A sprinkle of forest-clad tropical islands spills off the 2,989 miles of beach and mangrove-studded coasts that cut this green peninsula out of the sea. Running from the north to join the ancient forests of Pahang state in the center, the undulating peaks of the Titiwangsa mountain range split the country in the middle. Malaysia’s lesser-visited mountainous backbone is ripe with easy-going nature treks, but also hides a bounty of offbeat trails to delight the most daring hikers.
Across the South China Sea, the Borneo states of Sarawak and Sabah boast some of the world’s largest caves, jaw-dropping dive sites, and Mount Kinabalu – the country’s tallest peak and a sacred place to the indigenous Kadazan-Dusun people.
Hike to the Heart of the Rainforest
Start in Taman Negara in Pahang state, only three hours from the futuristic capital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s main entry point. Established in 1938, 1,677-square-mile Taman Negara is the peninsula’s best protected virgin rainforest, one of the oldest in the world, and the principal habitat for the last Malayan tigers. Roaming like needles in a tropical haystack, don’t expect to see any as you take to park headquarters’ easiest trails, such as the gentle climb up to Bukit Teresek, or as you glide down the Tahan River to the Lata Berkoh waterfalls.
You need a guide for the 2-day/1-night Keniam Trail, staying overnight in a cave and hopping between orang asli (Peninsular Malaysia’s 18 aboriginal groups) settlements in a longtail boat on your return route. However, the park’s most challenging and soul-changing trek is the guided week-long, completely self-supported traverse from Kuala Tahan to 7,175-foot-high Gunung Tahan (aptly translated as “mount endurance”), the highest in Peninsular Malaysia. With loads of luck, you may meet wild elephants, tapirs, sun bears… or their fresh footprints.
If a week of camping in the wild is too much, head for the new treetop walkway opened in May 2023 at Sungai Relau near Merapoh, one of Taman Negara’s two other access points (and a caving paradise). It’s the easiest way to see Gunung Tahan from afar.
Explore Caves Galore
Malaysia is a veritable spelunker’s paradise, and Sarawak is where to start exploring. The Deer Cave of Mulu National Park in the wilds of eastern Sarawak is the second-largest in the world, with a chamber that could fit 40 Boeing 747 airplanes. Oddly enough, peeking at one side of its southern entrance from the right angle resembles the profile of US President Abraham Lincoln.
In nearby Miri, the Niah Caves unearthed some of the oldest human remains discovered in Southeast Asia, including rupestrian art, wooden boat-shaped coffins, and a Paleolithic human skull at least 40,000 years old. The town of Bau near the state capital Kuching has two other caves called Wind and Fairy, which are smaller but no less beguiling thanks to their intricate boxwork – unusual thin calcite fins that resemble honeycombs.
Dive Into Malaysia’s Turquoise Waters
Even the late French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau noted that the marine life of Sipadan, a small volcanic island off Semporna in the southeast of Sabah, is among the best in the world. Its surrounding islets Mabul, Kapalai, and Bohey Dulang all have equally gin-clear water, white beaches, and flocks of tropical fish.
Snorkeling and diving are privileges at Sarawak’s first marine park, which was established in 1999 to protect four species of endangered turtles. The park consists of the coastline and waters around four islands: the two Pulau Satang, known as besar (big) and kecil (small), and the two Pulau Talang-Talang, also besar and kecil. Advanced divers can also explore four wrecks off Kuching, two of them Japanese World War II warships sunk by the Dutch in the days after the attacks on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
More Fun on the Water
Besides diving, Malaysia is excellent for rafting and watersports. The tiny village of Gopeng, just south of Perak’s capital Ipoh, offers popular Grade-1, -2, or -3 whitewater rafting on the Kampar River, abseiling off waterfalls, and more caves to explore. Don’t miss the 2-mile-long Gua Tempurung, one of the Peninsula’s longest caverns.
Not far away in neighboring Kedah state, the Sedim River provides more sloshing fun, camping, and a treetop walk, while in Sabah, beginners can start on the Kiulu River and then tackle the much more challenging Grade-3 and Grade-4 waters of the Padas River.
Exhausted? Relax on a Perfect Beach
Ever-popular Langkawi is not just a geopark featuring stunning, millennial rock formations but also one of the country’s top beach destinations – and with more than ten different coves and accommodation options ranging from some of Asia’s best resorts to backpacker hostels, Langkawi satisfies every taste and budget.
For a final, pure tuck-toes-in-the-sand bliss, head back to the East Coast resort islands of Lang Tengah and Redang, which feel like you’ve stepped on some of the best atolls in the Maldives.
