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Tourism Malaysia

TOP 5 SPOTS TO SAY “I DO”

Malaysia has long been a preferred destination for weddings and honeymoons. A combination of multicultural people and beautiful landscapes makes Malaysia a unique place to hold a wedding and also honeymoon. But before the wedding and honeymoon, one must go through a wedding proposal first, right? Well, why don’t you do all three in Malaysia?

First, let me throw out some ideas for a unique and memorable wedding proposal in Malaysia, just in time for the coming February, the month of love.

1. Underwater

What better place is there to pop the question for scuba diving enthusiasts than under the sea? Surrounded by sea fans, whips, a school of fishes and colourful corals, it was a perfect place to surprise your love one with a marriage proposal. It will be your own Atlantis for sure. Of course when you are underwater, you can’t use our voice to propose to her but you can hold the sign asking her to marry you or lay out a banner on the side of a shipwreck with most romantic words that will impress her hook, line, and sinker. You do need a team though to make sure you’ll have a perfect and memorable marriage proposal.

Scuba diving sites in Malaysia that can be the location for your marriage proposal include Redang, Lang Tengah, and Perhentian Islands (Terengganu), Sipadan, Sapi, Mabul, Layang-Layang, and Mataking Islands (Sabah), as well as Satang Besar, Satang Kecil and Sempadi Islands and Miri waters (Sarawak).

2. Top of the Mountain

There’s no finer backdrop to propose to your wife-to-be than the top of the Mount Kinabalu in Sabah. Standing at a majestic 4,095 meters or 13, 435 feet above sea level, Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain in Malaysia. You may have to wake up at 3 am to climb to the top in order to watch the sunrise but the sheer beauty of the scenery will take your breath away and help romanticised the venue of your marriage proposal. It will definitely help your love one forget about the grueling four-hour climb, the altitude change and cold temperature.

Mt. Kinabalu is a popular destination, visitors who wish to climb Mount Kinabalu are advised to make reservations 6 months in advance to avoid disappointment. The number of climbers is limited to 135 pax daily.

Website: http://www.sabahtourism.com/activity/climb-mt-kinabalu

3. Zipline

Take your love one all the way to Langkawi Island and get her to spend two and a half hours soaring along 12 different ziplines over the waterfalls and within the top and middle layer of the island’s rainforest. And with her adrenaline still high from gliding through an oxygen-rich forest,

can you imagine how incredible it is for her when she got off the line and the first thing she will see is you on bended knee with a ring in one hand? It’s worth a try, don’t you think so?

Umgawa is the island’s first world-class zipline eco-adventure tour, which offers spectacular views of Matchincang Peak, Seven Wells Waterfall and the Andaman Sea. Umgawa’s course features 12 ziplines, one double zipline, three sky-bridges suspended in the trees, and a spectacular descent from towering trees.

Website: www.umgawa.com

4. The Rainbow Skywalk

The Rainbow Skywalk is the talk of the town in Penang Island because it offers stunning seamless views of George Town and beyond. Located at George Town’s highest point, the open-air Rainbow Skywalk, a semi-circular glass-bottomed platform extending out from the edge of the Komtar tower is at Level 68, offering visitors the thrilling experience of walking on air 249m above ground.

Make the best of this venue and wait for the sun to set over the Penang Hill and beyond, or wait for the city of George Town to light up before you propose to your love one. I’ll bet it is going to be one of the most beautiful and romantic marriage proposals ever. But before you do that, please make sure your love one doesn’t have a fear of height. Then, you are good to go!

Website: https://thetop.com.my/rainbow-skywalk

5. Plane In The City

Located in the heart of the city at Jalan Bukit Bintang, Plane In The City, which is an an actual Boeing 737 aircraft, is listed in the Malaysia Book of Records as the 1st Aeroplane Restaurant in Malaysia.

The Plane In The City is the perfect venue to propose to your wife-to-be because just admit it, it won’t be as romantic as in the actual plane flying at 35,000 feet, right? With this real-life flight simulation, you don’t have to deal with small aisle or an unpredictable turbulence or crying babies, or being rejected in front of strangers of various nationalities. To make it more interesting, you can propose on the wing of the airplane, and that experience my friend, will be unforgettable.

Website: http://www.planeinthecity.com

Categories
Tourism Malaysia

TOP 5 WEDDING PROPOSAL SPOTS

Malaysia has long been a preferred destination for weddings and honeymoons. A combination of multicultural people and beautiful landscapes makes Malaysia a unique place to hold a wedding and also honeymoon. But before the wedding and honeymoon, one must go through a wedding proposal first, right? Well, why don’t you do all three in Malaysia?

