Sunday, June 22, 2008

Top 3 Places to Visit in Malaysia for Nature Getaways

Finding a hard time deciding where to go for your next adventure? For those of you looking for a holiday with a challenge (and some education) in Malaysia, then check up on these top three places in both West and East (Sabah and Sarawak) Malaysia:

1. Sabah, Borneo Island, East Malaysia - Now where does one start? Sabah is rich in natural flora and fauna, both terrestrial and also marine. It has South East Asia's highest peak, Mt. Kinabalu, and also one of the world's most unique rainforest basin, the Maliau Basin in Danum Valley. One can always start with Kota Kinabalu, the capital of the state. Kota Kinabalu is the largest city in East Malaysia. It's a pretty popular resort destination due to its proximity to tropical islands, lush rainforests and Mt. Kinabalu.

2. Sarawak, Borneo Island, East Malaysia - For Sarawak, do not miss the opportunity to visit the unique caves at Mulu, north of Sarawak. The Gunung Mulu National Park is situated close to the southern border of Brunei with Malaysia, about 100km east-southeast of the town of Miri. The Park has a number of world record-breaking caves such as the Sarawak Chamber - largest cave chamber in the world, Deer Cave - largest cave passage and the Clearwater Cave - longest cave in Southeast Asia. There are at least 300km more of explored caves, which provides a spectacular sight.

3. Pulau Perhentian (Perhentian Islands), West Malaysia - Glittering gems off the East Coast, the Perhentian Islands are a small group of captivating coral-fringed islands off the coast of northeastern Malaysia in the state of Terengganu. The Islands are one of the most beautiful places on the earth, but unexplored by mass tourism yet. Activities on the islands are limited to scuba diving, snorkeling and sunbathing. The islands are ideal for peaceful vacations.

I've only been to some of the places in Sabah and also Sarawak, but will soon be adding more to my portfolio of adventure holidays!


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'd second all three of those. In particular, I liked the eastern coast, up near Teragganu. I also visited the west coast several times, but didn't like it as much (too touristy). Another area I liked alot was Taman Negara, right in the middle of the country. One day, I'll climb Kinabalu!

Ghostpipe said...

Definitely, Kinabalu. Though the one place I'm dying to visit is Maliau Basin. Need proper permission to go there from Sabah Forestry Dept.