Malaysia is a growing economic center, which attracts businessmen and investors from around the world.
Behind its enviable business reputation and dynamic cities, Malaysia is a relaxing tropical paradise, which offers great options to spend your vacation.
The country is a perfect mix between all the most important components which every tourists is searching for, including beaches, weather, food and welcoming people.
So let’s see why we should consider Malaysia for our next summer (or winter) holiday.
If you are searching for an attractive tropical tourist destination, Malaysia offers a year-round warm climate, and this is a good reason to spend the cold winter season here.
It has a really hot and humid equatorial climate with high temperatures throughout the year, usually about 32-33 degrees, in very rare cases a bit lower or higher.
Night temperatures are also very high – usually between 23 and 25 °C.
The weather is perfect for a beach holiday from January till December, although abundant rainfalls are practically possible anytime.
Since Malaysia is located on the equator, the weather is generally quite rainy, and you won’t need a long time to get to know this side of the country.
Although abundant rains fall 12 months a year, the greatest quantities fall in October, November and December, as well as in April.
The number of rainy days is significant and varies between 10-15 during the drier months of the year to about 20-25 in autumn and spring.
This means that for you is better to travel in summer of in winter.
Malaysia is one of the countries with the most magnificent natural landscapes on the planet.
It is almost entirely covered with dense equatorial rainforests.
The country’s scenery is a mix of low coastal wetlands, for example the coastal parts of the state of Sarawak, and rugged mountain chains, which prevail in the state of Sabah.
Together with Brazil, Panama, Costa Rica and Colombia, Malaysia is the country with the greatest variety of species of plants and animals in the world.
It is really hard to describe and to imagine how great the biodiversity really is.
On the territory of the country, including in its water basins and territorial waters, have been described over 20 000 species of animals and plants, many of which are endemic and couldn’t be found elsewhere but here!
The fauna of Malaysia is considered to be the most diverse on the planet.
On the territory of the country could be found about ⅕ or 20% of all known species of plants in the world.
In addition, the northernmost part of Borneo is one of of the ten richest in species of animals places in the world.
The forests of Borneo are home of rare species such as Asian rhinoceros, tigers, leopards, orangutans (one of the rarest species inhabiting the planet), Asian elephants and many others.
Over the last few years, Malaysia has been trying to promote its amazing natural beauty around the world in an attempt to attract more visitors.
Of course, one of the main accents in the campaign of Malaysia is the country’s wonderful coastline.
With its snow-white or tempting golden sandy beaches, this is one of the very few places in the world which in no way inferior to neighboring Thailand.
Today Malaysia enjoys the reputation of one of the most attractive year-round beach destinations in the world.
The shallow coastal waters are crystal clear and offer pleasant temperatures of between 28 and 31 degrees, no matter the season.
Lying just north of the equator, Malaysia is the country in the world with the largest variety of species of corals.
The underwater visibility is exceptionally high, reaching more than 50 meters in some areas.
Hundreds out-of-this-world coral reefs, which are great for diving and snorkeling, are waiting to be discovered.
If you are in love with the marine life, in Malaysia you will have the chance to see more corals, species of fish and colors than you could in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia or in the Caribbean waters of Belize.
Kuala Lumpur, the capital and largest city in Malaysia, is one of the most modern and dynamic metropolitan areas in Asia.
With its population of 1,768,000 people living in the Federal Territory and more than 7,200,000 in the metro area, the city of Kuala Lumpur is a really good place to visit and explore.
It offers a very specific mix of historical monuments and buildings with traditional architecture and new high-rising skyscrapers.
The symbol of the city are the Petronas Towers, which are 451.9 m high. Until 2003, the twin towers were the highest buildings in the world.
Malaysia is very popular for its out-of-this-world cuisine.
Most of the traditional meals in the country are really different from what we usually eat in Europe or North America.
That’s why for most people is really exciting to get in touch with the authentic local cuisine.
If we need to describe the food in Malaysia with three words they should be different, spicy and delicious.
The first meal you should definitely try is “Nasi Lemak”. This is the national dish of Malaysia, and it offers really as exceptional taste and aroma.
It represents a rice dish which is cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves.
The dish is often served on a banana leaf, which really contributes to its very exotic appearance.
The dish could be served as a main dish or with a wide variety of other foods, including meat.
If you like sweets, you should definitely try one of the most popular Malay desserts – “Kuih Dadar”.
These are the kind of local pancakes, which are extremely tasty and aromatic, and they certainly look in a very different way from all the pancakes you’ve tried so far.
The most important part in their preparation are the pandan leaves, which we already mentioned just a few seconds ago, and which explain the specific green color of the pancakes.
The filling is made ​​from grated coconut and palm sugar (gula melaka).
And if you want to try the most popular drink in Malaysia, then ask for “Teh Tarik”.
This is a really delicious and aromatic beverage, which is made ​​from condensed milk and black tea and could be found almost everywhere.
Malaysia is a place where you could find great hotels and restaurants at really reasonable prices.
The country is generally said a bit more expensive than Thailand because of the higher standard of living here.
However, it is still really affordable place to spend your vacation, especially in comparison with most of the states in Europe.