Lonely Planet Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei , livre ebook

Malaysia, Singapore Brunei

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei
Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei’s Top Experiences
Need to Know
First Time
What’s New
Month by Month
Itineraries
Outdoor Adventures
Eat & Drink Like a Local
Regions at a Glance

On The Road

KUALA LUMPUR
Sights
Activities
Courses
Festivals & Events
Sleeping
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Regional Specialities
SELANGOR & NEGERI SEMBILAN
Selangor
Batu Caves
Forest Research Institute Malaysia
Genting Highlands
Bukit Fraser
Putrajaya
Petaling Jaya & Shah Alam
Klang & Pelabuhan Klang
Kuala Selangor
Negeri Sembilan
Seremban
Kuala Pilah
Sri Menanti
Port Dickson
PERAK
Ipoh
Gopeng & Around
Cameron Highlands
Pulau Pangkor
Kuala Kangsar
Taiping
Kuala Sepetang
Belum-Temenggor Rainforest
PENANG
George Town
Greater Penang
Air Itam & Penang Hill
Batu Ferringhi
Teluk Bahang & Around
Balik Pulau & Kampung Pulau Betong
Southeast Penang Island
LANGKAWI, KEDAH & PERLIS
Kedah
Pulau Langkawi
Alor Setar
Around Alor Setar
Kuala Kedah
Perlis
Kangar
Around Kangar
MELAKA
Melaka City
Ayer Keroh
Alor Gajah
JOHOR
Johor Bahru
Muar
Mersing
Seribuat Archipelago
Endau-Rompin National Park
PAHANG & TIOMAN ISLAND
Pulau Tioman
The Coast
Tanjung Gemok
Pekan
Kuantan
Cherating
The Interior
Temerloh & Around
Jerantut
Taman Negara
Kuala Lipis
Raub
PENINSULAR MALAYSIA’S NORTHEAST
Kelantan
Kota Bharu
Around Kota Bharu
Terengganu
Pulau Perhentian
Pulau Redang
Pulau Kapas
Kuala Terengganu
North of Kuala Terengganu
South of Kuala Terengganu
SABAH
Kota Kinabalu
Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park
Pulau Manukan
Pulau Mamutik
Pulau Sapi
Pulau Gaya
Pulau Sulug
Northwestern Sabah
Mt Kinabalu & Kinabalu National Park
Around Mt Kinabalu
Northwest Coast
Island Getaways
Eastern Sabah
Sandakan
Sepilok
Sandakan Archipelago
Deramakot Forest Reserve
Sungai Kinabatangan
Lahad Datu
Danum Valley Conservation Area
Tabin Wildlife Reserve
Semporna
Semporna Archipelago
Tawau
Tawau Hills Park
Maliau Basin Conservation Area
Southwestern Sabah
Beaufort Division
Pulau Tiga National Park
Pulau Labuan
SARAWAK
Kuching
Western Sarawak
Bako National Park
Santubong Peninsula
Semenggoh Wildlife Centre
Annah Rais Longhouse
Kubah National Park
Bau & Around
Lundu
Gunung Gading National Park
Tanjung Datu National Park
Talang-Satang National Park
Batang Ai Region
Central Sarawak
Sibu
Batang Rejang
Bintulu
Similajau National Park
Niah National Park
Lambir Hills National Park
Miri
Northeastern Sarawak
Gunung Mulu National Park
Kelabit Highlands
Limbang Division
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
Bandar Seri Begawan
Tutong & Belait Districts
Tutong
Jalan Labi
Seria
Temburong District
Bangar
Batang Duri
Ulu Temburong National Park
SINGAPORE
Sights
Activities
Courses
Tours
Festivals & Events
Sleeping
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
The Mega-Diversity Region

UNDERSTAND

History
People, Culture & Politics
Religion
Arts, Architecture & Media
Environment

SURVIVAL GUIDE

Directory A–Z
Accessible Travel
Accommodation
Children
Customs Regulations
Electricity
Embassies & Consulates
Insurance
Internet Access
Legal Matters
LGBTIQ+ Travellers
Maps
Money
Opening Hours
Photography
Post
Public Holidays
Safe Travel
Telephone
Time
Toilets
Tourist Information
Visas
Volunteering
Women Travellers
Work
Transport
Getting There & Away
Entering Malaysia
Air
Land
Sea
Getting Around
Air
Bicycle
Boat
Bus
Car & Motorcycle
Hitching
Local Transport
Long Distance Taxis
Train
Health
Before You Go
Recommended Vaccinations
Online Resources
In Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei
Availability & Cost of Health Care
Infectious Diseases
Traveller’s Diarrhoea
Environmental Hazards
Travelling with Children
Women’s Health
Traditional & Folk Medicine
Language
Behind the Scenes
Our Writers

Covid-19
We have re-checked every business in this book before publication to ensure that it is still open after the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the economic and social impacts of COVID-19 will continue to be felt long after the outbreak has been contained, and many businesses, services and events referenced in this guide may experience ongoing restrictions. Some businesses may be temporarily closed, have changed their opening hours and services, or require bookings; some unfortunately could have closed permanently. We suggest you check with venues before visiting for the latest information.
Welcome to Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei

For Southeast Asia in a microcosm, you can’t beat this trio of fascinating countries. I’ve always enjoyed the diversity of cultures, the delicious cuisine, combining Malay, Chinese and Indian dishes, as well as the dynamic arts and architecture of the principal cities of Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. One day you can be exploring the heritage cityscape of George Town, the next riding longboats into the deepest recesses of Sarawak or scuba diving off gorgeous tropical islands – it’s all one huge adventure in the company of welcoming people.

