Malaysia’s most extensive hill station, about 60km off the main KL–Ipoh–Butterworth road at Tapah, is at an altitude of 1300m to 1829m. The Cameron Highlands is a vast area of rolling green hills, tea plantations and forests stretching along the road from
This mainland town is the jumping-off point for Pulau Penang. The Butterworth–Penang ferry jetty (RM1.20, every 20 minutes from 5.30am to 12.30pm) is conveniently located next to the train and bus stations. Fares for the ferry are charged only for the jou
At the mouth of the Batang Kemena, Bintulu is an undistinguished commercial centre servicing offshore oil and gas installations and upriver logging. Bintulu came under James Brooke’s sway in 1861, and a simple memorial near the town centre commemorates Sa
Belaga is a small bazaar town and administrative centre located where the Rejang divides into the Belaga and Balui rivers. Its friendly population makes it an excellent base from which to explore the interior, and there are many Kayan and Kenyah longhouse
Despite the rather dandy name, Beaufort is nothing more than a quiet provincial town about 90km south of KK. There are a few remaining wooden shophouses on the main street, which have a certain dilapidated charm in the evenings when hundreds of twittering
The road from Teluk Bahang along the coast to Batu Ferringhi is a picturesque stretch of small coves and more beaches. Batu Ferringhi (Foreigner’s Rock) is a resort strip stretching along Jln Batu Ferringhi, the main drag, which is lined with big hotels,
A lovely hanging valley in eastern Sarawak, the Kelabit Highlands are tucked up against the Indonesian state of Kalimantan and ringed by jungle-covered mountains on all sides. The main population centre is the languid village of Bario, home to about 800 s
Bako is Sarawak’s oldest national park, protecting 27 sq km of an unspoilt promontory between the mouths of the Sarawak and Bako rivers. It’s a beautiful spot, where mangroves fringe the coasts and the rocky headlands are indented with clean beaches. The