Malaysia Travel, Tips on getting around the country
Malaysia Travel
Being an emerging nation in the Asia Pacific region, the public transportation system in Malaysia is quite up to date and is in line with its development plans to reach a fully developed nation status by the year
2020.
Travel within the country is relatively cheap and efficient. All the major cities and towns are equipped with an airport and the roads are generally well maintained.
Malaysia Travel - Travelling By Rail
In the capital, Kuala Lumpur, the public
transportation infrastructure is pretty good, what keeps the city from congestions is the Mass Rail Transit system (MRT)
and Light Rail Transit system (LRT). These rail systems, link the capital, KL, to the suburbs of the state of Selangor.
There is also the commuter train system, which is operated by Keratapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) this services Kuala Lumpur and its surrounding districts.
KTM also operate the intercity train services, they ply the whole length of Peninsula Malaysia right down to Singapore. Regardless of which rail lines that you travel on in Malaysia, the entire rail infrastructure is integrated as a network with the Kuala Lumpur Sentral Train Station serving as the hub for the entire Peninsula Malaysia.
Malaysia Travel - Travelling by Air
As discussed in another article on travel to Malaysia , all the major cities and towns have their own airport, which comprises of 7 international airports and over 50 domestic airports!
The
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) serves as the main hub for air travel within Malaysia. In the state of Sarawak, even some of the smaller towns and villages, especially those in the mountainous regions are linked by Malaysia Airlines' (MAS) Rural Air Service, where air travel is an adventure by itself!
Malaysia Travel - Travelling by Ferry or Express
Boat
In certain parts of Malaysia, the main mode of transportation is the riverine transport system. This is
especially so in Sarawak where ferries and express boats ply up and down the Rejang River, the longest river in Malaysia.
Further up north, Labuan is interconnected to Kota Kinabalu City by express ferries as well. These
boats or ferries are known as “Express Boats” for one reason only, they are fast! Powered by high speed marine
diesels, these missile shaped boats can travel up to 30knots against the current while fully loaded with a hundred
passengers.
In Peninsula Malaysia, certain areas especially the islands are also serviced by ferries. Penang
Island is linked to Mainland Butterworth by ferries in addition to the Penang Bridge.
Pangkor Island and Tioman
Island are also serviced by boats.
Malaysia Travel - Moving around by road
The backbone of the road infrastructure for the west coast in West Malaysia is the North South Expressway (NSE).
The NSE Expressway runs the entire length of Peninsula Malaysia and stretches from Bukit Kayu Hitam (Kedah) near the Malaysian-Thai border to Johor Bahru at the southern most end of Peninsular Malaysia.
Travel to the east coast side of Peninsula Malaysia is facilitated by the East Coast Expressway (ECE) or Lebuhraya Pantai Timur (LPT) in
Malay.
East Malaysia also has the Pan Borneo Highway which links Sarawak, Brunei and Sabah together by
road.
Apart from these major expressways, there are also many feeder roads that link the smaller towns and villages.
Malaysia Travel - Taking the bus and coach
With numerous bus companies providing interstate travel on air-conditioned coaches, it is relatively easy to move from state to state on the cheap.
All the major towns
have these interstate bus services and the prices are pretty standard for each destination, regardless of which bus
company that you are using.
Travel within the city is also serviced by buses. The best and newest buses that
are available for intercity travel are those found in Kuala Lumpur and its suburbs.
Malaysia Travel - Travelling by Taxis
Apart from intercity services, taxis in Malaysia also cover interstate routes.
These
taxis normally charge on a per person basis unless you charter the whole taxi for yourself. Intercity taxis in the capital
run on metered fare, while fares for those taxis in other cities and towns are based on a negotiated rate.
Malaysia
Travel - Renting a car to travel around Malaysia
This option exists for those who are above the age of 18 and have
an international driving licence. Although self drive provides a lot of freedom, unless you are familiar with driving on the
wrong side of the road (Right hand drive) and have the stomach to weather the atrocious grand prix driving skills of
Malaysian drivers, you are better off taking the bus or the taxi.
Malaysia Travel - Sightseeing using a Trishaw
The best thing about trishaws is the fact that they are environmental friendly, using pedal power.
You can
still find trishaw in Penang and Sibu town. This novel means of moving around is actually meant more for the curious
tourist rather than the locals.
Make sure you negotiate the fare first before climbing into one of these trishaws.
Have A TIP about how you travelled to Malaysia?
Do you know an interesting way of getting to Malaysia?
What about a cheap alternative?
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