3+ weeks Ultimate Malaysia
Sipadan, Langkawi, Perhentian islands & Tioman - Your complete and ultimate Malaysian scuba diving dream trip!
3+ weeks ultimate Malaysia!
In this ultimate Malaysia trip, you will visit all the best spots for diving around Malaysia in 3 or more weeks!
Content:
Go to the main page for Langkawi here!
Go to the main page for the Perhentian Islands here!
Go to the main page for Tioman here!
Go to the main page for Sipadan here!
"3+ weeks Ultimate Malaysia" Quick summary:
- Kuala Lumpur - Metropolis
(2-3 days) - Click here to book.
- Langkawi - Diving close to Kuala Lumpur
(2-3 nights) - Click here to book.
- Perhentian Islands - Clear water paradise
(2-4 nights) - Click here to book.
- Tioman - 1 0f 7 secluded villages
(2-4 nights) - Click here to book.
- KL/ Singapore - Onwards to Sipadan
(0-3 nights) - Click here to book.
- Semporna/ Mabul - Sipadan
(3-7 nights) - Click here to book.
- Tawau - Onwards or homewards.
(0-1 nights) - Click here to book.
3+ weeks Ultimate Malaysia Day-by-day:
First stop: Kuala Lumpur.
You will probably enter Malaysia via Kuala Lumpur. The city is quite nice! Besides some amazing architecture, you can visit parks, night markets, and the zoo. It's well worth it to spend a few days here to explore.
​
Second stop: Langkawi.
From Kuala Lumpur, by far the easiest way is flying. You can fly directly to Langkawi airport and arrange a transfer to your hotel.
Alternatively, you could take a bus or train to Kedah or Penang and stop there for a few days, before continuing your travels.
​
From Penang:
I recommend staying in Langkawi or Penang for 3-4 days.
Optional: Cameron Highlands.
After leaving Langkawi, you will have to travel to Besut jetty, which is a pretty far drive. A really good stop "in-between" is therefore Cameron Highlands! This area is great to explore for 2-4 days easy. The villages are surrounded by mountains, and you can do many 1-5 hour hikes differing in difficulty to suit everyone's need and fitness level. I stayed in Tanah Rata. However, you could also opt for Brinchang a bit further down the road.
​
Just go to the bus station on the mainland, and hop on the bus to Cameron Highlands.
​
After Cameron Highlands or if traveling directly to Besut Jetty you will want to go to your first diving experience of this trip!
​
Third stop: The Perhentian Islands.
Once arrived at Besut Jetty you can hop on a Ferry to the Perhentian Islands. Now, this is the part to pay attention to: You will be asked to go to Pulau Besar or Kecil (meaning big or small island). So, I would recommend doing your research in advance by for example checking out this link.
Tip: There is no ATM on the Perhentian Islands so bring enough cash! Hotels usually accept credit cards though.
​
Once on the ferry to the Perhentian Islands enjoy a 2-hour boat ride. Welcome, to paradise!
​
Diving in the Perhentian Islands is beautiful, relatively easy, and nice and warm. If you stick to the right season between March and September, you'll have a great time.
​
I recommend staying 3-7 days here.
Optional: Taman Negara.
When leaving the Perhentian Islands you can grab another bus to Mersing or make a stop in Taman Negara, a jungle in the middle of Malaysia.
This is well worth it after all the diving you have done, and you'll find many sorts of accommodation and excursions to take part in. From canoeing the rivers to multi-day hikes in the jungle.
​
I recommend staying here for 2-4 days if you decide to.
​
Fourth stop: Tioman Island.
You can travel to Mersing from either Taman Negara or Besut but be prepared for a long drive either way. You will probably want or even have to stay the night in Mersing, which is a medium-sized town, where you will depart from Tioman. Arriving in Mersing, head to the jetty to make sure you can board the next day. It's not always necessary, but you probably want to be sure.
If you are boarding the boat to Tioman Island, you will be asked where they should drop you off. I would suggest researching a bit before making this choice. I personally stayed in Salang, the final village, and I absolutely loved it.
​
Most villages are not connected via roads so make sure you are in the right village.
​
​
I would recommend staying on Tioman island for 3-7 days. You could also stay in different villages of course, while there!
​
Tip: From Mersing, it's quite easy to continue your trip to Singapore or just travel back to Kuala Lumpur.
Fifth Stop: Sipadan
When leaving Tioman Island, you will want to take the ferry to Mersing, and the bus back to Kuala Lumpur, or if you prefer, you could opt to stay in Singapore for a few days and fly to Tawau from there.
To get to Sipadan Island you will want to enter Borneo/ Sabah from either Kota Kinabalu or Tawau. You can fly to Tawau from Kuala Lumpur or Singapore and Kota Kinabalu has an international airport servicing flights from most places in Asia.
From Tawau, you can get a taxi or bus to Semporna. A taxi will cost you between 90 and 120 ringgits (20-25$) for a 90 minutes drive. Buses are cheaper but much more uncomfortable. Roads between Tawau and Semporna are well maintained, so relatively comfortable.
Once in Semporna, you might have to stay the night, because boats to different resorts might have a very early departure time.
I do not recommend staying in Semporna! This town hasn't got a lot to offer, is very poor and very, very polluted.
There are many resorts on the island of Mabul, Kapalai, and even islands further away like Mataking will service Sipadan. However, Mabul is by far(!) your best choice!
When leaving Sipadan, you can travel back to Semporna, take a taxi for 130 ringgits back to Tawau Airport and fly onwards from there.