Beautiful Malaysia – 14 day Itinerary  – TREKwithBECK

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Malaysia is a beautiful country with plenty of things to see and do! There really is something for everyone here – city life, fine dining, hiking, islands, nature, culture, food and history. I spent 2 weeks in Malaysia as my 5th country on my World Tour, this itinerary follows the route I took with a few modifications! These modifications are what I would do differently if I were to visit again.

Is 2 weeks enough time to spend in Malaysia? If you plan on just seeing the highlights and don’t want to venture off the beaten path, then yes! This itinerary contains places such as Langkawi, Penang, Cameron Highlands, KL and much more.

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How to travel around Malaysia 

Malaysia has excellent transport services, and it is extremely easy to travel around the country. All the transport I took was clean, efficient, and relatively cheap. I mainly took buses from city to city, then public transport like trains or Grabs, while in the cities. 

If you are following this itinerary, you will need to book a flight from Langkawi to Penang, which I would use Skyscanner to find the cheapest deals!

You can book everything on 12go Asia.

Best time to use this Itinerary

The best time to use this itinerary is if you plan on visiting between November and April. This will give the best weather for majority of the destinations listed. I visited during February and has perfect weather every single day while I was here. If you are visiting at another time, look down the bottom for itinerary suggestions.

DAY 1-2: Langkawi 

This itinerary starts off in Langkawi, a beautiful island located right near the border of Thailand/Malaysia. This is the ultimate way to start this trip as you will be surrounded by beaches, palm trees and incredible nature. It’s a tropical paradise. There is quite a lot you can do here from:

  • Visiting the Langkawi sky bridge and cable car 
  • Waterfall hopping 
  • Beach hopping 
  • Night markets 
  • Boat tours 
  • Mangrove tours 
  • Duty free shopping (on the whole island!) 

You will need to catch a flight into Langkawi if you are coming internationally. You can catch direct flights here, but most of the time you will need a layover in Kuala Lumpur. If you are following my 30-day Southern Thailand itinerary, you will arrive in Langkawi via the ferry from Koh Lipe.  

DAY 3 -4: Penang 

Penang is a Malaysian state located in the northwest. It is known for its rich heritage and UNESCO World Heritage sites. The streets are filled with vibrant street art, colonial buildings and it has a very diverse multicultural atmosphere. Unfortunately, I fell ill here on my most recent travels so didn’t get to explore the area. But I do have a list of things that I recommend you do/see! 

  • Hawker markets 
  • Walk the temple trail 
  • Penang National Park
  • Penang Masions 
  • Spice markets 
  • Floating Mosque 
  • Penang Hill 

You can catch a ferry from Langkawi to the mainland and then a bus to Penang, but this is very much a hassle. I would recommend just booking a domestic flight from Langkawi to Penang airport. It’s a short flight 30–40-minute flight, which will cost around $50 AUD. 

DAY 5 -6: Cameron Highlands 

Cameron Highlands is a district in Pahang, which has large stretches of tea plantations and rolling hills. This is a great place to stop for a few days to get in touch with nature. I would only recommend spending 2 days here MAX as if you spend anymore, you will run out of things to do. 

I have written a blog which has 5 things I recommend you do while in Cameron highlands. Although there is plenty more to see and do with your time!  

Another easy travel day, this will take you roughly 5 hours by Express bus. There are multiple buses that leave from different stations in Penang, so make sure you do some research to find a bus station that is closest to your hotel/hostel. This bus trip will cost you around $10-15 AUD. 

DAY 7- 8: Taman Negara 

This is place I really wanted to go on my most recent travels to Malaysia, but due to a date mix up, I couldn’t go. Taman Negara is one of the oldest rainforests in the world, it is a true natural beauty. There are plenty of things to do here for nature lovers from, hiking, waterfalls, wildlife watching and cultural experiences. It is best to book a tour to visit Taman Negara as it will take the complications out of return travel to and from the national park. 

