Malaysia With Kids

There are plenty of fun things to do in Malaysia with kids. Malaysia is a very child-friendly country. Malaysians love kids and most Malaysian parents would not dream of going to a restaurant for example without their kids.

I am not going to try to catalogue every single kids' attraction in the country but here are some of the family activities which we have tried and found enjoyable.

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Theme Parks

We recently visited the newly opened Legoland Malaysia and this has taken over the number one spot as my daughter's favourite theme park in Malaysia. It is located in Johor which is rather far away from us as we live in KL but I expect we shall manage to visit again.

Her second favourite theme park, Sunway Lagoon is more conveniently located on the southern outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. It is an international-standard theme park with a water-based section (wave pool, water slides, lazy river etc.), land-based amusement park (thrill rides etc.), an extreme park, scream park and wildlife park.

Her next favourite theme park is probably Lost World of Tambun near Ipoh. Also managed by Sunway Group, the park includes a water park, land-based amusement rides, a petting zoo and a hot spring resort.

Genting Highlands is a close runner up with indoor and outdoor amusement parks, a cable car ride, a Ripley's Believe It Or Not and a casino (for adults!).

Another very good indoor park is Berjaya Times Square Theme Park which has probably the scariest roller coaster in Malaysia.

There are a number of cheaper water parks and amusement parks scattered around the country including Wet World Water Park in Shah Alam and A'Famosa Resort near Melaka.

Bukit Merah Laketown Resort is another option. While its waterpark may not be as good as Sunway Lagoon or Lost World, it does have the added attraction of Orang Utan Island.

Younger kids, in the 3-7 year range, will enjoy Puteri Harbour Family Theme Parkwhich is close to Legoland. This indoor theme park includes Hello Kitty Town and Little Big Town which features Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder, Angelina Ballerina, Pingu and Barney.

For something completely different you could take the kids to i-City in Shah Alam. Here you can experience a winter wonderland in Snowalk and admire an amazing forest of lights. Here too is the recently opened Waterworld@i-City, a water theme park which includes the Ultimate Tornado, the 1st vortex spiral slide in South-East Asia. Another fun activity at i-City for kids is the Trick Art Museum. In the next door building is the recently opened Red Carpet Wax Museum (Malaysia's closest equivalent to Madame Tussauds).

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Nature & Animals

If you live in Malaysia with kids it certainly helps if your children enjoy the great outdoors. All theNational Parks and Recreational Parks are fun places for children to explore and get some exercise.

The Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary and Deerlandwas a hit with my children.

Zoos are always a favourite and Zoo Negara is probably the best one in the country but there are also good zoos in Melaka and Taiping.

Over in Sabah, the Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary is a good place for children to see orang utans in a more natural setting.

Aquaria in KLCC is an impressive state-of-the-art aquarium which my kids enjoyed even though they have already been to very similar ones in Hong Kong, Singapore, Manila, Dubai and Osaka. See the Petronas Twin Tower page for Aquaria opening times and admission charges.

The KL Bird Park is one of my favourite attractions. It claims to have the world's largest free-flight walk-in aviary. A stone's throw away is the Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park where you can wander through a steamy rain forest environment and watch thousands of spectacular butterflies fluttering freely under cavernous netting. If you go to Cameron Highlands, Penang or Melaka you will find similar butterfly parks.

The mangrove swamps around Kuala Selangor are home to a number offirefly colonies whose glowing, twinkling abdomens put on a nightly show for visitors.

It is only on for 11 days, once every two years but MAHA Agricultural Show is a good place for kids to learn about agriculture and there are fun activities for children too.

Batu Caves is an easily accessible place for kids to experience a massive limestone cave which also houses several Hindu shrines.

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Museums

The Science Museum, Planetarium, Petrosainsand Air Force Museum are among my children's favourite museums in Kuala Lumpur.

If you are in Malaysia with kids (including Dads!) who like cars you should make a bee-line to Sepang International Circuit where they have Go Kart racing(for age 13 plus) and the National Automobile Museum. For something different try visiting the bread museum in Shah Alam called High 5 Bread Town.

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Activities

If you can get to Putrajaya in February and March your kids might enjoy the Kite Festival or the International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. The latter especially has a whole host of fun attractions in addition to a spectacular display of colourful and unusual hot air balloons.

Also in Putrajaya, you can take a cruise trip round Putrajaya's scenic lakes and admire the city's striking architecture. Putrajaya also has Challenge Park with one of the best indoor climbing walls you are likely to see as well as a skateboard park and mountain biking course.

