Malaysia & Singapore Highlights
Eleven days across both countries. Kuala Lumpur and the Batu Caves, Genting Highlands, Langkawi's beaches and cable car, then Singapore for Sentosa, Universal Studios and the Night Safari.
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Destination
Malaysia holidaysfrom Nairobi
Skyline, heritage street and island, in one week.
Kuala Lumpur is towers and street markets in the same block. Penang’s George Town is UNESCO-listed shophouses, clan jetties and the best food in the country, eaten standing up. An hour out of the capital the road climbs above the cloud line at Genting; a flight north-west puts you on the Andaman Sea at Langkawi.
Malaysia and Singapore are usually planned as one trip. The connection between them is trivial and the contrast between them is not.
Where you’ll go
Kuala Lumpur. The skyline, the cultural districts, and the limestone cliffs and Hindu shrines at Batu Caves on the city’s edge.
Genting Highlands. Cool mountain air, cable cars and resorts above the cloud line, an hour from the capital.
Penang. George Town’s colonial architecture and street art, Fort Cornwallis on the water, and hawker food worth planning a day around.
Langkawi. Turquoise water in the Andaman Sea, the SkyCab to the ridge, and beaches that stay quiet.
Practical notes
Draft: awaiting owner verification. Indicative only; confirmed in writing with your quote.
- Internal flights do the long legs, Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi and Langkawi on to Singapore, so there are no long road transfers to sit through.
- Theme-park and attraction tickets are usually pre-booked with the itinerary; entry times are allocated.
- Entry requirements differ between Malaysia and Singapore. We confirm both for your passport.
At a glance
Practical facts
- Plug & voltage
- G
- 230V (often 240V in practice) · 50Hz
- Currency
- MYR
- Malaysian ringgit
- Time zone
- UTC+8
- (MYT), no DST, 5 hours ahead of Nairobi
- Driving side
- Left
- Languages
- Malay
- English
- SIM & data
- A TravelNet eSIM, live on landing. Or a Maxis or CelcomDigi tourist SIM at KLIA with your passport.
- Tipping
- Not expected. A service charge is usually printed on the bill, and rounding up for a driver or a porter is as far as it goes.
- Tap water
- Treated at source, though the pipes vary and most residents boil or filter it. Bottled is everywhere. Ask your hotel about theirs.
Comparing countries? The full table puts every destination we plan side by side, and when to go does the same for the months.
Getting there
The flights for this trip are ticketed at the same desk as the rest of it: Singapore Airlines among the 66 airlines we ticket. Ask for the fare when you ask for the trip, and one person holds both.
Why go
Malaysia in four lines
- Kuala Lumpur's towers, markets and the Batu Caves
- George Town, Penang, for UNESCO-listed streets and the best food in Malaysia
- Genting Highlands, cool air above the cloud line
- Langkawi for the cable car and the Andaman beaches
3 itineraries
Trips in Malaysia
Starting points, not fixed departures. Every day-by-day on this site is a draft we rebuild around your dates.
Twin Escape: Kuala Lumpur & Penang
Seven days between skyline and heritage street. Kuala Lumpur and the Batu Caves, the cool highlands at Genting, then George Town's UNESCO-listed lanes and Fort Cornwallis.
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Singapore City & Cruise
Seven days split between city and sea. Sentosa, Universal Studios and Singapore itself, then a Royal Caribbean sailing through the Straits of Malacca with a stop in Penang.
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Experiences here
What you can do in Malaysia
Any of these can be built into an itinerary, or be the reason for one.
Plan your Malaysia journey
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