I did some extensive research and the company I was going to go with was this one. They offer multiple tours from 2-6 Days, as well as different types of tours. It is possible to do a day tour, but I would recommend spending at least two days to explore the area. 

Most of these tours have pick up from Kuala Lumpur or Jerantut. You may need to add an extra day to your itinerary if you wish to visit here and stay in Kuala Lumpur for the night. This will make tour pick up much easier and save a lot of travel time. 

If you want to make your own way to the national park, you can catch a bus from Cameron Highlands bus station (Tanah Rata, Pahang) to Jerantut Bus station. This bus will take roughly 4 hours and cost around $20 AUD. From Jerantut you will need to go to the pickup point for your tour. Keep in mind most tours start early morning, so another option is to leave in the afternoon on the 6th day from Cameron Highlands and stay a night in Jerantut.

You can find bus schedules and bookings on 12go Asia. 

DAY 9 – 10: Melaka 

Melaka (Malacca) is a town full of history, culture, food and much more! Located a 2–3-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur, it makes for a perfect stop on this Malaysia itinerary. This town is beautiful, and I am extremely happy I spent a few days exploring here! The town is quite small, so you won’t need long to explore everything. I was able to explore all the known landmarks and activities in one full day, by foot. You can catch grabs around the city too if you’d prefer not to walk. 

I have written a blog post which lists 8 wonderful things you can do in Melaka here.

If you have completed a tour to Taman Negara, you will most likely end up in Kuala Lumpur on the final night. Being in Kuala Lumpur on the 8th night of this itinerary will make it easier to get to Melaka. This is a 2–3-hour bus from TBS Kuala Lumpur, which can be booked at the station or online. This bus will cost roughly $5 AUD. 

If you are traveling from Jerantut, you have a bit of a travel day ahead of you. First you will need to catch a bus from Jerantut bus station to TBS Kuala Lumpur. Then you will need to catch a separate bus from TBS Kuala Lumpur to Melaka Sentral. This whole travel day is going to take 5-6 hours. This still give you enough time to explore Melaka during the afternoon. The whole day of travel is only going to cost about $15 AUD. 

DAY 11 – 13: Kuala Lumpur 

Finishing off the last few days of the Malaysian itinerary with a stay in the capital city, Kuala Lumpur. There are so many things to do in this beautiful city, but I highly recommend two things. Firstly, head to the top of the KL Tower and enjoy the views which stretch over the city to the mountains. Secondly, enjoy a half day trip to the Batu Caves, the most popular attraction in KL. 

There are so many activities to do here and plenty of restaurants, bars and shopping. The perfect place to end this trip .

To get to Kuala Lumpur you will need to catch a 2-3 hour bus back from Melaka Sentral. This bus will cost around $5 AUD and leaves at multiple times during the day. The buses stop at TBS Kuala Lumpur, from here you can catch a grab to your accommodation.

Day 14 – Onward travel 

Today you wake up in beautiful Kuala Lumpur, the best base for your onward travels! From here you can travel to anywhere around the world, as Kuala Lumpur has a large international airport. 

Other Itinerary Options 

  • If you want to complete Cameron Highlands and Taman Negara in one go, you can book this 4D/3N package. It includes 2 nights in Taman Negara and 1 night in Cameron Highlands. This has pick up from Kuala Lumpur, so from Penang I would catch an express bus to Kuala Lumpur on the 5th day of this itinerary. 
  • If you are looking for a week itinerary – with more city and cultural experiences. I would visit Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Melaka. 
  • If you have 1 week and want more nature – I would visit Taman Negara, Cameron Highlands and Kuala Lumpur. 
  • If you want islands and beaches, I would head over to Malaysia’s east islands – Perhentian Island, Tioman Island and Redang Island. I would only visit these islands if you were coming during April to October. 
  • You can also complete day tours to Cameron highlands, Taman Negara and Melaka if you are very short on time. 

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