Kuala Lumpur, or simply KL, is the capital of Malaysia. Literally meaning "muddy estuary" in Malay, KL has grown from a small sleepy Chinese tin-mining village to a bustling metropolis of around 6.5 million (city-proper population of 1.6 million) in just 150 years. With the world's cheapest 5-star hotels, great shopping and even better food, increasing numbers of travellers are discovering this little gem of a city.

Kuala Lumpur is a fairly sprawling city and its residential suburbs seem to go on forever. The city also merges with the adjacent towns of Petaling Jaya (originally developed as KL’s satellite town), Subang Jaya, Shah Alam, Klang and Port Klang, creating a huge conurbation called the Klang Valley.

Cameron Highlands is a hill resort at the northernmost tip of Pahang state, Malaysia. Most tourists activity is in the town of Tanah Rata. This small town is set up along the road and is easily traveled by foot. There are plentiful hiking opportunities in the Highlands. You will find simple maps at tour operators and hotels. Cactus Point is a one of the main attractions in Cameron Highlands. It is a wholesale and retail of cactus centre. It also sells fresh vegetables and souvenirs.

The capital of Sabah, Borneo, this Malaysian city is a growing resort destination due to is proximity to tropical islands, lush rain forest and Mount Kinabalu. Mount Kinabalu is Borneo's tallest mountain. You can climb to the top of Low's Peak (4,095.2m or 13,435.7ft above sea level).

Mount Kinabalu is known to be one of the most accessible mountain's in the world. No specialized mountain climbing skills are required to ascend it. The trail that most tourists use is described as a 'trek and scramble'. Locals begin climbing the mountain from the age of 3 and the oldest person to reach the peak was 80 years old. However, how much one enjoys the climb depends strongly on how fit you are and how well you acclimatise to the thin air at the higher levels.

Kuching is the capital and largest city of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak and the district of Kuching. Kuching is small enough to walk around but interesting enough to keep you there for several days, and a good base for exploring Sarawak. It's safe and relatively clean. The name of the city, Kuching, is thought to derive from the Malay word kucing, meaning cat. Many of the locals refer to Kuching as the "Cat City" but it more likely comes from the Chinese word for port ("cochin") coupled with the Malay name mata kucing (cat's-eye) for the longan fruit, a popular trade item.

Langkawi is an archipelago that consists of 99 islands in the Andaman Sea, south of Thailand, 30km off the mainland coast of northwestern Peninsular Malaysia. The islands are a part of Malaysia's Kedah state, but are adjacent to the Thai border. By far the largest of the islands is the eponymous Pulau Langkawi (Langkawi Island) with a population of some 45,000, the only other inhabited island being nearby Pulau Tuba. Tourists flock here for the delightful beaches, superb resorts and refreshing nature-based activities.

Malacca (Malay: Melaka) is the capital of the state of Malacca, on the west coast of peninsular Malaysia. Modern-day Malacca is a vibrant old city that belies its wealth of history. Malacca will be unlike any other historically rich city, you will have visited. However, its rich historical background enabled it to be honoured one of World Heritage Sites in July 2008.

Pangkor Island is in Perak, on the west coast of peninsular Malaysia, about 100km west of Ipoh and halfway between Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Pangkor Island is a relatively small island with total surface area of about 8km2.

The Perhentian Islands are a small group of beautiful, coral-fringed islands off the coast of northeastern Malaysia in the state of Terengganu, not far from the Thai border. The two main islands are Perhentian Besar ("Big Perhentian") and Perhentian Kecil ("Small Perhentian"). Kecil attracts more travellers as it has cheaper accommodation, while Besar is a little more expensive and caters more to families and those who want to avoid the backpacker party scene.

Due to the eastern monsoon, the season in the Perhentians (and all other east coast islands) is effectively limited to the period between the beginning of March until late October. Outside this period the seas can be very rough with currents that make swimming dangerous and most (though not all) accommodation options are closed.

Redang (Malay: Pulau Redang) is an island which lies about 45 km off the coast of Terengganu state in Malaysia. Redang Island is famous for its crystal clear waters, white sandy beaches, and the tropical fish that inhabit the numerous reefs, many within 50 feet of the shore. Snorkeling is the number one activity on Redang. Other available sports options include beach volleyball and sea kayaks, but jet skis and water skis are mercifully absent (banned to protect the coral). Fishing within the marine park is not permitted, but fishing boats can be hired for excursions beyond the 2-mile park limits.

Redang has a tropical climate with temperatures steadily around 30°C and frequent but brief thunderstoms. Like the rest of Malaysia's East Coast, Redang is affected by the northeast monsoon in winter, so most resorts are closed and ferry transport schedules are severely restricted between November and February.

Tioman (Malay: Pulau Tioman) is a small island, 39 km long and 12 km wide, located off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. Tioman's beaches were depicted in the 1958 movie South Pacific as "Bali Hai". In the 1970s, Time magazine selected Tioman as one of the world’s most beautiful islands. The densely forested island is still sparsely inhabited, but is surrounded by numerous white coral reefs, making it a haven for scuba divers from around the region. Already the most developed of Malaysia's eastern islands, a controversial RM 40 million marina project for Kampung Tekek, complete with 175-meter cargo jetty, now threatens to speed up the pace of development on Tioman considerably - so get there before it's too late!

Note that Tioman is in Pahang ("East Coast") but the primary gateway Mersing is in Johor ("South").