Lonely Planet Best of Malaysia and Singapore

BEST OF MALAYSIA & SINGAPORE

TOP SIGHTS, AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCES

Welcome to Malaysia & Singapore

Southeast Asias dynamic duo offer sprawling metropolises, culinary sensations, beautiful beaches, idyllic islands, soaring mountains and national parks packed with wildlife. Equally rich and diverse is the regions fascinating multi-ethnic cultural mix.

Malaysia is home to some of the most ancient ecosystems on earth, with significant areas of primary rainforest protected by national park and conservation projects. The biodiversity is mind-boggling: from the pitcher plants and orchids in the humid lowlands to the conifers and rhododendrons of the high-altitude forests. The most common sightings of wildlife will be a host of insects or colourful birdlife, but you may get lucky and spot a foraging tapir, a silvered leaf monkey or an endearingly downy orangutan. The oceans are just as bountiful, with shoals of tropical fish, paint-box corals, turtles, sharks and dolphins.

City lovers will be thrilled by Singapore, an urban showstopper with elegant colonial buildings, stunning contemporary architecture and world-class attractions. In Malaysias capital, Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malay kampung (village) life hums along cheek by jowl with the 21st-century glitz of the Petronas Towers, and shoppers shuttle from traditional wet markets to air-conditioned megamalls. In sharp contrast to the metropolises, Unesco World Heritagelisted Melaka and George Town (Penang) have uniquely distinctive architectural and cultural townscapes, developed over half a millennium of Southeast Asian cultural and trade exchange, and both should be high on your to-visit list.

and Marina Bay, Singapore / FIFTYMM99/GETTY IMAGES

Fly into and spend a couple of days dipping into the citys various quarters and sampling its delicious dining and shopping options. Next head across to Peninsula Malaysia and one of the regions oldest cities.

4 hours, 5 hours to Melaka

, an atmospheric time capsule of history and culture, is a great place to explore for a day before moving on to the nations appealing capital.

2 hours, 3 hours to KL

Sightseeing must-dos in include the Petronas Towers, Batu Caves and Chinatown. Then set your travel compass for the peninsulas interior.

4 hours to Kuala Tembling,
then 3 hours to Taman Negara

ULTIMATE ITINERARY PLAN YOUR TRIP

Make some short jungle hikes in the magnificent national park .

4 hours to Cameron Highlands

Return to the west coast and make the short crossing by ferry or bridge to the island of Penang where the World Heritage listed core of awaits urban exploration.

5 hours to Penang

Finish up with some serious beach time on gorgeous Pulau .

1 hour to Langkawi.

ULTIMATE ITINERARY PLAN YOUR TRIP

Youll have to return to Penang or KL to fly to the east coast city is to fly to Johor Bahru then follow the coast back up to Mersing for the boat.

1 hour to Kota Bahru, then & 5 hours to Pulau Tioman

Singapore offers good connections to , the natural base from which to arrange expeditions to Sarawaks national parks.

1 hours to Kuching

Having recovered from the ascent of .

1 hours to Kota Kinabalu,
then 1 hour to Tawau

MALAYSIA & SINGAPORES TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP

George Town has managed to cling to its relatively newfound reign as one of the regions hottest destinations. The 2008 Unesco World Heritage declaration sparked a frenzy of cultural preservation, and the citys charismatic shophouses have been turned into house museums, boutique hotels and chic cafes. George Town is one of the most rewarding cities in Southeast Asia to explore on foot, and it also boasts some of Malaysias best food.

MALAYSIA & SINGAPORES TOP 12 PLAN YOUR TRIP

To visit Taman Negara is to experience the land as it was before the modern world rolled through. Inside this shadowy, nigh-impenetrable jungle, ancient trees with gargantuan buttressed root systems dwarf luminescent fungi, orchids, and rare and beautiful flora. Making their home within are elephants, tigers, leopards and deer, as well as smaller wonders such as flying squirrels, lizards, monkeys, tapirs, and serpents of all sorts.