Ultimate Malaysia: A Passage Through Time

Upon arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, you will be met at the arrival hall by a representative and transferred to what will be your accommodation for the next three nights. Overnight on a bed-and-breakfast basis in Kuala Lumpur.

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the hotel in preparation of a seven-hour tour dedicated to discovering and exploring many of the top cultural and historical sights in the city, with Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Buddhist places of worship on the itinerary. See the National Monument, which commemorates those who died in Malaysia’s struggle for independence and during the Japanese occupation of World War II as well as the troubled times that followed the war, known locally as the Emergency. Continue to the landmark Federated Malay States Railway Station, whose eye-catching architecture blends European, Arabesque, Indian and oriental elements. After visiting this early 20th century temple of transport, head to the radically modern National Mosque, which was built in the mid-1960s. The main roof is reminiscent of an open umbrella while the minaret’s spire looks like a folded one. Reflective pools and fountains are spread throughout the mosque, which is surrounded by lush, landscaped gardens. The KL City Gallery is as famous for its neo-Renaissance façade as for its stunning scale model exhibits. Head to Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) where old and new Malaysia merge in a vast, open space. Among the notable buildings in the square are the Moorish-style Sultan Abdul Samad Building, the former High Court building, the late Victorian St Mary’s Anglican Cathedral and the Tudor-style Royal Selangor Club. Nearby is the magnificent Moorish-style Masjid Jamek, one of the oldest mosques in Kuala Lumpur. It lies at the confluence of two rivers and is surrounded by palm trees of all shapes and sizes. Continue to the art deco Central Market, where the scents and sounds of KL come to life, and the adjacent Annexe Gallery. You will be spoiled for choice by the selection of food and beverage outlets in the Central Market, so you can enjoy a nice lunch while watching the world go by. After lunch (not included), head to the dazzling Thean Hou Temple, which is considered one of the finest examples of Chinese architecture in Malaysia, and the Sri Mahamariamman Temple, which is the oldest Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur and is famed for its multifaceted Dravidian-style gopuram tower. Return to the hotel with the rest of the evening free. Dinner at own arrangement. Overnight on a bed-and-breakfast basis in Kuala Lumpur.

Feast on breakfast at the hotel before departure at 09:30 hours for Melaka, driving south through verdant countryside dotted with villages. On arrival at this most historic of Malaysian cities, savour the local Peranakan cuisine (also known as Baba & Nyonya), which blends Chinese and Malay flavours. Check in at Hotel in Melaka. Melaka was founded by a Hindu prince in the 14th century but its strategic location on the Strait of Melaka, which was a vital route in the medieval spice trade, made it an attractive prize for European colonists. From 1511 to 1957, it was ruled first by the Portuguese, then the Dutch and finally the British, each leaving a legacy that can still be spotted today, from the ruins of fort A Famosa to Queen Victoria’s Fountain. The result is a fascinating multi-cultural city that will captivate your heart. At 14:00 hours, we begin a four-hour orientation tour of Melaka, visiting the top attractions. Head to the Dutch-era St John’s Fort for a panoramic view of the city – on a clear day, Indonesia on the other side of the strait. Discover Bandar Hilir, the city’s oldest area, and climb St Paul’s Hill, where the ruins of St Paul’s Church stand, before continuing to the Porta de Santiago, which is all that remains of the Portuguese-built A Famosa. Visit the ‘antiques row’ of the always colourful Jonker Street, where shops and stalls will tempt you with their historic and folkloric wares. Complete the tour with stops at Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, the Tranquerah Mosque – which unusually has a pagoda instead of a minaret –the three-century-old St Peter’s Church and the haunting Bukit Cina, where Chinese burial sites are scattered on a barren hill. Return to the hotel with the rest of the evening free. Dinner is at own arrangement. You can ask the driver-guide to take you to one of the many restaurants in the city such as those in the Portuguese Square or if you just can’t get enough of the Peranakan food, try other restaurants available in the area. Overnight on a bed-and-breakfast basis in Melaka. Lunch included.

Breakfast at the hotel is followed by a gentle sightseeing cruise up the Melaka River, which is flanked by historic homes, old warehouses, mangrove stands and churches. Expect to pass under some rather colourful bridges, too. The river featured in the 1998 Hollywood blockbuster Entrapment, which starred Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones. After the cruise, enjoy a trishaw ride to Villa Sentosa, a family home located on a bend of the river. The house has been turned into a museum of early 20th century Malaysian family living. Admire the intriguing collections of costumes, embroidery, furniture, muskets and other everyday items. The combined cruise and trishaw tour takes about four hours. Lunch at a local restaurant before returning to hotel. Check-out and depart for Kuala Lumpur in the afternoon. The evening back in the capital is at your own leisure. Overnight on a bed-and-breakfast basis in Kuala Lumpur. Lunch included.