Talking of cruise trips, the Mines Cruise next to The Mines shopping mall is a pleasant way of killing a few hours. Kids will enjoy feeding the giant catfish and seeing the storks and monitor lizards. And the mall has a kiddies playground and a good selection of electronic goods shops.

For children who want to practice their creativity skills, Batik painting is available at the Kuala Lumpur Handicraft Complex or they could try their hand at making a pewter bowl at the Royal Selangor Pewter Factory.

KL Tower is the best place to take kids for a fine view of the city. At the foot of the tower lies Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve, an area of rainforest right in the heart of KL where children can explore the nature trails or try out the outdoor exercise area.

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Beaches

If you are in Malaysia with kids you must not miss the beach. Are there any children who do not enjoy the beach? See my beaches section for some great places where kids can play sandcastles, swim, snorkel and more.

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Malls

Sometimes it is hard these days to get kids interested in nature and the great outdoors. Even if they are interested, the weather in Malaysia is not always suitable for outdoor activities. A violent thunderstorm or a particularly scorching day can force all of us indoors. In that case the kids might prefer to go to a shopping mall. There are some excellent malls in Malaysia with kids in mind. In addition to shopping and the kids favourite eating places, malls often have entertainment such as cinemas, ten pin bowling or ice skating.

Top malls with entertainment include:

. Suria KLCC

. Mid Valley

. Berjaya Times Square (includes Berjaya Times Square Theme Park, formerly Cosmo's World)

. The Curve

. Alamanda

. Sunway Pyramid (ice skating)

. Empire Subang (they have just installed Asia's longest slide).

Climb Malaysia Mountains
There are Hundreds To Choose From

Malaysia mountains may not be the tallest in the world; the country's highest mountain, Mt. Kinabalu, is less than half the height of Mt. Everest for example.

Nor do Malaysia mountains have the classic snow-capped peaks that you see in other parts of the world, though it certainly feels cold enough for snow when you are shivering at the summit of Mt. Kinabalu!

But the mountains of Malaysia do offer climbing challenges to suit all levels of ability, ranging from the strenuous exertion of a 9-day traverse of Gunung Tahan(for extreme hiking junkies) to a relatively gentle trek along the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge (more my cup of tea).

A glance at the atlas will show you that there is a spine of uplands running down the centre of Peninsula Malaysia from the Thai border until it peters out just south of Kuala Lumpur. It is on this spine that the majority of the peninsula's highest mountains can be found although there are pockets of hilly areas elsewhere along the east and west coasts and in the Taman Negara area where western Malaysia's highest peak, Gunung Tahan is located.

In Borneo, there is a range of mountains running roughly south-west to north-east dividing the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah from the Indonesian province of Kalimantan. This range contains Malaysia's top 5 highest mountains. Below you will find a list of the 300 highest peaks in Malaysia - that should be more than enough to keep you busy for a lifetime or two!

Some climbs follow well-marked trails while others are more overgrown with confusing forks in the path. Some are day-trips where you can get up and down in a few hours whereas others take days and you need to camp out in the jungle. Or, for those who are less energetic, there are one or two peaks that you can drive up (such as Gunung Brinchang), or take a cable car (Genting Highlands) or even a funicular railway (Penang Hill).

What all the mountains have in common is that they are the best way to experience the pristine natural environment of Malaysia, to absorb some oxygen-rich rainforest air, see amazing trees and plants, get close to the insects (usually too close!) and perhaps sight some rare birds, reptiles and animals.

Talking about insects, reptiles and animals, click here to read about leeches, spiders, snakes and tigers in my Malaysia Mountain Climbing Tips. 

List Of The 300 Highest Malaysia Mountains

Gunung Kinabalu

Read my account of Mount Kinabalu and see how it compares to other similar sized mountains in Asia, namely Mt. Rinjani in Indonesia and Mt. Fanxipan in Vietnam. 

Gunung Nuang

If you are thinking of climbing Gunung Nuang (86th highest on the list) you can expect a long and exhausting day. See details, photos and videos of what to expect here.

Pine Tree Hill

Pine Tree Hill Trail (number 94 on the list) is the longest and most demanding of the trails in Fraser's Hill. I have not yet climbed this peak but here is some information on what to expect.

Gunung Jerai

I decided to drive up Gunung Jerai (Kedah Peak) to save walking. Read about it here.

Gunung Telapak Buruk

To read about my trip to Gunung Telapak Buruk (Malaysia's 155th highest mountain) click here.

Gunung Datuk

Climbing Gunung Datuk (#220 on the Malaysia Mountains list) is a strenuous half-day hike through thick jungle. At the 2900ft high summit you will be rewarded with excellent views and cooling breezes. 

