What about the currency?

Malaysia currency is in Ringgit (RM) and sen. The exchange rate for US dollars is fixed at RM3.80 = US$1. A resident/non-resident is permitted to carry into and out of Malaysia, Ringgit notes not exceeding RM1,000. A resident is permitted to carry out of Malaysia foreign currency including traveller's cheques not exceeding RM10,000. A non-resident is permitted to carry out of Malaysia foreign currency including traveller's cheques not exceeding the amount brought in. Should you need to carry currency in excess of the permitted limits, please obtain prior written permission from the Central Bank authorities.

What about Money changers, Charge/Credit Cards & Travellers Checks

There are licensed money changers in all major towns in Malaysia. Most are found in commercial districts and at shopping malls. The rates are very reasonable. You can check exchange rates in the local newspapers. Most large establishments will accept internationally known credit cards and charge cards, though we do advise caution. Travellers cheques are best cashed at banks for the best rates.

Do I require medical insurance before traveling to Malaysia?

It is good idea for you to take medical insurance before you travel to Malaysia as Malaysia does not have reciprocal health service agreements with other nations.

What is the procedure if I want to bring pets into Malaysia?

It is advisable for you to contact the Malaysian Diplomatic Mission nearest you for up-to-date information concerning the importation of pets from your country. Various airline companies may also be able to help you with this.

Are there any cultural tips I should know about to avoid cultural offence?

To avoid "cultural offences", here are some tips: "Remove shoes when entering homes and places of worship. "Dress neatly in suitable attire which covers arms and legs when visiting places of worship. "When handling food, do so with the right hand only. "Tipping is not a custom in Malaysia. It is unnecessary in hotels and restaurants where a 10% service charge is imposed, unless the service rendered is exceptionally good. Refrain from raising your voice or displaying fits of anger as considered ill mannered.

Will there be any customs charges upon arrival?

Items such as video equipment, cameras, radio cassette players, watches, pens, lighters, perfumes and cosmetics are duty free in Malaysia. Visitors bringing in dutiable goods may have to pay a deposit for temporary importation, refundable upon departure.

How do I rent and drive a car in Malaysia?

You will require an international driving permit or a valid license issued by your government to drive in Malaysia. Car rental can be arranged through hotel or through various car rental companies which can be located through the Yellow Pages Directory. Major international car rental companies are also available in Malaysia.

Will I be charged airport tax?

An airport tax of RM5.00 and RM40.00 will be charged upon departure for all domestic and international flight passengers respectively. Lockers are available for luggage storage at the airport.

Is it safe to drink tap water?

In major cities, towns and resorts, tap water is generally safe to drink.

What are the medical services available in Malaysia?

Medical services are available in all towns at government run hospitals and private clinics. Non-prescription drugs are available at pharmacies as well as supermarkets, hotels, and shopping centers. International class hotels also have their individual in-house medical practitioner to service their guests.

What is the electricity supply rating of Malaysia?

Malaysia’s electrical supply is 220 - 240 volts A C at 50 cycles per second, though our sockets and plug points may seem strange

to you.

What if I were to travel alone?

Malaysians are friendly, and travelling alone is generally safe and relatively comfortable for both men and women. Plan your trip around your interests and prepare yourself to be flexible enough

to take the inevitable glitches in stride. Visitors who encounter unforeseen problems and difficulties can seek the Malaysian

Tourist Police Unit or any other Police Station for assistance.

What is the national language?

Bahasa Malaysia is the national and official language. English is widely used especially in commerce and industry. Several Chinese and Indian dialects are also spoken.

What is the best way to travel around the country?

Whether you are in a hurry to get to your destination or you wish to take things leisurely, there is a wide choice of transportation to suit your needs. By air, you can travel with Malaysia Airlines domestic flights. By rail, Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTM) of Malaysian Railways has an impressive rail network that stretches from North to South and East to West throughout Peninsula Malaysia. Buses and taxis are also available throughout Malaysia. There are also transfer services with drivers readily available.