Take to the road after breakfast at 09:00 hours with a stunning, scenic drive to Cameron Highlands in the state of Pahang. The highlands are a resort area situated at 1,500 metres above sea level in the Titiwangsa Range and are renowned for their pleasant cool climate, romantic rolling countryside and their tea plantations. En route, there is a one-hour stop to visit Gua Tempurung, a spectacular cave that was used as a hideout by communist guerrillas in the tumultuous years of the Emergency. Apart from the impressive stalagmites and stalactites, there are also rim stone pools, curtains, straws, calcite crystals and pillars to admire. There are also magnificent marble columns inside a huge cavern honeycombed with smaller caves of different dimensions. Stop for lunch at a local restaurant in Tapah, a quiet country town. After eating, head back on the road with a brief sightseeing stop at the Iskandar waterfall, which is almost at the halfway point between Tapah and Cameron Highlands. Here you can meet members of the local hill tribe and maybe even witness a blow pipe demonstration. Continue to the hotel for check-in and enjoy the rest of your day at leisure. For dinner (on own account), you may choose to eat in your hotel or you may prefer to ask the driver to take you to check out the many types of cuisine that can be found in Cameron Highlands. Chinese restaurants are favoured by locals for steamboat, a novel ‘do-it-yourself’ style of cooking in a boiling pot of hot soup – perfect for a cool evening! Overnight on a bed-and-breakfast basis in Cameron Highlands. Lunch included.

Begin the day with a leisurely breakfast before joining the driver-guide for a scenic four-hour tour of Cameron Highlands, taking in the Rose Center, the BOH tea plantation (closed on Monday), a strawberry farm, the Smokehouse Hotel and a vegetable farm. One of the reasons why Cameron Highlands were developed as a resort was because British colonialists wanted a cool retreat from the tropical settlements on the Strait of Melaka and as you travel through this highland Eden, the bucolic charm of rural England is still visible in the architecture and flora, with an abundance of timber-framed Tudor-style homes as well as plenty of vegetable and fruit farms. Be prepared for the extraordinary sight of seas of flowers, which you won’t see flourishing elsewhere in Malaysia. Return to the hotel for an afternoon and evening of leisure, with the option of enjoying the resort’s available activities and facilities, which include a tennis court, indoor swimming pool and spa. Overnight on a bed-and-breakfast basis in Cameron Highlands.

Check out after breakfast and depart at 09:00 hours for Penang, driving along a scenic route via Simpang Pulai and Kuala Kangsar, the royal town of the state of Perak, which we stop in for a one-hour tour of its main landmarks. Head to a leafy and exclusive area south-west of the city centre, where a number of historic, cultural and religious attractions are located. Visit the Sultan Azlan Shah Gallery, which is located in a former royal palace named after the late sultan whose personal belongings, documents, mementos, family photographs, trophies and state regalia, among other items, are on display. Continue to the nearby golden-domed Ubudiah Mosque, probably the finest mosque in Malaysia, and Istana Iskandariah and Istana Kenangan, two very different but equally beautiful former royal palaces. Take to the road again in the direction of Taiping, which has the dubious honour of being the wettest town in continental Malaysia, with annual rainfall double that the rest of the peninsula. All that water has led to a fertile landscape of flora and large and mature rain trees in the moist Taiping Lake Gardens, the first visit of a two to three-hour stop in the city. You will also see the old railway station, the first in the country, dating from 1882. Stop for lunch at a local restaurant and maybe try some of the savoury seafood for which the town is renowned. Afterwards, head to the Taiping War Cemetery, where the graves of more than 800 Allied soldiers – mainly British, Indian and Australian – are neatly laid out in a poignant reminder of the brutality of war. Head to the south-western outskirts of Taiping to visit the Kuala Sepetang charcoal factory in Matang. It is made in kilns using greenwood harvested from the nearby mangrove forest reserve. For each tree that is cut down to be processed into charcoal, a young sapling is planted as replacement. Be careful as everything here is soot black. Continue to Penang island, crossing the 13.5km-long Penang Bridge to check-in at your hotel for the remainder of the tour. Overnight on a bed-and-breakfast basis in Penang. Lunch Included.

Wake up in your cosy bed, and bask in the beautiful sunlight which makes you want to jump out of bed quickly in order not to waste a single minute! After breakfast, enjoy an orientation tour of George Town, starting with a visit to the Thai Buddhist temple, which houses a 33-metre-long reclining Buddha. Just across the road is the Burmese Buddhist temple. Down by the bustling waterfront are the ‘homes on stilts’ of Chew Jetty, which form a water village dating back to the early Chinese immigrants. Next, visit the Pinang Peranakan Mansion, a historic house museum preserves the Victorian ornamentation of the home of a prominent ethnic Chinese merchant from the late 19th century. The Peranakans are assimilated ethnic Chinese who have lived in Malaysia for centuries – while in the country as a whole, ethnic Chinese make up a quarter of the population, in Penang they account for almost half of it. This lavishly decorated mansion boasts more than 1,000 pieces of antiques and collectibles, and features an eclectic design, incorporating Chinese carved-wood panels, English ceramic floor tiles and Scottish cast iron balustrades, balconies and railings. Walk along the Street of Harmony, which is bordered by religious landmarks such as Kapitan Keling Mosque, the Hindu Sri Mahamariaman Temple, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy Temple and the pristine neo-classical St George’s Church. Along the way, check out ‘Little India’, a colourful area in the heart of the old town, where you will find many specialised Indian stores and diners. Indulge in specialties such as spices, Indian music, garlands, trinkets and gold jewellery. Lunch at a local restaurant to try the banana leaf rice with teh tarik (“pulled tea”). After eating, return to the hotel with the rest of the day at your leisure. Overnight on a bed-and-breakfast basis in Penang. Lunch included.

Savour one final breakfast at the hotel and enjoy the its facilities until it’s time to leave for the airport for your onward flight.