Practical Information for visiting Malaysia

Flights between the halves. Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu or Kuching is around 2.5 hours, cheap and frequent. Remember the separate immigration check on arrival in Sabah or Sarawak.

On the peninsula, intercity buses are excellent — comfortable, cheap and frequent. The ETS train from Kuala Lumpur north to Ipoh and Penang is fast and comfortable.

Grab works throughout the cities for cars and bikes and removes fare negotiation entirely.

Kuala Lumpur has LRT, MRT and monorail lines that cover most of what a visitor needs, though the interchanges sometimes require a walk between stations.

In Borneo, distances are long and roads slow; internal flights and boats are often the only practical option, and many lodges include transfers because nothing else reaches them.

The currency is the Malaysian ringgit (RM).

Cards are widely accepted in cities, hotels and malls. Hawker centres, markets and small towns are cash, and hawker food is a large part of the reason to come.

ATMs are widespread. Contactless and QR payment via local apps is common but usually requires a local bank account.

Tipping is not customary; a service charge is often already added. Bargaining is expected in markets, not in shops or hawker stalls, where prices are fixed and fair.

Coverage is excellent across the peninsula and good in Bornean towns.

It disappears in interior Borneo — Mulu, Danum Valley and the upriver longhouses have little or none, which is part of what makes them what they are.

Tourist SIM cards are cheap and sold at every airport. Free Wi-Fi is standard in hotels, cafés and malls.

Bahasa Malaysia is the national language, written in the Latin alphabet and comparatively straightforward — no tones, regular spelling.

English is widely spoken, particularly in cities, business and tourism, which makes Malaysia one of the easiest countries in the region for an English speaker. Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien and Tamil are all in everyday use.

Useful: terima kasih for thank you, selamat pagi for good morning, berapa harga for how much.

Lah attached to the end of sentences is a feature of Malaysian English rather than an error, and softens whatever precedes it.

Malaysia is safe for visitors, with low violent crime and good infrastructure.

Bag snatching from motorbikes occurs in Kuala Lumpur and Penang — carry bags on the side away from the road.

Traffic is the practical risk. Crossing roads requires care, and motorbike hire carries the usual regional hazards.

Rip currents affect both coasts, and east-coast boat crossings are genuinely unsafe during the northeast monsoon — operators cancel, and that judgement should be respected rather than argued with.

The far east of Sabah, around the Sulu Sea, has a history of kidnapping and carries travel advisories; check current guidance before booking dive trips in that area.

No vaccinations are required; hepatitis A and typhoid are commonly recommended.

Tap water is treated and generally safe in cities, though most people drink bottled or filtered.

Dengue is present year-round and is the main health risk; repellent during the day is the defence, as the mosquito bites in daylight.

Malaria risk is low on the peninsula and present in interior Borneo. Leeches are common on rainforest walks — unpleasant rather than dangerous.

Heat and humidity are constant; plan around them. Private hospitals in Kuala Lumpur and Penang are excellent and inexpensive, and Malaysia has a substantial medical-tourism sector for that reason.

Drug offences carry the death penalty for trafficking, with quantities considered small elsewhere qualifying. Signs at every point of entry say so, and they are not decorative.

Dress modestly at mosques and in the more conservative states — Kelantan and Terengganu especially. Shoulders and knees covered; robes are usually provided at mosque entrances.

Use the right hand for giving, receiving and eating. Remove shoes entering homes and places of worship. Do not touch anyone on the head.

Alcohol is available but taxed heavily and not sold everywhere; Muslims are prohibited from buying it, and some states restrict sales further.

Same-sex relations are criminalised. Public displays of affection are frowned on generally, and this is a legal fact LGBTQ+ travellers should know before arriving.

999 reaches police, fire and ambulance. 112 works from mobiles.

Private hospitals in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching meet international standards and treat foreigners routinely; payment or insurance confirmation is usually required first.

Pharmacies are widespread and well stocked.

In interior Borneo, evacuation is by boat or light aircraft and takes many hours — worth considering before booking a remote lodge or a Kinabalu climb without insurance that covers it.