Gunung Raya

Enjoy superb views of Langkawi from the tower on top of Gunung Raya, the island's highest peak and number 225 on the list. You can drive up or walk. Read full details here.

Penang Hill (Bukit Bendera)

In December 2011, I took the family for a 2 1/2 hour hike up Penang Hill (#239 on the list). Not too strenuous and at the top we enjoyed great views, a tasty meal and we met a pet snake. Read about it here.

Gunung Angsi

Click here to read about my climb of baby Gunung Angsi ( Malaysia's 241st highest peak).

Gunung Kledang

Gunung Kledang in Perak (number 245 on the list) is a popular hill to exercise for Ipoh-ites. See photos, map and details here.

Gunung Lambak

Even the 285th highest mountain is not that easy to climb. Read here about Gunung Lambak. 

Bukit Sapu Tangan

If the above Malaysia Mountains sound too difficult, try baby Bukit Sapu Tangan for a more leisurely hike, conveniently located in Taman Botani Negara Shah Alam. You can read details here on my Thrifty Traveller blog.

Gunung or Bukit?

'Gunung' is the Bahasa Malaysia word for mountain and 'bukit' is Bahasa for hill. It does not always follow that a bukit is smaller and easier than a gunung. There are some very demanding bukits such as Bukit Batu Buli while some small and relatively easy peaks such as Angsi and Datuk are known as gunungs.

Difficulty Ranking of Malaysia Mountains

I asked Mr. Zaini Bidin, one of Malaysia's top mountain climbing gurus, how he would rank the climbing difficulty levels of the highest peaks in Malaysia. This is his reply:

1. Kinabalu (Timpohon trail) - easy

2. Kinabalu (Mesilau - Timpohon trail) - not so easy and can be difficult

3. Kinabalu (Mesilau - Mesilau trail) - more difficult

4. Trusmadi - easy

5. Tambuyukon (whatever trail) - hard

6. Murud (Ba Kelalan - Ba Kelalan) - not so difficult

7. Murud (Ba Kelalan - summit - Bario trail) - hard

8. Murud (Bario - Ba Kelalan trail) - hard

9. Mulu - hard

10. Tahan (Kuala Tahan - Kuala Tahan trail) - very hard

11. Tahan ( Merapoh - Merapoh trail) - hard

12. Tahan (Merapoh - Kuala Tahan trail) - hard

13. Tahan ( Kuala Tahan - Merapoh trail) hard

14. Korbu ( Sg Termin trail) - very hard

15. Korbu (Sg Senooi trail) - very very hard

16. Yong Belar - not so difficult

17. Gayung (from Yong Belar) - hard

18. Gayung (from Korbu) -not so difficult

19. Chamah - hard

20. Yong Yap (Kuala Mu trail) - not so difficult

21 Yong Yap (Pos Brooke trail) - not so difficult

22. Ulu Sepat (Pos Kemar trail) - not so difficult

22. Ulu Sepat (Kg Rekom trail) - hard

I was somewhat deflated by Zaini's response. Having climbed Mount Kinabalu (via the Timpohon trail) and having pushed myself to the limits in the process, I naturally assumed it would be the most difficult so to have it rated as 'easy' is rather disappointing. Still Zaini knows what he is talking about so I definitely will not be trying to climb Korbu (very, very hard) in the near future.

Malaysia's Beautiful Beaches and Islands

Malaysia is justly famed for having some of the world's most idyllic beaches and islands, with over 4,600km of coastline and dozens of gorgeous islands to choose from.

As you can see from the two interactive maps which I have compiled below, Malaysia's coasts are lined with beach and island tourist destinations ranging from uninhabited coral atolls to built up and developed islands.

Starting with Peninsular (or West) Malaysia I have marked 74 beaches and islands on the map.

By the way, beach in Bahasa Malaysia language is 'pantai' and island is 'pulau'.

The west coast has relatively few of the classic golden sand beaches. This is because much of the shore is lined with mangrove forests or muddy swamps and many of Malaysia's mighty rivers, flowing westwards into the Straits Of Malacca, deposit their silt, sediment and vegetation onto the muddy shorelines.

Furthermore, being one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, there is a fair amount of rubbish and pollution which washes ashore.

Having said that, the west coast is dotted with a number of paradise islands and beautiful beaches. Working down from the north, Langkawi Island share many of the geographical characteristics of other famous Andaman Sea islands such as Thailand's Phuket, 200km further up the coast.

