When to Visit Malaysia?
Humidity is high all year round in Malaysia, and the temperature often hovers around 30°C in the lowlands and 20°C in the highlands.
March to April is often considered to be the best time to visit since it is the shoulder season, which will give you the best of both worlds: relatively drier weather than January and February, but fewer tourists than from May to October.
That said, if your holiday doesn't coincide with the recommended period, any months between March and October are also good options.
How to Get to Malaysia?
Malaysia is easily accessible via AirAsia, a popular low-cost airline in Asia that is headquartered in Kuala Lumpur. All the flights will pass through KL, so you won't have any trouble traveling to Malaysia from within Asia.
Be sure to browse through Skyscanner or Expedia for a cheap flight from your home country to Malaysia.
If you are coming from Singapore, there are several buses leaving from Singapore to Melaka every day. It should cost you around 80 MYR, and it will take you 4 hours to get to Melaka. You can book your bus ticket from 12Go Asia for this trip.
If you are currently in Thailand and want to visit Malaysia, there are several buses connecting Hat Yai (Thailand) to George Town, Penang. The bus should cost around 40 MYR and will take around 4-5 hours.
How to Get Around Malaysia?
The bus system in Malaysia is very well-connected and accessible to tourists, and most people speak English, which helps a lot in navigating the country via public transport.
All the places recommended in this itinerary are connected via Kuala Lumpur, so you can easily book your bus tickets online at 12Go Asia and show up at either Terminal Bersepadu Selatan or KL Sentral Bus Terminal.
Within big cities like Kuala Lumpur, you can take the RapidKL train, which should cover most of the tourist attractions in and around the city. The GRAB taxi app is also a great option if you are looking to get around places further away from the usual tourist area.
For smaller cities like Penang, you can easily walk to most places or you can take a local bus to visit the tourist attractions easily and cheaply.
For Cameron Highlands and Melaka, most tourist attractions in these two places are within walking distance. In Cameron Highlands, there are several hiking trails you can explore to see different places. In Melaka, you can either walk or easily call the GRAB taxi app to get around the city quite easily.
Daily Budget
This place is quite affordable compared to all the other countries in the world. If you are planning a trip here, you can expect to spend around $25 - $45 USD per day per person, which should include accommodation and three meals.
Please keep in mind that these are suggested daily budgets based on my own style of travel, which leans more towards the budget side of things. If you aim to stick to this budget, anticipate sleeping in dormitories, dining out only occasionally, and being comfortable with the cheapest and most convenient modes of transportation, which often involve a considerable amount of walking.
Which tourist SIM card is best for Malaysia?
Internet access in Malaysia is really good, even if you just rely on WiFi. The hostels I stayed at all have great WiFi, or if not, any cafes, notably PapaRich and Old Town White Coffee cafe, that are literally in every city in Malaysia, all have reliable fast WiFi.
If you want access to the internet on the go, you can get a local SIM card as well for a very decent price. I got a 5GB SIM card for 30 days from Celcom for only 30 MYR, and I had 4G connection in almost every place I visited.
For more information on Malaysia SIM cards: Malaysia Prepaid Data SIM Card.
Tips: To stay connected with your loved ones at home, make sure to have a VPN service like NordVPN installed before traveling. This way, you can bypass any local Internet censorship that you may encounter while in Malaysia.
What to Pack for Malaysia?
As you may already know, I am an advocate of light traveling, and indeed, packing light for a journey like this is a unique art form. Here are some packing tips for your upcoming trip to Malaysia:
- Walking/Hiking Shoes: With all the walking and possible hiking during your travel, a comfortable pair of shoes is a must. I recommend the Timberland 3-Eye Classic Boat Shoes that are my go-to pair for long strolls and hikes.
- Breathable Shirts: Given the potential for hot weather, pack a few breathable shirts for your outdoor adventures.
- Shorts/Jeans: Anticipate lots of walking during your travels? Be sure to pack some breathable shorts and a pair of Levi's jeans for when the weather cools. For women, leggings are excellent for both hot and cold climates, so consider packing some as well.
- Outer Shell Jacket: An outer shell jacket is great for windy or rainy conditions. I highly recommend the Columbia Watertight Jacket (for women). It's lightweight, breathable, and even comes in a cool orange color.
- Microfiber Towel: A Microfiber towel is the ideal backpacker's towel due to its lightness, quick drying, and compressibility.
- Swim Suits: A swim trunk is a must-pack item if you are planning to visit Malaysia in the summer, just in case there is a body of water you can jump in.
- Camera: You should also pack a good camera for your trip so that you can capture all the beautiful experiences you might have. I recommend the Sony a7R V camera together with the Sony 24-70mm f2.8 GM II lens, which is probably the highest-performance camera and lens combination you can get right now.
- Power Bank: Keep your electronics charged on the go with a 20,000+ mAh Power Bank.
- Water Bottle: The Hydro Flask Trail Water Bottle is a great insulated water bottle to have with you in cities or on hiking trails. It is lightweight and can keep your water cold or warm for more than 12 hours. It's a total game-changer.
- Universal Adapter: You'll need just one universal adapter to plug in your electronics in any country you visit.
- Packing Cubes: Packing Cubes will help you save space in your backpack and keep all your belongings organized.
- Daypack: The Langly Alpha Globetrotter is my go-to everyday camera backpack. It's large enough to carry all my travel gear, and it comes with plenty of slots and pouches. Plus, it's stylish as hell!
- Large Backpack: You will need a large backpack to carry all of your stuff. I recommend the Osprey Atmos AG 65L backpack. With excellent weight distribution and a lifetime guarantee, you can't go wrong with Osprey.
For more information on what I pack in my backpack for this trip, check out: My Packing List: 60 Travel Essentials.