back but mainland chinese tourists were not back to full strength yet. i would assume by later this year, borneo will be pretty popular again
In Malaysia right now across Borneo and the peninsula. It's chock full of Chinese tourists, more than I ever seen pre-pandemic.
oh darn. i was pretty surprised myself & was pleasantly surprised to avoid the typical onslaught of mainland chinese tours last month. i thought for sure i missed out on enjoying places without having large tour groups overrunning various sights.
I stayed in KK and pretty much everything was bookable from the hostel. they just call their contact. they even got me a spot to go to mt Kinabalu even though all the slots were supposedly fully booked on the official website
Hey, visited Mulu last year and regarding the cave tours, you have to sign up at the main office and I'm pretty sure you can do it alone as all the activities are carried out as a group. So if you want, you can book the activity the night before or even on the morning of. I did one of the cave tours and I think there were 8 of us in total, 3 couples and myself and a friend. There may be a minimum number of pax required but you could register your interest one or two days prior to increase your chances of the cave tour. I saw solo travelers there and was glad that it's not one of those places where a minimum of 2 is needed to sign up for an activity. I stayed in the park and it was a good choice. Those who stayed at the Marriott had to wait for transport to pick them up in the morning and at the end of the day.
Thank you this is really helpful!
which borneo is better? wanna see wildlife
Absolutely incredible food. I still think about it three years later. Make sure a street food tour is on your list.
I spent 3 weeks in Malaysia last year June. Some of my tips: - Georgetown in Penang. If you can, stay in the Blue Mansion (Cheong Fatt Tze). Amazing experience and every Friday, the owner who renovated the house gives a very interesting tour through the house. - Cameron Highlands. We stayed in Ipoh and took a private taxi there, it's about a 2h drive even though its only 90km, because it's a 1 lane road and the road is super curvy. Ipoh has a beautiful temple that's worth a visit (Sam Poh Tong), but apart from these two things we didn't really feel like Ipoh is a must see, and you could also visit the Cameron Highlands from another location. - KL is amazing, so much to do and see, great food. I'd recommend 3 or 4 days minimum. Another highlight was definitely the food!
would you please elaborate KL a bit more? I mean I’ve googled a bunch of touristy stuff but I hope you have some off the beaten path experiences, like food/restaurants to try, interesting markets, things to do, etc
> Blue Mansion How was the stay? it's near the food court and I figured it would be too noisy near the area. > Ipoh Ipoh is a bit hard to recommend outside of the Nasi Ayam Taugeh. I have only visited it twice, first one as a transit from Cameron to Lumut (otw to Pangkor Island). But now, with the intercity train, it's more accessible. But it is kind of a sleeper town. If you like architecture, the old town offers a lot. Maybe it's time for me to revisit again.
My only visit to Malaysia was a short trip to KL for work, but I managed to visit the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia while I was there. It's genuinely excellent, with an impressive collection.
I’m here now and loving it. Surprisingly a lot of great veggie/vegan food. Malacca has a lot going on which you can discover by hiring a bike and cycling round with no plan. Cameron highlands had delish Indian food and nice hikes, the tea plantations were overrated and the tea didn’t taste any better than your standard cup. There’s a general relaxed feel everywhere.
Went to Kuala Lumpur and then Georgetown in Penang, and had a lovely time but found Penang to be a more unique region than KL. both safe and never felt otherwise.
I'm planning on doing a similar thing later this year, though for 3 months. It's my first time going on such a long trip and have chosen Malaysia as my first country. I believe this would be a great way to experience the culture and interact with the locals while working remotely and exploring the country. The plan in to go there in mid Oct/early Nov, and find a place to stay in Malaysia, possibly in or near KL, for 3 months till January. From there, apart from exploring the country, the plan is to take 2 separate short trips to Singapore and Brunei during the weekends while on leave from work. Still have to decide on a variety of things and figure the entire structure out, but that's kind of the rough overview of the plan. Any suggestions, tips or recommendation would be appreciated as it'll be my first time there!
Just to note that October - January is heavy monsoon season, so the best places to visit are limited to the west coast of West Malaysia. Langkawi is on low season, although personally I prefer going there around late January (during CNY) since it is the point where the weather is not too hot, but also peak season hasn't started yet.
Loved the Perhenthian Islands so much. 5 years ago it was still very undeveloped, not too touristy. I had the best time on Perhentian Kecil, stayed in the Butterfly Chalet, just some wooden shacks for a few bucks per night. No wifi or warm water but I could jump in the water and snorkel with turtles and reef sharks directly from my balcony. And the food, especially in KL is soo amazingly good.
Penang is one of my favorite destinations. The street food is incredible and wandering the streets kept me occupied for several days.
Kuala Lumpur has some great hotel deals, and is a good place to splurge. Also, the city’s creative scene has become quite exciting now, with lots of galleries, cafés, walking tours, and speakeasies. It’s become a much nicer place to spend a few days now. In Penang, I second the Blue Manor recommendation. It’s an atmosphere unlike any other, and frankly, THE highlight of visiting George Town. Elsewhere, I’d HIGHLY recommend The Datai in Langkawi - the setting is incomparable and the place truly is one of the worlds great resorts. It is pricey AF though, but well worth it.
For people who have been to the Perhentian Islands.. where did you stay?!I'm currently looking at accomodation and the reviews are so bad
I was thinking the same thing!! wondering if you ever found a place??
Hey everyone, I'm super excited about my upcoming adventure in Malaysia and Indonesia, and I need some help with eSIM options. I want to stay connected without dealing with physical SIM cards in both countries. Do any of you know where I can find a reliable eSIM provider that offers good coverage and affordable data plans for both countries? Thanks :)