What is the time difference?

Standard Malaysia time is 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), 7 hours ahead of summer and 8 hours ahead of winter.

What attire should I bring on my vacation to Malaysia, and what should I wear when visiting mosques and temples?

As Malaysia’s climate is hot and humid almost all year round, it is ideal to have light clothing to be worn throughout the year. It is also advisable for ladies, when entering mosques and temples, to wear long sleeves and loose pants or long skirts.

When is the rainy (monsoon) season?

Malaysia, being an equatorial country, experiences afternoon rain showers throughout the year, which cools the day. However, during the North-East monsoon between the months of December through February, there will be an increase in the frequency of these showers. Also check out our weather webpage.

Do I need any vaccinations?

Travelers have very little to worry about in a country where health standards are ranked amongst the highest in Asia. Vaccinations are not required to enter Malaysia unless you are coming from a "yellow" infected area.

Do I need a visa to enter Malaysia

No visa is needed for nationals of Commonwealth countries except Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nigeria.Nationals fro the Republic of Ireland, Switzerland, Netherlands, San Marino and Liechtenstein do not require visas. No visa is required for social/business visit not exceeding three months for nationals of Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovina, Brazil, Chili, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kirgystan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Norway, Oman, Peru, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Slovakia, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, U.A.E., Uruguay and Yemen.No visa is required for U.S.A. citizens visiting Malaysia for social, business or academic purposes (except for local employment).No visa is required for social/business visit of not exceeding one month for nationals of all ASEAN countries, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, British National Overseas (BNO) and North Korea. For a stay exceeding one month a visa will be required for nationals of Brunei, Singapore and Vietnam.No visa is required for a stay not exceeding 14 days for nationals of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Macau (Travel Permit) and Portugal Alien Passport.

Nationals of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo Republic, Congo Democratic Republic, Cote D’lvoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea Republic, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Western Sahara, Nigeria, Taiwan, Myanmar, Nepal Bhutan, People’s Republic of China, Certificate of Identity (CI) holders, Laisser Passer holders and Titre De Voyage holders must obtain a visa before entering Malaysia.

Nationals of Israel and Yugoslavia are required to apply for Special Approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs before entering Malaysia.Other countries that are not listed in any of the other categories do not require visa for social/business visit for a stay not exceeding one month.

Regulations are subject to change.

National Parks and Preserves

It would be difficult to overstate the attraction of Malaysia for anyone who appreciates the natural world. Its primal forests, ranging from shoreline mangrove to mountaintop oak, are of the sort that most of the world now knows only in myth. Although Malaysia's size is similar to that of Norway, natural trees and forests cover almost three quarters of the land, an area equivalent to almost the entire United Kingdom. One can walk for hundreds of miles in Malaysia under a continuous canopy of green, marveling at an abundance of plant and animal species equaled by no other location in the entire world. A single half-kilometer plot of land in Borneo's lowland dipterocarp forest, for example, may well contain more than eight hundred different species of trees alone, a stunning degree of variety that pales, however, in comparison to the profusion and diversity of flowers, birds, ferns, and insects.

This endlessly varied environment also shelters a host of the world's rarest and most remarkable animals: the Sumatran Rhinoceros, the Clouded Leopard and Malaysian Tiger, the Sun Bear, the Monitor Lizard, and the Orang Utan, or "man of the forest," are just a few examples. Malaysia's forests are also home to Southeast Asia's highest peak, as well as to the world's most extensive and capacious natural caverns. The forest itself is one of the most ancient on the planet, far older than the equatorial forests of the Amazon or the Congo. It has for tens of thousands of years been the home of nomadic forest peoples, and ancient civilizations have flourished as well as disappeared in its vastness. Legends abound, and archaeologists have only just begun their efforts here. Equally exciting discoveries are now being made by genetic biologists, who have begun searching the wealth of life in Malaysia's forests for new medicines with which to combat AIDS, cancer, and many other illnesses.