Next there is Penang, a booming economic powerhouse with a large population, a dynamic industrial and commercial hub, a UNESCO World Heritage site (Georgetown) and some beautiful beaches including the famous Batu Ferringhi.

Further south there is Pulau Pangkor, a scenic island with a more tranquil atmosphere. The island boasts some sparkling sand beaches such as Teluk Nipah, secluded coves and an active fishing community.

Closer to Kuala Lumpur you can explore colourful islands such as Pulau Carey, Pulau Ketam (Crab Island) and Pulau Indah. There are no beautiful beaches here but they are all interesting in their own way.

Port Dickson is the closest sandy beach to Kuala Lumpur and for that reason is very popular with local and foreign visitors alike.

The east coast of Peninsular Malaysia is essentially one continuous sandy beach from Kota Bharu to Kuala Terengganu to Kuantan so you are spoilt for choice.

Cherating, with exclusive resorts like Club Med, is one of the more famous stretches of beach on this coast where you can ocean kayak, sail and windsurf.

Off the east coast are some of the country's best beaches and islands diving resorts, including Redang Island (famous for wreck diving), the Perhentian Islands and Tioman Island where you can admire tropical fish and other aquatic life in crystal clear water.

In East Malaysia (Sarawak, Labuan and Sabah) I have listed 23 famed beaches and islands on the map. (Pan with the right arrow if Borneo is not showing on the above map).

Just off Kota Kinabalu are five unspoilt islands making up the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, a great destination for snorkelling, relaxing and spotting giant lizards.

On Sabah's eastern coastline, in the Sulu Sea off Sandakan you can find many of Malaysia islands' premier scuba diving sites such as Sipadan, Mabul, Kapalai, Layang-layang and Turtle Islands Park where you might encounter turtles, sharks, manta rays and more.

I plan to visit as many of these 97 beaches and islands as I can over the coming months and years (tough job!).

Click on the links below to view reviews of the ones I have visited so far.

Langkawi Beaches

Which is the best beach in Langkawi? Here I review a dozen top Langkawi beaches and give you my suggested rankings. 

Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park 

Perhentian Islands

The Perhentian Islands have white sand beaches and varied aquatic life but is this the unspoilt marine paradise that some claim? Here is my personal view. 

Pangkor Island

Pulau Pangkor, with its fine beaches, interesting fishing villages and laid back atmosphere is a great place for a relaxing and enjoyable holiday.

Moonlight Beach (Pantai Cahaya Bulan)

Pantai Cahaya Bulan is probably the closest beach to Kota Bharu but it was quite a tiring trip for my poor old tricycle driver. 

Pantai Irama

Coastal erosion has taken its toll on Pantai Irama, once rated as the most beautiful beach on Malaysia's East Coast, but it is still a nice beach. 

Bukit Keluang

Bukit Keluang has some of the best coastal scenery in Malaysia with lovely beaches, a walkway along the cliff edge, caves and a hill with superb seaviews. 

Club Med Cherating

I had never seen myself as a Club Med sort of person but this superb resort really changed my perception. 

Pulau Carey

Carey Island is famous for oil palm plantations, seafood and ethnic wooden handicrafts produced by the Mah Meri Orang Asli community. 

Crab Island

A ferry ride to Pulau Ketam (Crab Island) makes an enjoyable daytrip from Kuala Lumpur. Enjoy tasty seafood and explore the fishing village built on stilts amid mangrove swamps. 

Pulau Indah

Pulau Indah is an unusual island - a combination of container port, industrial estate, mangrove coast and sleepy kampungs. Read about my visit here. 

Bagan Lalang, Batu Laut and Morib Beaches

Bagan Lalang Beach, home to the Golden Palm Resort, together with Batu Laut and Morib are some of the closest beaches to Kuala Lumpur.

Port Dickson

Which is the best beach in Port Dickson? Here I review a dozen top Port Dickson beaches and give you my suggested rankings. 

Teluk Bahang

Teluk Bahang is a busy fishing village in the northwest corner of Penang. The beach looks inviting but is not advisable for swimming. 

Pulau Besar

Pulau Besar is part beach resort and part Islamic pilgrimage site. There are also legends of elves, goblins and strange rocks. Worth a visit.

Teluk Batik Beach

At Teluk Batik Beach, located close to Lumut and Sitiawan, the family can enjoy a day frolicking in the sea and trying water sports. Lifeguards, shops and facilities are on site.

Pantai Puteri

A long, sandy and reasonably clean beach at Tanjung Kling, close to Melaka, and popular with locals for seafood. Visitors can also visit Hang Tuah's tomb nearby.