First, let me throw out some ideas for a unique and memorable wedding proposal in Malaysia, just in time for the coming February, the month of love.

1. Underwater

What better place is there to pop the question for scuba diving enthusiasts than under the sea? Surrounded by sea fans, whips, a school of fishes and colourful corals, it was a perfect place to surprise your love one with a marriage proposal. It will be your own Atlantis for sure. Of course when you are underwater, you can’t use our voice to propose to her but you can hold the sign asking her to marry you or lay out a banner on the side of a shipwreck with most romantic words that will impress her hook, line, and sinker. You do need a team though to make sure you’ll have a perfect and memorable marriage proposal.

Scuba diving sites in Malaysia that can be the location for your marriage proposal include Redang, Lang Tengah, and Perhentian Islands (Terengganu), Sipadan, Sapi, Mabul, Layang-Layang, and Mataking Islands (Sabah), as well as Satang Besar, Satang Kecil and Sempadi Islands and Miri waters (Sarawak).

2. Top of the Mountain

There’s no finer backdrop to propose to your wife-to-be than the top of the Mount Kinabalu in Sabah. Standing at a majestic 4,095 meters or 13, 435 feet above sea level, Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain in Malaysia. You may have to wake up at 3 am to climb to the top in order to watch the sunrise but the sheer beauty of the scenery will take your breath away and help romanticised the venue of your marriage proposal. It will definitely help your love one forget about the grueling four-hour climb, the altitude change and cold temperature.

Mt. Kinabalu is a popular destination, visitors who wish to climb Mount Kinabalu are advised to make reservations 6 months in advance to avoid disappointment. The number of climbers is limited to 135 pax daily.

Website: http://www.sabahtourism.com/activity/climb-mt-kinabalu

3. Zipline

Take your love one all the way to Langkawi Island and get her to spend two and a half hours soaring along 12 different ziplines over the waterfalls and within the top and middle layer of the island’s rainforest. And with her adrenaline still high from gliding through an oxygen-rich forest,

can you imagine how incredible it is for her when she got off the line and the first thing she will see is you on bended knee with a ring in one hand? It’s worth a try, don’t you think so?

Umgawa is the island’s first world-class zipline eco-adventure tour, which offers spectacular views of Matchincang Peak, Seven Wells Waterfall and the Andaman Sea. Umgawa’s course features 12 ziplines, one double zipline, three sky-bridges suspended in the trees, and a spectacular descent from towering trees.

Website: www.umgawa.com

4. The Rainbow Skywalk

The Rainbow Skywalk is the talk of the town in Penang Island because it offers stunning seamless views of George Town and beyond. Located at George Town’s highest point, the open-air Rainbow Skywalk, a semi-circular glass-bottomed platform extending out from the edge of the Komtar tower is at Level 68, offering visitors the thrilling experience of walking on air 249m above ground.

Make the best of this venue and wait for the sun to set over the Penang Hill and beyond, or wait for the city of George Town to light up before you propose to your love one. I’ll bet it is going to be one of the most beautiful and romantic marriage proposals ever. But before you do that, please make sure your love one doesn’t have a fear of height. Then, you are good to go!

Website: https://thetop.com.my/rainbow-skywalk

5. Plane In The City

Located in the heart of the city at Jalan Bukit Bintang, Plane In The City, which is an an actual Boeing 737 aircraft, is listed in the Malaysia Book of Records as the 1st Aeroplane Restaurant in Malaysia.

The Plane In The City is the perfect venue to propose to your wife-to-be because just admit it, it won’t be as romantic as in the actual plane flying at 35,000 feet, right? With this real-life flight simulation, you don’t have to deal with small aisle or an unpredictable turbulence or crying babies, or being rejected in front of strangers of various nationalities. To make it more interesting, you can propose on the wing of the airplane, and that experience my friend, will be unforgettable.

Website: http://www.planeinthecity.com

Categories
Malaysia Travel Guide

Miri, A National Park Gateway in Sarawak

Miri, A National Park Gateway in Sarawak

Miri, A National Park Gateway in Sarawak

Miri is a resort city located in the northwest of Sarawak which borders the Kingdom of Brunei Darussalam and also the gateway to Sabah. While many may have not head of this resort city in Borneo, Miri is home to some amazing national parks of Sarawak.

