Inspiration

15 Beautiful Photos of Malaysia That Will Make You Want to Visit

Split by the South China Sea, Malaysia is like two countries in one—Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo—with islands thrown in as an added bonus. Throughout the Southeast Asian nation you'll find towering mountains, pristine beaches, limestone caves, and some of the most beautiful tea plantations in the world. This level of natural beauty, in addition to cutting-edge cities and culture, makes Malaysia one of the world's best places to visit (and one of the best places to live). Don't believe us? Here are 15 photos we think may change your mind.

By Caitlin Morton

November 10, 2017

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With its seven-tier pagoda and thousands of bronze statues, George Town's Kek Lok Si Temple is one of the most beautiful Buddhist temples in Malaysia—if not the entire world.
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The Cameron Highlands in Pahang host the largest tea plantations in Malaysia. It's a place of fuzzy green hills rolling into the distance, where you can explore butterfly gardens and strawberry farms.

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Tun Sakaran Marine Park is a nearly 86,500-acre marine park situated off the east coast of Sabah, Borneo, known for its vibrant dive sites. Look for giant clams, clown fish, and stingrays.
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The town of Kota Bharu, located on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, is home to many museums, mosques, and the famous Siti Khadijah Market, where local women gather to sell produce and snacks, like noodle soup and kuih (a type of Malaysian cookie).

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Located in Sabah on northern Borneo, Kinabalu Park is defined by the 13,435-foot-tall Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in the country. The park became a UNESCO site in 2000 due to its wide range of habitats and plant life.
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The Perhentian Islands are a small group of islands situated between northeastern Malaysia and Thailand, known for their white sand beaches and protected coral reefs. Snorkelers and scuba divers can take advantage of the clear waters here, spotting such species as sea turtles and sharks.

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Sitting 2,170 feet atop Machinchang Mountain, the exhilarating Sky Bridge is one of the most popular attractions on the archipelago of Langkawi. The curved walkway stretches for 410 feet from the Langkawi Cable Car top station to a neighboring hilltop, and even has portions where the floor is made of glass, giving you views way, way down to the trees below.
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The Batu Caves are a series of three limestone caves (plus several smaller caves) that house Hindu shrines, all just seven miles north of Kuala Lumpur. Aside from the shrines, the site is famous for the 140-foot gold statue of Murugan, a Hindu deity, on guard at the entrance.

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A jumping off point for diving trips to surrounding islands, the beautiful town of Semporna offers a nice glimpse of local life. Many people here live in "water villages," large groups of houses built on stilts that can be viewed by boat.
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The critically endangered Malayan tigers (there are about 250 left on the planet) can be found in southern and central areas of the Malay Peninsula, in areas like Taman Negara National Park and the Gunung Basor Forest Reserve in the Jeli District.

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Kuala Lumpur is one of the world's best cities for street food, with informal delicacies like rojak, a tangy fruit and vegetable salad, and lok-lok, skewers of deep-fried pieces of meat (pictured). Pro tip: If rice comes served on a banana leaf, don't fold the leaf when you're finished eating. According to locals, this suggests that you didn't like the meal and don't wish to return.
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The capital of the island of Penang, George Town is Malaysia's second-largest city, and is known for its street art, British colonial architecture, and drinking and dining scenes. Its historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage site, where eighteenth-century buildings recall the city's former role as a trading post of the British East India Company.

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Gunung Mulu National Park has been a World Heritage site since 2000, with the organization dubbing it "the most studied tropical karst area in the world." The extraordinary park feature thousands of plant species, millions of bats, and the largest known cave chamber in the world.
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The Melaka Straits Mosque, opened in 2006, is located on the southern shore of Malaysia's man-made Melaka Island. The mosque features a 98-foot minaret that doubles as a lighthouse, and when the water levels rise, the entire complex looks as if it's floating.

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The Kinabatangan River winds for 348 miles through the Malaysian state of Sabah, providing habitats for saltwater crocodiles, Bornean orangutans, pygmy elephants, and more.

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