Should I take my family to Malaysia? Yes, you should!

After our arrival, and following the advice of the hotel receptionist, we found ourselves walking down a dark alley. Tired and hungry, having flown halfway around the world we were in search of some food before bed. Minutes later our senses were overwhelmed by the sights, sounds and smells of a bustling street food market.

Sienna clung to Moya, unsure what to make of this new experience. We picked a restaurant, sat down at one of the tables on the street and chose some dishes from the picture menu. Minutes later our food arrived, and Sienna burst into tears. She was tired, hungry and nothing looked familiar, not a fish finger or French fry in sight! The chopsticks intrigued her, and with a bit of encouragement, she tried some of the strange looking food, then a bit more… Within minutes she was eating everything in sight with her chopsticks and loving it. Breathing a sigh of relief, I knew this was to be the first of many great memories from our adventure around Malaysia.

We had previously visited Thailand and decided that it might be best to stay by the beach, for the most part. However, the memories that stood out for Sienna were the days we went on small adventures. After some research, Malaysia caught our eye. With its reputation of friendly, children loving, people, good food, widely spoken English, beautiful mountains and white sand beaches seemed like the perfect choice. With a bit of research, we found Rickshaw Travel and immediately loved their approach of combining bite-sized trips to create the ideal customised trip.

This was how we found ourselves at the Jalan Alor food street in Kuala Lumpur having an incredible meal (and converting Sienna from fish fingers to fresh Malaysian food!).

The next day we awoke to a steamy hot Kuala Lumpur. After breakfast on the rooftop terrace of our hotel, it was time to explore the city. We visited the observation deck at the top of the KL tower for the mind-boggling views. Then perused the shops in the mall below the Petronas Twin Towers (we may have taken advantage of the air conditioning…!) followed by some relaxation in the KLCC Park while always keeping an eye out for a sprinkler to run through to cool off.

Kuala Lumpur was a vibrant city, after a full day of sight-seeing and a week’s worth of ice-creams it was time to move on.

The next morning, we headed for the tropical jungles of Taman Negara National Park but not before our hotel receptionist asked if she could paint a Henna tattoo on Sienna’s hand while we waited for our bus transfer.

After a bus ride to Jerantut and lunch in a local cafe, it was time to take a long boat for the 3-hour journey up the Tembeling River to our next destination. Although it is possible to reach Kuala Tahan by road, venturing there by the river was a much more exciting option and gave us a real feel for the jungle.

While in the Taman Negara jungles we climbed to the top of the Bukit Teresek viewpoint, ate at floating restaurants and went on a night walk where we saw some gigantic insects. We also came across a Tapir, and not deterred by the huge insects, we jumped off the wooden boardwalk into the bushes to get a closer look! The highlight of our time in the jungle, however, was the canopy walk, 500m of swing bridges up to 50m high in the canopy of the forest.

Sadly, it was time to leave Taman Negara and our wild friends. Our next stop was the Cameron Highlands.

After the heat and humidity of Kuala Lumpur and the Taman Negara jungles, it was refreshing to arrive in cooler climes. An average altitude of around 1400m above sea level means it is significantly cooler than the lowlands of Malaysia, although not so cold that you need anything more than a T-shirt during the day. These cooler temperatures make it ideal for growing tea and plantations cover the hills as far as the eye can see. They also make it perfect for flowers and other incredible flora, which we found all around the grounds of our hotel.

After a good night’s rest, it was time for another day of exploring. Today saw us starting off with a trip to the top of Gunung Brinchang, the highest mountain accessible by road in South-East Asia. On clear days, you can apparently see over 70km all the way to the Straits of Malacca, we could see about 50m despite the thick fog! The mist, however, made our next stop even more atmospheric. A guided walk through the forest, we saw mosses of all shapes and sizes, orchids and fascinating pitcher plants.

With the forest thoroughly explored, it was time to head to a tea plantation where we watched tea being harvested and had a tour through the factory, and then finished up with tea and scones. The English definitely left their mark on the Cameron Highlands!

By the end of the day, Sienna and our guide Raju had bonded so nicely that Sienna wanted him to stay with us for the rest of the holiday. Another reminder of the friendliness of the Malaysian people.

We had experienced cities, jungles and mountains, all that was left were the beaches! So, we caught another minibus transfer, this time to Kuala Besut, and then climbed aboard a speedboat for a 40-minute trip out to Perhentian Besar.

Up until now, we had followed the itinerary suggested by Rickshaw Travel. However, we wanted to slow the pace of the trip. So we decided to forego Gem Island (more of a romantic retreat and perhaps less suited to children) and increase our time on Perhentian Besar and Lang Tengah. One of the best things about Rickshaw Travel is while they provide comprehensive itineraries to get you started, everything is customisable to suit your needs.

Our three days on  Perhentian Besar  was spent lazing on the beach, swimming in the sea and enjoying some truly astounding snorkelling. We had several encounters with a juvenile White-bellied Sea Eagle who, while totally wild, was happy to pose for pictures. Another highlight of the Perhentian Islands is they are covered in thick jungle, meaning the easiest way to get to other parts of the island is by water taxi. A couple of Ringgit and a few minutes and you’re on the other side!

From the relative bustle of the Perhentian Islands, we moved to Lang Tengah, a tiny island about one kilometre long with only three small resorts on it. We spent some more days lazing on the beach, swimming in the sea or swimming pool and taking advantage of the snorkelling trips that ran every afternoon. Watching the Blacktip Reef Sharks swimming through shoals of baitfish was exciting too!

Four days of relaxation and our holiday was drawing to an end. We transferred via speedboat back to the mainland and made our way to the Terengganu airport for a quick flight back to KL and then the long-haul home to England.

I can’t recommend a trip like this highly enough for young families looking for some adventure and a different cultural experience. Malaysia is perhaps the perfect blend of exotic yet familiar, and the Malaysian people are amazing.

Booking through Rickshaw Travel removed the stress of organising accommodation, transfers and the other admin associated with travelling, helping us maximise our time. I will mention that there is a fair amount of time spent travelling in minibuses, while there are regular leg stretching stops, your kids will need to be able to go without comfort breaks for extended periods. A tablet with some games and movies on will help pass the time on the longer stretches. However, this applies to many other holidays, with much less excitement and cultural delights.

I say go for it, and create some meaningful memories!

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