The charm of Miri lies in the location where it is also one of the gateways to the Mulu National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors need to fly to Mulu from Miri or Kuching. Other parks in the vicinity of Miri include four national parks which are:

  • Niah National Park (1 hour drive)
  • Lambir Hills National Park (45 minutes drive)
  • Loagan Bunut National Park (2 hours drive)
  • Bukit Tiban National Park (2.5 hours drive)

Miri, A National Park Gateway in Sarawak

Inside the Niah Caves

Most visitors have heard of the Mulu Caves or the national park here due to worldwide publicity over the years.

However, the other national parks mentioned above provide amazing adventure tourism, flora and fauna, and a true Bornean rainforest experience.

Miri, A National Park Gateway in Sarawak

A beautiful sunset view from one of the many beaches at Miri

In total, Sarawak offers 30 national parks, a wonderland for nature lovers. Out of that 30, four of them are wildlife sanctuaries and 10 nature reserves. Just in the Miri area, there are a total of six national parks. More more information, visit the Sarawak Forestry website (https://www.sarawakforestry.com/htm/snp.html)

Miri, A National Park Gateway in Sarawak

Miri’s ethnic market known as ‘Tamu Khas’ or Special Market

Miri’s resort city also offers visitors a wide range of activities including scuba diving, authentic Sarawakian food, entertainment, beaches and local markets. Miri is also home to the world class Borneo International Jazz Festival which is held in the month of May and the Miri Country Music Festival held in February.

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Photos by David Hogan Jr

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All Malaysia Info

Extraordinary regional experiences away from Perth

Perth makes for a perfect base for exploring Western Australia, as there are plenty of destinations which offer extraordinary experiences within easy reach.

Here are some short trips that you can take from Perth, ones that you will never forget :

Pinnacles Desert

Pinnacles Desert

Pinnacles Desert (2 hours drive from Perth)

Located in the heart of the Nambung National Park, the Pinnacles Desert is considered one of Australia’s most unique landscapes, featuring thousands of limestone spires up to five metres tall. Explore the desert on the designated four-kilometre driving trail or stroll through them at your leisure on the 1.2-kilometre walking trail. Learn more about the Nambung National Park’s fascinating geology, flora and fauna at the Pinnacles Desert Discovery Centre.

The Lobster Shack (2 hours drive from Perth)
A stroll past the jetties in Cervantes will take you to the Indian Ocean Rock Lobster Factory, where you can take a Lobster Shack tour and learn how the prized Western Rock Lobster is processed and exported around the world. Be sure to pick up some delicious seafood to take away or enjoy in the picnic area outside. The Lobster Shack is also now offering visitors a half-day boat tour, departing at 8.30am from the Lobster Shack jetty (seasonal). Passengers will experience the real life adventures of a lobster fisherman and can opt to select a lobster from the day’s catch, which can be taken back to the Lobster Shack and cooked for lunch. The 68-foot vessel, Shack Attack, also operates fishing charters and seasonal whale watching expeditions.  (For more: lobstershack.com.au)

Coral Spawning Tours in Exmouth or Coral Bay (2.5 hour flight from Perth)
The pristine waters of Ningaloo Reef transform into colourful clouds each year during the Coral Spawning season. Catch this nightly amazing natural phenomenon which happens between seven and 10 days after the full moon in March and April.

The annual coral spawning cycle is an incredible sight which is part of the regeneration of Ningaloo Reef. The coral spawn is also a major factor in the arrival of the world’s biggest fish, the whale-shark. Krill and plankton are drawn to the reef by the coral spawn, which are then in turn eaten by whale-sharks which arrive each year to feed. www.exmouthwa.com.au

Swim with whale sharks (2.5 hour flight from Perth)
Whale sharks visit the Ningaloo Reef between March and July annually following the mass spawning of coral. Ningaloo is considered one of the most reliable and easily accessible places on Earth to swim with whale sharks that grow up to 18 metres in length. Swim with whale sharks, snorkel with manta rays or go scuba diving with new Exmouth boat operator Ocean Eco Adventures. Live aboard for a couple of nights and really experience sea life at Ningaloo Reef. Ocean Eco Adventures run adventure tours from April to October each year from Coral Bay and Exmouth. During the summer months (November to February), the company offers Humpback whale, seal and dolphin tours from Margaret River. (For more: www.oceanecoadventures.com.au)

Ningaloo Reef

Swim with whale sharks at the Ningaloo Reef.

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Tourism Malaysia

Five Malaysian eco-breaks

Five Malaysian eco-breaks

Sustainable travel, including responsible nature holidays and what has become known as eco-tourism, is on the rise in Malaysia – and with good reason. Though Malaysia has highly developed urban regions, it is also home to a rich ecology and diverse geography.

