Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the largest city of Malaysia. Being a young city (founded only in 1857) it developed fast into a bustling metropolis of 1.5 million people (6 million including the satellite cities in the Klang Valley). Kuala Lumpur, or simply KL (as it is it called by Malaysians), literally means “muddy estuary” in Bahasa Malaysia. With good and cheap accommodation, great shopping and even better food in this multi-cultural melting pot, increasing numbers of travellers are discovering this little gem of a city.
Having been in the shadow of other big cities in the region like Bangkok and Singapore, KL was put back on the map for good with the opening the Petronas Twin Towers in 1997, until 2004 the highest and still one of the most impressive buildings in the world. Though, the sights are not what makes this city unique, it’s KL itself and it’s mixture of people and visitors.

Tioman

Largest island of Malaysias east coast. It’s located 32km off the coast and is some 20km long and 12km wide and the highest peak is Gunung Kajang with 1038m. In the 70ies TIME magazine selected Tioman as one the world’s most beautiful islands but lost some flair in recent years due to do development. The island has eight main villages, many beaches and is densely forested and is surrounded by numerous coral reefs, making it a scuba diving haven.

Langkawi

Langkawi is an archipelago of 99 islands in the Andaman Sea, some 30 km off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia. The islands are a part of Malaysia’s Kedah state, but are adjacent to the Thai border. By far the largest of the islands is the eponymous Pulau Langkawi with a population of some 45,000. The island is a declared duty-free zone.

Perhentian Islands

The Perhentian Islands (Pulau Perhentian in Bahasa Malaysia) lie approximately 10 nautical miles (19 km) offshore the coast of northeastern Malaysia in the state of Terengganu, approximately 40 miles (64 km) south of the Thai border. The two main islands are Perhentian Besar (“Big Perhentian”) and Perhentian Kecil (“Small Perhentian”). Popular for it’s beaches, snorkeling and driving. Like a real postcard.

Factory in Cameron Highlands
Selamat Datang! Welcome to BackpackingMalaysia.com!

   
Cherating kids at the promenade road
   
Singapore Kuan Yin Thong Hod Cho Temple

The Responsible Tourist and Traveller

This is practical 8-step guide based on the "Global Code of Ethics" for Tourism of the World Tourism Organization. It promotes traveling with an open mind and respect for people, culture, animals and environment. ... more

How to get to and away from Langkawi

Langkawi is a large island in the northwest of Peninsular Malaysia just south of the Thai border and about 30km from the mainland. It has ferry connections to Satun and Koh Lipe in Thailand as well as to Kuala Kedah, Kuala Perlis and Penang in Malaysia. Read on for more details... ... more

Buses from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore

There are plenty of options (flight, bus, train) to do the journey of 350km between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. We browsed through all bus companies serving this route and compiled the prices, times, departure and arrival points for you. ... more

A walk through Brickfields

Brickfield is one of the most colourful and interesting areas in Kuala Lumpur. It is one of the oldest areas in Kuala Lumpur and part of it is also one of the most modern with the KL Sentral development. The most interesting part, however, is the Little India area along Jalan Tun Sambathan. ... more

10 plus years of perpetual travelling

Konni and Matt retired some 10 plus years ago and are since then living everybody's dream - travelling around the world non-stop (their Blog: konniandmatt.blogspot.com). They sailed off with a boat in Europe, and after a few years cruising around the Middle East and the Indian Ocean, they eventually made it to South-East Asia. Since then, Konni and Matt continued their trip via land and air transport and travelled extensively through this part of the world with their favourite carrier Air Asia. Matt talks about his experiences in Malaysia, which became something like a home base to them. ... more

Long-Distance Bus Terminals in Kuala Lumpur
New bus terminal for south-bound buses opened in Kuala Lumpur
Hiking at Bukit Tabur
Exploring Cameron Highlands
Buses from and to Cameron Highlands
... read more stories

