Located in South East Asia, Malaysia is a multi ethnic and multi cultural country as well as one of the most prominent tourist destination in Asia. It has been listed in Top 10 most visited countries in the World and features some of the most fascinating and unique attractions which are very interesting to explore. From thrilling nightlife to beautiful islands and wild jungles along with Colonial Towns Malaysia welcomes the travelers with pure joy and grace and the fact that nearly 2 million tourists visited Malaysia in 2010 highlights the point that a visit here is must…!!
Let’s explore: Top tourist attractions in Malaysia
10) Taman Negara
Established in the 1938/1939 as the King George V National Park in 4,343 km sq, it was later renamed to Taman Negara, which in Malay means National Park, after independence. Around 130 million years old it is the World’s oldest tropical rainforest and has been developed into one of the most famous ecotourism destination in Malaysia. In Taman Negara, you will encounter some rare breed of mammals and peacocks like the Great Argus and Malayan Peacock-Pheasant. Perfect place for travelers who love traditional jungle activities and undoubtedly, one of the top tourist attractions in Malaysia.
9) Kuala Lumpur Tower
Located at 421m, Kuala Lumpur Tower is one of the top tourist attractions in Malaysia and a landmark architecture of Kuala Lumpur. The construction of the tower started in 1991 and was completed in 1994 as the highest viewing point in Kuala Lumpur. Basically it is used for telecommunication purpose but now several activities are conducted in the tower out of which the most famous one is BASE jump. There is also a revolving restaurant in the tower from where guests can enjoy the dinner with panoramic views of the city.
8) Georgetown Inner City
Georgetown located on the north-east corner of Penang Island is the second largest metropolitan area in Malaysia named after Britain’s King George III. In Malay, George Town is called as Tanjung and most of the people here are of Chinese Origin. Georgetown’s inner city has been described as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and is a very attractive place to spend a few days. Architecture of the buildings here is very different from what you find in Malaysia. In fact, Georgetown is officially recognized as a city having unique architecture and culture townscape. In Evening, the town is at its peak when most of the locals gather around nearby street hawkers.
7) Mount Kinabalu
Located in the East Malaysian state, Mount Kinabalu is a prominent mountain on the island of Borneo protected by a World Heritage Site, Kinabalu Park. The elevation of the mountain is at 4,095m above sea level and is the highest mountain in Borneo. With around 5000 to 6000 species of plants, 326 species of birds and 100 mammalian species Mount Kinabalu is one of the most important biological sites in the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There is no need for mountain climbing equipment’s while climbing as a person in good physical condition can easily climb the Mountain. Mount Kinabalu is one of the top tourist attractions in Malaysia.
6) Pangkor Island
Pangkor Island is a resort island with 25000 population and land area of 18 km sq. There are 65 reptile, 17 amphibian and 82 herpetofaunal species located in the interior of the island which is forested. In Malaysia, Pangkor is famous for its beaches that offers wide array of luxuries to the travelers and mix of accommodations. Some of the popular beaches on the island are Telulk Nipah and Pasir Bogak. You can head straight to the nearby Giam Island if you are fond of Snorkeling. Pangkor Island is one of the top tourist attractions in Malaysia and many attractions like Tortoise Hills, the tombs, Tiger Rock are located here.
5) Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre
Opened in 1964 , Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre is located within the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve and is a project for rescued orphan baby orgutans from logging sites and illegal hunting. They are again trained how to survive in the Wild and as soon as they are ready they are released. At present, there are total 60 to 80 orgutans are living free in the reserve. The purpose of the project is very initiative and is very much appreciated everywhere. I don’t see any reason why to keep Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre out of the list of top tourist attractions in Malaysia.
4) Petronas Towers
Petronas Towers also called as Petronas Twin Towers was the tallest structure in the world from 1998 to 2004 designed by Cesar Pelli. The construction started in 1993 and completed in 1996 with estimated cost of around US $1.6 billion. The Petronas Towers are still the tallest twin towers in the World and are a landmark of Kuala Lumpur. The towers are built largely of concrete with a steel and glass façade design to resemble reflection of Malaysia’s Muslim religion. During the time of construction, there were several problems like leaning, concrete failure but the work still got completed in the deadline set by the Malaysian Government. The towers are connected with each other through a sky bridge on 41st and 42nd floors.
3) Batu Caves
Located in Gombak district, Batu Caves is a limestone hill and one of the most popular Hindu shrines out of India around 400 million years old. The name of the Cave is derived from the nearby flowing Sungai Batu or Batu River. Batu Caves Temple Complex consists of three main caves and there are two more cave temples at the base of the hill which contains Hindu Statues and Paintings. In 2006, a 140 ft feet high statue of Lord Murugan was placed outside the Batu Caves and is the World’s largest statue of Lord Murugan. Wooden Steps upto the temple cave were built in 1920 which was later replaced with 272 concrete steps. Definitely one of the top tourist attractions in Malaysia.
2) Langkawi
Langkawi is an archipelago or cluster of 104 islands located in the Andaman Sea and are part of state of Kheda. Adjacent to the Thai Border, it is one of the best holiday destination of Malaysia. It is a duty-free island in which the largest island is Pulau Langkawi with population of around 65,000. Two-Third part of the island is dominated by forest covered mountains which makes the location ideally natural for tourism. Langakwi has been accorded World Geopark status by UNESCO and there are also many attractions available here for you to explore gracefully. The pedestrian walk on the Langkawi Sky Bridge will be the highlight of your trip. How can we ignore such a cool place when we are mentioning top tourist attractions in Malaysia.
1) Gunung Mulu National Park
Located in Gunung Mulu National Park, Mulu Caves is one of the biggest Caves in the National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site named after Mount Mulu. Within the National Park, Sarawak Chamber- the largest residing natural chamber 700 m long and 396 m wide and Deer Cave – The largest single cave passage in the World are found along with other incredible Caves and Karst Formations. The Sarawak Chamber is so big that it can easily accommodate more than 400 Boeing 747s without overlapping. There are 27 species of bat already found in Mulu and from Deer Cave, Wrinkle-Lipped bats come out at each evening in search of food which is very attracting and unique to see. No better place to visit than Gunung Mulu National Park when exploring top tourist attractions in Malaysia.