How to spend 3 weeks in Malaysia: epic itinerary. Malaysia is an incredibly beautiful country to explore, full of incredible landscapes, delicious food, fascinating culture and weird and wonderful wildlife. It makes the perfect addition to a South East Asia backpacking trip, but can also be a wonderful holiday in its own right. Read on for my guide on how to spend 3 weeks in Malaysia: epic itinerary.
Remember to buy travel insurance for your trip. Receive a 5% discount on Heymondo travel insurance.
Where is Malaysia?
Malaysia is a country in South East Asia. It is split across two geographical areas: Peninsular Malaysia (or West Malaysia), a long stretch of land below Thailand and above Singapore, and Malaysian Borneo (or East Malaysia), the northern part of a huge island between Peninsular Malaysia and Indonesia.
How to get to Malaysia?
Malaysia is very well connected. There are a number of international airports, so you’ll have plenty of options. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur (KL) so this is the most popular entry point, but there are also other options such as Penang. Malaysian Borneo also has a number of airports including Kota Kinabalu (KK) and Kuching. It’s also common to transit via Singapore as it’s so close to Malaysia. Many people also travel overland from either Singapore or Thailand by bus or train.
How do I Travel Around Malaysia?
Fly: The easiest way to travel around Malaysia is to fly. Domestic flights are pretty cheap, meaning you don’t necessarily even save that much money taking the bus. But note that some airlines charge a lot for checked baggage, which can pretty much double your ticket cost.
Bus: There are plenty of bus routes available if you have more time, and most Malaysian long distance buses are pretty comfortable. This is more eco friendly that flying, and if you have the time it’s a great way to see more of the country. You can book bus tickets in advance via 12Go.com.
Train: It’s possible to travel around peninsular Malaysia (but not Borneo) by train. You can book train tickets in advance via 12Go.com.
Drive: The roads in Malaysia are generally really good, so it’s also possible to get a hire car or a motorbike and travel around yourself. Do note that, depending on the time of year, when it rains, it rains heavily. So check the weather! In Malaysia they drive on the left.
Grab: Grab is a Singaporean rideshare app (like Uber) that is used all over South East Asia. Prices in Malaysia are pretty cheap and Grab works in most urban areas. I recommend downloading the app before you go so that you can set it up and make sure that your payment method is working.
Boat: There are some islands that you can visit by boat. Tickets can be booked in advance via 12Go.com.
3-Week Itinerary for Malaysia: Map
How to Spend 3 Weeks in Malaysia: Epic Itinerary
Days 1-3: Georgetown, Penang
The beautiful colonial streets of Georgetown, a town on the island of Penang, are an absolute must for any visit to Malaysia. Full of historical buildings, street art, delicious food and speakeasies, this town has a very unique atmosphere. The rich history of this area makes you truly appreciate the melting pot of cultures, and the best way to experience this is through the food! From Indian curries to Chinese dumplings and Malay laksa – Penang is known as one of the best food destinations in Asia – and that’s really saying something! The easiest way to sample Penang’s diverse cuisine is to book onto a food tour, for example this Penang Plates Food Tour with 15+ Tastings.
Read my more detailed post Why You’ll Love Visiting Penang. See also What to Eat in Georgetown, Penang.
Days 4-6: Cameron Highlands
Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands, famous for tea plantations, are incredible beautiful. There are hiking trails over the hills and through the tea fields (make sure to stick to official tracks). Relax and enjoy a quintessential afternoon tea with strawberries picked from local fields. You can even pick your own if you want! Due to the British Colonial influence, a lot of the houses in the area are built in the traditional English style. Take a trip to the Lavender Garden where you can enjoy lavender flavoured ice cream.
The bus from Georgetown to the Cameron Highlands takes 4-5 hours. Tickets available here.
Days 7-9: Kuala Lumpur (KL)
KL is a big vibrant city, but it’s very easy to get around (metro and Grab), and it has some fantastic sights! Get up early to visit the multi-coloured steps of the Batu Caves and witness Hindu ceremonies. Marvel at the Petronas Towers, visit the Chinese Thean Hou Temple and admire the stunning Wilayah Mosque. Accommodation options in KL are amazing! The city is full of multi-storey apartment complexes, most of which have shared facilities such as shops, gyms and rooftop pools! Room styles vary from basic shared dorms to luxury private apartments and everything in between.
See availability and tickets for a tour of Batu Caves.
The bus from the Cameron Highlands to KL takes 4-5 hours. Tickets available here.
