Not to miss

Penang

Penang's sprawling main centre, Georgetown, boasts impressive colonial architecture, temples, lively Chinese culture, great shopping and even better food. Steeped in history, with an appealing old-fashioned character that's fast disappearing, it attracts most of the island's tourists.

A circuit of Penang will take you through a landscape of jungle, farmland and fishing villages. The north coast beaches are easily accessible and the new national park is on the northwest headland. Don't miss charming Penang Hill or the Kek Lok Si Temple - the largest Buddhist shrine in the country.

Cameron Highlands

The Cameron Highlands, in the centre of Peninsular Malaysia, comprise a series of hill stations at altitudes between 1500-1800m (4920-5904ft). This fertile area is the centre of Malaysia's tea industry and it's the place where locals and visitors come to escape the heat of the plains.

Attractions include jungle walks, waterfalls, tours of tea plantations and beautiful gardens. The cool weather tempts visitors to exertions like golf, tennis, and long walks, normally forgotten at sea level - but this is really Malaysia's R 'n' R capital par excellence for those who don't like the beach and enjoy a bout of colonial nostalgia.

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is an Asian tiger that roars: in almost 150 years, it has grown from nothing to a modern, bustling city. Take in its high-flying triumphs from the viewing deck of one of the world's tallest buildings, then dive down to explore its more traditional culture in the back lanes of Chinatown.

It's a modern Asian city of gleaming skyscrapers, but it retains much of the local colour that has been wiped out in other Asian boom-cities such as Singapore. It has plenty of colonial buildings in its centre, a vibrant Chinatown with street vendors and night markets, and a bustling Little India.

Batu Caves

Just north of Kuala Lumpur a towering limestone outcrop is home to the impressive Batu Caves. The caves were 'officially' discovered around 120 years ago by American naturalist William Hornaday. A short time later a small Hindu shrine was built in the vast open space, later known as Temple Cave.

A flight of 272 steps leads up to Temple Cave. Beyond the towering main cavern, the space opens to an atrium-like cave at the rear. Many visitors are more spellbound by the monkeys that scale the vertical cliff faces than by the shrines which are dwarfed by the scale of the cave. The whole spectacle has been enhanced of late by an enormous golden statue of Muruga, also known as Lord Subramaniam, to whom the caves are dedicated.

Each year in late January or early February up to a million pilgrims visit here during the three days of Thaipusam. Lord Muruga's silver chariot takes pride of place as it makes its way from the Sri Mahamariamman Temple in KL's Chinatown to the caves.

Lake Gardens

These 92ha (227ac) of manicured gardens lie west of Merdeka Sq and were once home to the ranking British official. There's plenty to keep you amused, including a butterfly park, planetarium, insect museum, walk-in aviary, orchid garden and hibiscus garden. You can also hire boats on Tasik Perdana (Premier Lake).

Stadthuys

The most imposing relic of the Dutch period in Melaka is the massive red town hall and governors' residence, built between 1641 and 1660 and believed to be the oldest Dutch building in the East. It displays all the typical features of Dutch colonial architecture. Today the Stadthuys houses the musty but informative History and Ethnography Museum.

Sepilok Orang-Utan Rehabilitation Centre

One of only four orang-utan sanctuaries in the world, Sepilok is among Sabah's top tourist attractions - so much so that the atmosphere can be a bit like a circus or a zoo. Nonetheless, a visit to Sepilok can be a memorable experience. The orang-utans are impressive, young orang-utans particularly so, all ginger fur and intelligent eyes.

Taman Negara National Park

Taman Negara is billed, perhaps wrongly, as a wildlife park. Certainly this magnificent wilderness area is a haven for endangered species such as elephants, tigers, leopards and rhinos, but numbers are low and sightings of anything more exotic than snakes, lizards, monkeys, small deer, and perhaps tapir, are rare.

The birdlife is prolific, however, and chances are you'll see more insects than you've ever seen in your life. Traditionally, the park was only accessible by river. These days there's a road, but the boat trip is still recommended for the full Taman Negara experience.

The jungle at Taman Negara is so dense that you could pass within metres of an animal and never know it. The probability of spotting wildlife increases the further you trek from the heavily trafficked park headquarters, but sightings are never guaranteed. Some travellers are subsequently disappointed, but that is perhaps to miss the point: the greatest reward of a visit to Taman Negara is to be present in one of the world's most pristine extant primary rainforests. The jungle here is claimed to be the oldest in the world: none of the Ice Ages had any effect here, and Taman Negara has eluded volcanic activity and other geological upheavals.