And that is only the forest. Malaysia's offshore islands are of legendary beauty. For millenia, Pulau Langkawi and Pulau Tioman have been sought-after havens of peace from the turbulent outside world, a tradition that is evidenced today by their international status as holiday destinations. Pulau Sipadan, a small oceanic island off the eastern shore of Borneo, rises in a sheer column more than six hundred meters from the seabed. Completely encircled by sheer drop-offs and walls, Sipadan is one of the world's foremost dive sites.

In order to safeguard its precious natural heritage, Malaysia has set aside many areas as parks and wildlife reserves. Together with natural forest management, conservation of wildlife, birds and marine life, nature reserves have been established through a network of protected areas. Almost one and a half million hectares of conservation areas are protected by legislation.

Besides the many splendid sights in Malaysia's National Parks, visitors can enjoy an exhaustive tour of thrills and spills during their visit--boating through swirling rapids or between emerald green islands, stalking big game and fly-fishing for giant carp, bird-watching, mountain climbing, spelunking, swimming in placid river waters, or camping amidst giant tropical trees.

Island and Beaches

It would be an impossible task to describe every one of Malaysia's thousands of beautiful beaches. Ranging from the powdery stretches of sand that characterize the eastern coastline of Peninsular Malaysia to the black sand beach of Pantai Pasir Hitam and the smooth pebble beach of Pantai Batu Kerikil, Malaysia's shores offer more idyllic locales than one could explore in many lifetimes. In addition to the plenitude of beaches along the the peninsula and the coast of Eastern Malaysia, the country also possesses over a hundred tropical islands. Many of these are so beautiful as to have entered into legend centuries ago, like the islands of Langkawi remain desert isles, marked , or Pulau Tioman. Others only by the imprint of the South China Sea on their sands.

Despite such abundance and variety, Malaysia's beaches are noticeably different from those in other parts of the world. They are often less differentiated from the shoreline than those of the Caribbean, for example, tending instead to be almost nestled up against the lush forests that this nation is famous for. The color palette is different as well--golden sands and emerald waters imbue Malaysian beaches with an air of succulent sweetness that isn't found in the cool whites and blues of many western strands. The result is that these beaches impart a very different sensation, a sense of languid peace and a distinct feeling that the division between land and sea is less a sharp line than a smooth continuum.

This continuity is noticeable in Malay culture as well. Kelongs, the traditional villages of coastal Malaysia, are built out over the water on stilts, reversing the usual notion of a beach view. Exploring the waters of Malaysia can produce a similar sense that the sea rather than the land is dominant here--cruising among the islands of Langkawi or those off Johor, for example, or scuba diving and snorkeling among the country's many world-class reefs.

Visit Malaysia Clip Video

Visit Malaysia 2007

The Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2007 campaign was launched on 31st December 2005. The VMY 2007 campaign is held in conjunction with the golden jubilee of the nation’s independence.

It is designed to make Malaysia a top-of-mind destination; the yearlong campaign comprises various promotions and marketing strategies. Tourists will be prompted to plan their visit to Malaysia through information about the country’s wealth of holiday destinations throughout 2006.

The calendar of events, detailing major events in Malaysia and other related activities for VMY 2007 include the installation of the new king in January 2007 and the country’s much anticipated 50th Independence Day celebrations in late August 2007.

The auspicious day was officiated by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak, the Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Tourism, at Dataran Merdeka, the historic Independence Square in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.

In his speech, Najib said that the programme would foster better unity, harmony and well being among Malaysians and showcase a peace-loving nation to the world.

The VMY 2007 campaign is the third following two previous ones that were successfully held in 1990 and 1994. It is expected to increase the number of foreign arrivals to the country to 20 million in 2007. The country targets to attract some 17.3 million tourists during 2006.