Supertrees by night, Gardens by the Bay , Singapore, designed by Wilkinson Eyre and Grant Associates | PALO_OK/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

By Simon Richmond, Writer

For more about Our Writers .
Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei’s Top Experiences
1 Ancient Rainforests
Large chunks of primary jungle are protected by national parks and conservation projects. The foliage seems impenetrable, but join a ranger-led nature walk and you’ll see mind-boggling biodiversity, from the pitcher plants, lianas and orchids of the humid lowlands, to the conifers and rhododendrons of high-altitude forests.

Canopy walk | GREMONI/GETTY IMAGES ©

Taman Negara, Pahang
Inside Malaysia’s premier national park, giant trees with buttressed roots dwarf luminescent fungi and orchids. This dense rainforest is home to everything from flying squirrels, lizards and monkeys to elephants and tigers.

Macaques, Taman Negara | WERANUT/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Ulu Temburong National Park
Only a tiny fraction of this 500-sq-km area of pristine rainforest (pictured, above) is accessible to the public but it is still a highlight of a visit to Brunei. Observe butterflies or go swimming in the cool waters of Sungai Temburong.

SABINE_LJ/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Gunung Mulu National Park
World Heritage–listed Gunung Mulu National Park offers some of the planet’s most incredible (and accessible) caves, brilliant old-growth tropical rainforest and the jagged Pinnacles formation on Mt Api.

Wind Cave, Gunung Mulu National Park | THAMKC/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences
2 WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS
The most common sightings in the region’s parks and natures reserves will be of insects or colourful birdlife, but you could get lucky and spot a foraging tapir, a silvered leaf monkey, or an orangutan swinging through the jungle canopy. The oceans are just as bountiful: snorkel or dive among shoals of tropical fish, paint-box-dipped corals, turtles, sharks and dolphins.

Pulau Sipadan
Sometimes it seems as if the world’s most colourful marine life considers the seawall of Sipadan to be prime real estate – from the commonplace to utterly alien fish, molluscs and reptiles.

Porcelain crabs | TUM3000/GETTY IMAGES ©

Singapore Zoo
Singapore’s zoo is one of the world’s most inviting, enlightening animal sanctuaries. Open-air enclosures allow freedom for the animals to roam and unobstructed visitor views.

White tiger, Singapore Zoo | KJERSTI JOERGENSEN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
Orangutan combine raw power and gentle restraint, stupid amounts of cuteness and deep reserves of what we can only call wisdom and, sometimes, sadness. All these complicated observations occur at once at Sabah’s Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre.

Mother and baby orangutans | FELIX HUG/LONELY PLANET ©

Top Experiences
3 ISLAND ESCAPES
Between them, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei have 975 islands, most of them uninhabited. Whether it’s the simple pleasure of stepping from a beach hut straight into balmy turquoise waters or embracing the luxury of a five-star resort, the chances are high that you’ll find your own island paradise.

Pulau Tioman
Pulau Tioman is blessed with dozens of serenely beautiful beaches, myriad jungle trails, waterfalls and even serious surf off the island’s east coast.

ABC Village , Pulau Tioman | DIDIER MARTI/GETTY IMAGES ©

Pulau Langkawi
The Jewel of Kedah, Langkawi has white-sand beaches, isolated luxury resorts, diving opportunities and pristine jungles. Off-the-beaten-track–type exploration will also reveal that this large island still retains its endearing kampung (village) soul.

Pulau Ubin
Singapore’s very own rustic island getaway offers a glimpse of the kampung life that was a big part of Singapore as recently as the 1960s. Cycle past tin-roof shacks, ramshackle shrines and lazing monitor lizards; end the day by digging into a simple seafood meal by the sea.

Top Experiences
4 CULINARY PLEASURES
There’s no shortage of superb restaurants in these countries, but take it from us, the best food is served in the humblest surroundings. Countless vendors serve delicious dishes from mobile carts, stalls and shophouses, many using generations-old recipes and techniques.

George Town
George Town’s dining scene is breathtakingly diverse. On a single street you can find quality Malay, Chinese, South Indian and Western cuisines.

Top: Morning market, George Town | TY LIM/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Ipoh
Ipoh’s old town is packed with grab-and-go eats. The must-try dish is tauge ayam, tender poached chicken