Things to Do & See
Mount Kinabalu,Kota Kinabalu
Gunung Kinabalu is part of the Kinabalu National Park (World Heritage Site) and the tallest mountain in the Malay Archipelago. ... more
Little India & Kapitan Keling Mosque,Penang
Small Indian enclave in Georgetown where you can find shops, food, temples and the Kapitan Keling Mosque. ... more
ABC Beach (Kampung Air Batang),Tioman
popular backpacker's beach on a rather long stretch of beach ... more
The Paddock,Fraser's Hill
The Paddock offers and family frienly facility that offers horseback riding and archery. ... more
Kek Lok Si (Buddhist) Temple,Penang
Largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia. Construction started in 1893 and took over 20 years to complete but new sections keep being added ... more
Luminous Restaurant & Bar,Kuala Lumpur
Kebab restaurant and bar on Changkat Bukit Bintang ... more
Mangrove River Tour,Cherating
A must-do in Cherating is a boat tour into the mangrove forest. The guides are good in spotting various animals, includings snakes. ... more
Jonker Walk,Melaka
A street in Chinatown with many antiques stores. On weekend nights the whole street is closed for traffic and turns into a lively night market ... more
Bangsar,Kuala Lumpur
Bangsar, to the south of downtown, popular entertainment area for local yuppies and expats with an Mediterranean flair. ... more
Lot 10,Kuala Lumpur
Shopping Mall in Bukit Bintang housing mostly fashion stores. ... more
Changkat Bukit Bintang,Kuala Lumpur
Changkat is a street of mostly 2-storey pre-war colonial buildings which are turned into pubs, restaurants and clubs. It is one the most happening nightlife and clubbing areas in Kuala Lumpur. ... more
Envie Club Lounge,Kuala Lumpur
Dance club and bar on Changkat Bukit Bintang ... more
Penang Hill (Bukit Bendera),Penang
Hill system with hill resort (highest point 833m above sea level) about 6km from city centre of Georgetown. Bukit Bendera is 735m above sea level and can be reached by Penang Hill Railway ... more

... view all things to do & see

HOSTELS
Red Palm, Kuala Lumpur
Hostel, Kuala Lumpur
Looking for a place to hang out, relax, meet friendly faces and experience the cultural diversity and hospitality of Malaysia? Red Palm is not a party hostel, it is a place where you can feel at home, relax and kick back in the middle of the bustling city. ... more
Rock Garden Village, Perhentian Islands
Budget Hotel, Perhentian Islands
Chalets on the most southern edge of Long Beach, Pulau Perhentian Kecil. One of the cheapest option on the Perhentians. ... more
Puteri Salang Inn Chalet, Tioman
Chalets, Tioman
accommodation on Salang Beach, RM40 - RM150 ... more
Sunset Beach Resort, Langkawi
Hostel, Langkawi
cozy, beautifully landscaped and designed small resort at the southern end of Cenang Road and northend end of Tengah Beach ... more
Ella’s Place, Tioman
Chalets, Tioman
accommodation on Salang Beach, RM40 - RM120 ... more
Riverside Holiday Resort, Cherating
Chalets, Cherating
accommodation near the river with on-site restaurant and live music club (Little Bali) ... more
Shahzan Inn, Fraser's Hill
Hotel, Fraser's Hill
Hotel with 92 rooms near the town square ... more
Beary Nice! by a beary good hostel, Singapore
Hostel, Singapore
Inspired by the favorite catchphrase of our abearygoodhostel guests, Beary Nice! is our latest (and nicest) addition to Singapore’s colorful backpackers scene. ... more

... view all hostels

LINKS

Borneo Fairyland
Sarawak Tour Provider
Wikipedia:History of Malaysia
Wikipedia article about the history of Malaysia
Travelling by bus
bus schedules and routes by journeymalaysia.com
AirAsia.com
Malaysian budget airline for south-east Asia
Waterfalls of Malaysia
website is dedicated to the beautiful waterfalls of Malaysia
Sejarah Melayu
A History of the Malay Peninsula
Tourism-Melaka.com
Useful Information about Melaka
hmetro.com.my/
malay newspaper
Rimba.um.edu.my
Rimba Ilmu is a tropical botanical garden, set up in the University of Malaya campus in Kuala Lumpur
Monorail.com.my
public transportation system in Kuala Lumpur


see all links



RANDOM GALLERY PHOTO
Tioman
Tekek beach
DID YOU KNOW?
Weather

It’s hot (around 30C celcius) and very humid throughout the year. So be prepared to take 2-3 showers every day to get rid of your own stickiness.

Things to do & see
Kuala Lumpur, Bangsar
Bangsar, to the south of downtown, popular entertainment area for local yuppies and expats with an Mediterranean flair. ... more
Kuala Lumpur, Puduraya Bus Terminal (Pudu Sentral)
The Puduraya bus terminal (now renamed to Pudu Sentral), located in the city centre, used to be KL's main bus station. After a complete make-over and the re-opening in April 2011, it now servers north-bound buses. ... more