Tour & vacation packages at travel agencies in Malaysia
A visit to Malaysia often contains of multiple nice trips. These trips can be divided into a few main travel themes. Tour & vacation packages in Malaysia are usually based on a few of these trips combined. Local travel agencies in Malaysia are able to provide a list with their most popular tours and trips. You can simply chose one, or have them combine a few in order to plan a bigger roundtrip along numerous popular sights and destinations in Malaysia.
Islands & Underwater world
Most of the islands in Malaysia offer plenty of dive and snorkeling sites for those that like to explore the underwater world. The only islands where you will have to do without diving and snorkeling are the islands at the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia; Penang, Langkawi and Pangkor. Because of their great inlands, wonderful atmosphere, fantastic local food, beautiful beaches and great accessibility these islands are the most popular islands of Malaysia. Also very popular, especially for their underwater world are Perhentian, Redang and Tioman. You will also find some fantastic islands around Borneo, some with very luxurious resorts.
Jungle Treks & Trails
Many tourists visit Malaysia to visit one of the amazing National Parks. There are a few that are very popular on Peninsular Malaysia; Taman Negara, Endau-Rompin and Royal Belum State Park. Real adventurous travelers visit Borneo, as there are many national parks in Sabah and Sarawak.
River & Lake Cruises
Besides doing jungle trails another way to explore the jungles in Malaysia is by river cruise. There are a few rivers in Malaysia where tourists can take a river cruise to explore wildlife that usually live nearby the river banks. The best place to spot wildlife (and also by far the most popular place for a great river cruise) is at the Kinabatangan River nearby the town of Tawau in Sabah (Borneo). Fresh water lake cruises are also very nice. Great locations for lake cruises are at Lake Kenyir, Lake Temenggor and Lake Chini.
Mountain & Hill Climbs
The highest mountain in Malaysia is Mount Kinabalu. A very popular attraction is the Mount Kinabalu Summit Climb, where you will climb to the summit and back in two days (with an overnight stay at the mountain resort Laban Rata). Other mountains in Malaysia are Mount Trusmadi, Mount Mulu, Mount Tahan, Mount Berinchang and Mount Ophir (Gunung Ledang).
Cities & Shopping
The main reason for tourists to stay in the bigger cities of Malaysia is because of the wonderful sights and the fabulous shopping possibilities. Kuala Lumpur is the best place to be if you want to do some serious shopping. Here you have huge modern malls, each with many levels of retail outlets. Other cities with shopping malls are Georgetown (Penang Island), Johor Bahru, Malacca, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching. Make sure to plan your shopping activities at the end of your stay in Malaysia, otherwise you will be carrying around all your new purchases during the whole trip.
People & Culture
A visit to one of the traditional and authentic tribes is often high on each visitor's to-do list. In Malaysia you can visit numerous tribes; ranging from the Orang Asli tribes on Peninsular Malaysia to the Dayak Iban tribes on Borneo (most in Sarawak). In these villages things didn't evolve as much as in the rural areas; a visit to these villages are a great way to experience local customs that were already used hundreds of years ago. Another very popular way to experience the local people in Malaysia is by participating in a Homestay program, perhaps one of the fastest and easiest ways to get to know the real Malaysia. The extensive Homestay Malaysia program is operated by Tourism Malaysia and allows for tourists to stay at families in their homes in kampungs or villages throughout Malaysia.
Food & Nightlife
Everything in Malaysia seems to revolve around food. Locals endure long traffic jams and travel for hours for that special dish at that recommended restaurant. Tourists too are drawn by the wonderful local dishes that you can find everywhere; at the food courts in the shopping malls and also right along the busy streets in villages and cities. Popular places to visit if you want to try the authentic Malaysian dishes are the food courts on Penang Island (Penang is one of the food Walhalla's of Malaysia). There are some hotels in Penang that offer the most authentic Malaysian cuisine. Furthermore, there is the famous Ipoh Cuisine originating from the city of Ipoh, Portuguese influenced dishes in Malacca, fantastic seafood at Ketam Island (and many other islands for that matter) and many other places with their own typical dishes.
Nightlife in Malaysia is often also related to food. Having a late dinner often ends up in a fun night out in Malaysia. Don't be surprised if people are still having their dinner around 10pm or even later. Nightlife in Malaysia is perhaps not as buzzing as in Thailand or other popular tourist destinations; there still is enough to do during the late hours of the night. Most of the fun places can be found in bigger cities or in popular tourist spots like the islands on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur has hundreds of bars, disco's and other nightlife establishments. In most other cities you will always find a few bars and some discotheques, and at the more quiet areas you could always stay at your hotel bar to enjoy a nice drink. At the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia nightlife is next to none, except at the tropical islands like Perhentian, Redang and Tioman (but again, don't expect the same vibrant atmosphere as in Thailand or Bali).
