Types of Tourism in Malaysia
EXCURSIONS
The excursion program of Malaysia is very diverse. Natural attractions – tropical forests and national parks with rich flora and fauna, nature reserves with amazing underwater world, cool mountains and unique caves of the island of Borneo.
Among the cultural attractions are architectural buildings and structures built in various national styles, open-air museums that give a complete picture of the life, crafts, architecture and traditions of different peoples living in Malaysia.
BEACH HOLIDAYS
The most popular resort islands of Malaysia – Langkawi and Penang – are located off the northwestern coast of the mainland of the country, where daytime air temperatures do not fall below +30 degrees all year round. In Langkawi, pristine wildlife combines with sandy beaches, clear blue water and a rich underwater world, and Penang, in addition to beach holidays, offers tourists a lot of water activities. Check top-medical-schools.org for travel information in Malaysia.
The east coast of mainland Malaysia, washed by the waters of the South China Sea, is known for its small picturesque islands. You can have a great rest on the coastal islands of the states of Terengganu, Pahang (especially on the island of Tioman) and Johor. In addition, the southernmost seaside resort of the Malay Peninsula, Desaru, is located on the southern coast of the state of Johor. The resort has many hotels, beaches surrounded by casuarinas, and golf courses. The beaches of the state of Sabah (the capital is Kota Kinabalu), which occupies the northeastern part of the island of Kalimantan, are more suitable for diving enthusiasts who want to combine a beach holiday with exciting diving.
DIVING
Malaysia is one of the most attractive places for scuba diving. According to experts, the flora and fauna here is much richer and more diverse than in the Pacific Ocean. The best time for diving in the west of Peninsular Malaysia from December to May, in the east – from March to October, and on the islands of Sabah the season lasts all year round. Malaysia has such world-famous dive sites as the islands of Sipadan and Layang Layang. Sipadan Island is located off the southeast coast of the state of Sabah. A warm current flows along the coast of the island, which attracts a wide variety of marine life. Sipadan often compared with the Galapagos Islands: there are over 70 species of coral and more than 200 species of fish (caesio, barracuda, swallowfish, sweetlips, trevally, red mullet, cone-headed parrot fish), a variety of sharks, crabs, lobsters and many turtles, in including the green turtle and hawksbill turtle. Local dive sites abound with underwater walls and rocks overgrown with corals and sponges. In 2004, all dive resorts were withdrawn from the island. Today, in order to dive here, in addition to other fees, you must pay for each visit to the national park. Divers live on the islands of Mabul and Kapalai closest to Sipadan.
Layang Layang is Malaysia’s second most popular dive site after Sipadan. It is located 300 km northwest of the administrative center of the state of Sabah – Kota Kinabalu. The waters around the island are teeming with sponges, gorgonians, black, red and white hard corals, with daily sightings of hawk-billed turtles, giant manta rays, gray reef sharks, blacktip sharks, hammerhead sharks, yellowfin tuna, parrotfish and barracuda. Some species of unique marine life have not yet been studied by biologists and do not even have scientific names.
Also from the city of Kota Kinabalu you can go diving to the island of Labuan, which is surrounded by sunken ships from the Second World War, to the islands of the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park, or to the only dive resort in the Malaysian part of the Sulu Sea – Lankayan Island, known as one of the best places in Malaysia for watching whale sharks. The islands located off the east coast of the Malaysian mainland are very popular. In the state of Terengganu, Redang Island (Pulau Redang), which is famous for its vast coral reefs protected by the Redang Marine Park, and two sunken ships from the Second World War, and Tenggol Island (Pulau Tenggol) with coastal cliffs that go deep under the water are interesting. Tioman Island is located off the coast of the state of Pahang to the south, where those who wish to swim with whale sharks come. At the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula is located state of Johor. Its east coast is also surrounded by numerous islands: Rawa (Palau Rawa), whose coral reef is home to many neon fish, Aur (Palau Aur) with one of the most popular coral reefs in the country, going to a depth of 25 m, and Sibu (Palau Sibu) with places for wreck diving. The best dive sites on the west coast of the Malaysian mainland are concentrated in the Palau Payar Marine Park, located 30 km southeast of the resort island of Langkawi. Palau Payar is considered the best marine park on the west coast. The park includes 4 islands. Here is the most beautiful coral atoll in the entire Strait of Malacca.
SURFING
Great opportunities for surfing and windsurfing are on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula. In the period from November to April, steady northeast winds blow here. Particularly popular is Pantai Bisikan Bayu beach, located 50 km south of the state capital of Kelantan – the city of Kota Bharu.
ECOTOURISM
The largest number of natural parks is located in the states of Sarawak and Sabah, located on the island of Kalimantan (Borneo). 2/3 of the territory of the state of Sarawak (the capital is the city of Kuching) occupy the jungle, the richness of the natural world which is truly impressive. For example, in the local Lambir Hill National Park, for every 50 hectares there are about 1050 different species of trees, each of which is home to about 1000 species of insects.
A feature of the natural parks of Malaysia is that most of the excursion trails are laid above the ground in the form of suspension paths and bridges. Thus, tourists do not disturb the vegetation cover and do not disturb the animals living here. In addition to biodiversity, Sarawak offers some of the oldest and some of the longest cave systems in the world.
Natural parks of the state of Sabah (the capital is Kota Kinabalu) for the most part protect the natural world of coastal islands and their water areas. Of particular interest is the Turtle Islands National Park, located off the east coast of Sabah on islands in the Sulu Sea. It is here that the famous green and hook-nosed turtles are found in abundance in the coastal waters, which throughout the year go to the deserted beaches of the islands to lay their eggs.
The most extensive and popular natural parks of the mainland are located in the state of Pahang.. Here are the country’s most famous and oldest protected area – Taman Negara National Park, whose forests are about 130 million years old: Endau-Rompin Park, home to many birds, mammals, including monkeys, elephants, deer, tapirs, leopards, tigers and the rare Sumatran rhino, insects and amphibians; and the Crow Nature Reserve, where a wide variety of monkeys are found.
Very interesting trips to the southernmost point of not only the Malay Peninsula, but also the mainland of Eurasia – Cape Piai (Tanjung Piai), which is the national park of the same name with extensive mangrove forests. Of the marine parks, it is worth highlighting Palau Payar Marine Park, located 30 km southeast of the island of Langakwi, where the most beautiful coral atoll in the entire Strait of Malacca is protected, and located off the east coast in the South China Sea, Pulau Redang Island Marine Park , which is famous for its vast coral reefs. In addition, in the central part of the east coast in the state of Terengganu, there is a protected beach Rantau Abang, where giant leatherback turtles are chosen at night from May to September to lay their eggs. The length of this species of turtles can reach 2.5 m, and weight – 375 kg. Rantau Abang is one of six places on earth where leatherback turtles appear.