For the nature-interested traveller, this Southeast Asian nation comprises mountains and highlands; beaches and countless tropical islands; rainforests and mangrove estuaries plus much more. The well-organized tourism infrastructure and wealth of natural locations and activities help make Malaysia one of the world’s top destinations for environmentally-conscious travel. Malaysia is an exciting as well as convenient location for a dizzying choice of eco-holidays.

What follows are five general ideas for eco-breaks in Malaysia. There is naturally plenty of cross-over between and among these categories and lots of variety within each.

Orangutan observation

The sole great apes that are unique to Asia, these wondrous endangered primates are only native to Malaysia and Indonesia. Malaysia has well-developed facilities for observing orangutans in the wild and in special rehabilitation centers. Visiting these reserves and centers aids in the protection of habitats which are crucial to the survival of these fascinating and gentle apes.

Places like the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Danum Valley Conservation Area and the Tabin Wildlife Reserve (all located in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo) contain different options for accommodation, ranging from basic camping in tents to comfortable, well-appointed stays at more upscale rainforest lodges.

Orangutan, Sepilok, Borneo, Malaysia. Pic: Paul Mannix (Flickr CC).

Orangutan, Sepilok, Borneo, Malaysia. Pic: Paul Mannix (Flickr CC).

Other wildlife observation and “volun-tourism”

Besides orangutans, Malaysia is home to a host of other amazing examples of wildlife. Some need your help! Nesting sea turtles are very vulnerable to poachers. Those who wish to combine a holiday with the chance to assist local endangered species can incorporate volunteer work like helping turtles or regrowing coral into a scuba diving vacation or other nature break.

This short description comes from an article on “Ethical turtle tourism” from The Star: “The volunteers conduct daily dinner-time briefing sessions, educating guests about turtles and the threats they face, during which they remind guests to switch off their mobile phones and avoid camera flashes on the beach at night.”

Other options include visiting elephant sanctuaries in the rainforest or even wildlife refuges for endangered wild cattle, called guar.

Ecological agricultural tourism

Those into eating and growing organic food might be interested in a bit of agricultural tourism. Visits to ecological rice, produce and seafood farms can be far more exiting than the idea sounds. These farms are often located in beautiful surroundings and visitors can incorporate jungle trekking, cycling, mountain climbing and river expeditions into their stay.

Kahang Organic Rice Farm features accommodation ranging from camping to “floating chalets” in the rice fields. Of course food is also a major part of each stay, with meals composed of a range of fresh organic fruit, vegetables, fish and rice.

National parks

Malaysia is home to several national parks, two of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One such site is Kinabalu National Park in Malaysian Borneo, which contains the country’s tallest peak, Mount Kinabalu, and around 4,500 species of flora and fauna. The other UNESCO World Heritage Site in Malaysia is Gunung Mulu National Park, also on the island of Borneo. Gunung Mulu National Park is the world’s most studied tropical karst area, contains a 2,377 meter-high sandstone pinnacle (from which the park gets its name) and some 295 km of explored caves. The park is also well-known for its rich variety of plant life, and its canyons, rivers and dense, rainforest-covered mountains.

Gunung Mulu pinnacles. Pic: Paul White (Flickr CC).

Gunung Mulu pinnacles. Pic: Paul White (Flickr CC).

Besides these two UNESCO sites, there are 26 other national parks plus many state parks and reserves in Malaysia, protecting most of the nation’s forest land. Nearly three quarters of Malaysia is covered in trees and natural forests. These forests are extremely biodiverse in flora and are also where fauna such as clouded leopards, Sumatran rhinos, Malaysian tigers, Asian sun bears, monitor lizards and orangutans can be found.

Malaysia’s national parks include not only forest land, but lowlands full of rivers, atolls, coral reefs and scores of islands. These parks encompass the main eco-tourism destinations in the country.

Water-based activities

Loaded with islands, rivers and coastline, Malaysia is a dream location for eco-friendly water activities like diving, snorkeling and river rafting.

White water rafting is possible at grades I-V (tame to very dangerous) in many rivers located in the country’s national parks. Popular diving and snorkeling spots include Tioman, a small island located within the Mersing Marine Park, and the 9-island archipelago of Redang inside Redang Marine Park.

Tioman Island. Pic: Le Journal de Maman (Flickr CC).

Tioman Island. Pic: Le Journal de Maman (Flickr CC).

Naturally, Malaysia’s many islands provide ample opportunity for scuba diving and snorkeling among coral reefs.

I hope this list provided you with some inspiration and ideas for an unforgettable Malaysian eco-break. For a more information on responsible tourism, volun-tourism and eco-friendly holidays in Malaysia I recommend a visit to the Wild Asia website.