Days 10-12: Melaka (Malacca)
The colourful riverside city of Melaka has so many historically significant buildings that the town centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are lots of pretty guesthouses located right on the river, and you can happily idle away a day moseying around the local markets and admiring the impressive street art. As usual for Malaysia, the food is fantastic here too!
Sometimes also spelled “Malacca”, which is the English spelling. The state government decided to standardise the spelling in 2017, opting for the Malaysian variant “Melaka”. Newspapers and other media are now meant to use the Malay spelling.
The bus from KL to Melaka takes just over 2 hours. Tickets available here. You can filter for “bus” to remove the more expensive taxi option.
Days 15-17: Borneo: Sandakan and Sepilok
So many people miss out Borneo on their visits to Malaysia, as this fascinating island has a reputation for being remote and difficult to travel to. But it’s actually very easy if you know where to go! From Melaka, you can get a connecting flight or just get the bus back to KL and get a flight from there to Sandakan, Borneo (or transfer via Kota Kinabalu, Borneo).
Sandakan, in the north-east of Malaysian Borneo, is a great place to base yourself for visiting the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) and Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC), all of which are based nearby at Sepilok. You can visit all 3 centres in one day as they are within walking distance of each other. There is also some accommodation at Sepilok itself, which is a 30 minute drive from Sandakan. You can get from Sandakan to Sepilok by bus or by Grab. (Or book a tour with transfers).
Days 18-21: Borneo: Kinabatangan River
Book a 3-day 2-night (3D2N) cruise package for the Kinabatangan River. This is where you have a chance to really see Bornean animals and birds in the wild. Sightings include proboscis monkeys, crocodiles, various birds, and, if you’re lucky, rare Bornean elephants. Note that as all the animals are wild, sightings are not guaranteed. Most Kinabatangan River cruise packages include several guided river boat outings and 1-2 short jungle walks, often including a nighttime jungle walk. Read my more detailed Kinabatangan River post.
Fly back to Kuala Lumpur or Singapore for your onwards connection.
Read my longer Borneo itineraries here:
Practical Guidance for Malaysia
Hopefully you’ve found this How to Spend 3 Weeks in Malaysia: Epic Itinerary useful. I’ve also included some useful information for Malaysia in general below. If you plan all the boring stuff in advance you can relax and enjoy your trip more!
Read my other posts about Malaysia here.
How to get around cities in Malaysia such as Kuala Lumpur
The easiest way to get around Kuala Lumpur (and urban areas in Malaysia in general) is to use Grab. Grab is a Singaporean-headquartered rideshare app (like Uber) that operates in a number of countries in South East Asia. I recommend downloading the app in advance before your trip so that you can set up the payment card etc. The best card to link in order to avoid high FX exchange fees is a WISE card (see below).
Money in Malaysia: (MYR)
If you’re visiting Malaysia you’ll need Malaysian ringgit (MYR). To get MYR at the best rates, I highly recommend getting a WISE card before you go. This allows you to convert money into Malaysian ringgit (or any other currency!) at the best rates and then spend on your Wise card as though it were a local bank card or withdraw cash in Malaysia without hidden fees. Wise is a UK-based financial services company (available in most countries worldwide) and is highly regulated in the various regions it operates in (in the UK it is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority).
Get your WISE card here.
SIM Card and Data for Malaysia
There are two main options for getting a SIM card and data to use in Malaysia:
Option 1: eSIM with Airalo
The main advantages of purchasing an eSIM via Airalo (enter the referral code ROWAN1271 for a discount) are:
- you do not need to insert a physical SIM card, so you can keep your home country SIM in your phone
- you can get a multi-country eSIM rather than having to get a new one each time you go to a new country
- you can download the eSim before you leave your home country, meaning that you will have data immediately on arrival. This gives you peace of mind and is perfect for using Google Maps and rideshare apps etc.
- You can top up your data allowance via the app
Option 2: Buy a local physical SIM card
The main advantages of purchasing a local SIM card are:
- Local SIM cards generally offer better rates. You can often (depending on the country) get a lot more data for a lower price.
- You will get a local phone number which is better for making local calls / text messages
Personally I think Airalo is the best for short holidays or if you are only spending a short time in each country. If you’re staying for a longer time, or if like me you use a lot of data, a local physical SIM card may be better.
Get your Airalo eSIM here. Enter the referral code ROWAN1271 for a discount.
Travel Insurance
Make sure that you have travel insurance to cover you for your trip. I can highly recommend Heymondo. I use them to cover me for all my trips and their app is very easy to use.
Purchase Heymondo travel insurance here.
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