Air

The two main domestic operators are Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia.

The Malaysia Airlines subsidiary Firefly has flights from KL (SkyPark Subang Terminal) to Ipoh, Johor Bahru, Kerteh, Kota Bharu, Kuala Terengganu, Langkawi and Penang. It also runs connections between Penang and Langkawi, Kuantan and Kota Bharu, Ipoh and JB, and JB and Kota Bharu.

Malindo Air also has a wide range of connections between many Malaysian cities and towns.

In Malaysian Borneo, Malaysia Airlines’ subsidiary MASwings offers local flights within and between Sarawak and Sabah; its main hub is Miri. These services, especially those handled by 19-seat Twin Otters, are very much reliant on the vagaries of the weather. In the wet season (October to March in Sarawak and on Sabah’s northeast coast; May to November on Sabah’s west coast), places like Bario in Sarawak can be isolated for days at a time, so don’t venture into this area if you have a tight schedule. These flights are completely booked during school holidays. At other times it’s easier to get a seat at a few days’ notice, but always book as far in advance as possible.

Bicycle

Bicycle touring around Malaysia is an increasingly popular activity. The main road system is well engineered and has good surfaces, but the secondary road system is limited. Road conditions are good enough for touring bikes in most places, but mountain bikes are recommended for forays off the beaten track.

Top-quality bicycles and components can be bought in major cities, but generally 10-speed (or higher) bikes and fittings are hard to find. Bringing your own is the best bet. Bicycles can be transported on most international flights; check with the airline about extra charges and shipment specifications.

Boat

There are no services connecting Peninsular Malaysia with Malaysian Borneo. On a local level, there are boats and ferries between the peninsula and offshore islands, and along the rivers of Sabah and Sarawak. Note that some ferry operators are notoriously lax about observing safety rules, and local authorities are often non-existent. If a boat looks overloaded or otherwise unsafe, do not board it – no one else will look out for your safety.

Bus

Bus travel in Malaysia is economical and generally comfortable. Seats can be paid for and reserved either directly with operators or via online sites such www.easybook.com. Some bus drivers speed recklessly, resulting in frequent, often fatal, accidents.

Most long-distance buses have air-con, often turned to frigid, so bring a sweater! In larger towns there may be a number of bus stations; local/regional buses often operate from one station and long-distance buses from another; in other cases, KL for example, bus stations are differentiated by the destinations they serve.

Bus travel off the beaten track is relatively straightforward. Small towns and kampung (villages) all over the country are serviced by public buses. Unfortunately, they are often poorly signed and sometimes the only way to find your bus is to ask a local. These buses are invariably dirt cheap and provide a great sample of rural life. In most towns there are no ticket offices, so buy your ticket from the conductor after you board.

Car & Motorcycle

Driving in Malaysia is fantastic compared with most Asian countries. There has been a lot of investment in the country’s roads, which are generally of a high quality. New cars for hire are commonly available and fuel is inexpensive (RM2.20 per litre).

It’s not all good news though. Driving in the cities, particularly KL, can be a nightmare, due to traffic and confusing one-way systems. Malaysian drivers aren’t always the safest when it comes to obeying road rules – they mightn’t be as reckless as drivers elsewhere in Southeast Asia, but they still take risks. For example, hardly any of the drivers keep to the official 110km/h speed limit on the main highways and tailgating is a common problem.

The Lebuhraya (North–South Hwy) is a six-lane expressway that runs for 966km along the length of the peninsula from the Thai border in the north to JB in the south. There are quite steep toll charges for using the expressway and these vary according to the distance travelled. As a result the normal highways remain crowded while traffic on the expressway is light.

Hire

Major rent-a-car operations in Malaysia:

Avis (www.avis.com.my)

Hertz (www.simedarbycarrental.com)

Mayflower (www.mayflowercarrental.com.my)

Orix (www.orixauto.com.my).

You’ll also find local operators in individual cities.

Unlimited distance rates for a 1.3L Proton Saga, one of the cheapest and most popular cars in Malaysia, are posted at around RM190/1320 per day/week, including insurance and collision-damage waiver. The Proton is basically a Mitsubishi assembled under licence in Malaysia.

You can often get better prices, either through smaller local companies or when the major companies offer special deals. Rates drop substantially for longer rentals. The advantage of dealing with a large company is that it has offices all over the country, giving better backup if something goes wrong and allowing you to pick up in one city and drop off in another.

Local Transport

Taxis are found in all large cities, and most have meters – although you can’t always rely on the drivers to use them. Most people use the taxi app Grab.

Bicycle rickshaws (trishaws) supplement the taxi service in George Town and Melaka and are definitely handy ways of getting around the older parts of town, which have convoluted and narrow streets.

In major cities there are also buses, which are extremely cheap and convenient once you figure out which one is going your way. KL also has commuter trains, a Light Rail Transit (LRT), Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and a monorail system.

Train

Malaysia’s national railway company is KTM. It runs a modern, comfortable and economical railway service, although there are basically only two lines. One line runs up the west coast from Johor Bahru, through KL on into Thailand; there’s a short spur off this line for Butterworth – the jumping off point for the island of Penang. Line two branches off the first line at Gemas and runs through Kuala Lipis up to the northeastern corner of the country near Kota Bharu in Kelantan. Often referred to as the ‘jungle train’, this line is properly known as the ‘east line’.