Climate
Climate:
Tropical without extremely high temperatures. Days are very warm, while nights are fairly cool. The main rainy season in the east runs between November and February, while August is the wettest period on the west coast. East Malaysia has heavy rains (November to February) in Sabah and in Sarawak.
Required clothing:
Lightweight cottons and linens are worn throughout the year. Waterproofing is advisable all year.
Airports
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL)
(Sepang) is 55 km (34 miles) south from Kuala Lumpur and near Putra Jaya, Malaysia’s future administrative capital. It currently handles 25 million passengers a year and is served by all major international airlines. Kuala Lumpur’s city centre is accessible via the Kuala Lumpur–Seremban Highway/KLIA interchange and the Shah Alam/North–South Central Link Expressway (travel time – 45 minutes).
Penang (PEN)
(Bayan Lepas) is 16km (10 miles) south of Georgetown, capital of this small island off the northwest coast of the peninsula.
Kota Kinabalu (BKI)
Kota Kinabalu is 6.5km (4 miles) from the city. Situated on the northern coast of Sabah state (the northeastern part of Borneo Island), this airport is the international gateway to East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak) and receives international flights from all over the world.
Kuching (KCH)
Kuching is 11km (7 miles) from the city. Situated in the west of Sarawak on the island of Borneo, the airport receives a limited number of international flights.
Departure tax:
RM45 for international departures.
Travel Times
The following are the approximate travel times (in hours and minutes) from Kuala Lumpur to other major centres in Malaysia.
| City |
Air |
Road |
Rail |
| Ipoh |
0.30 |
2.00 |
4.30 |
| Penang |
0.45 |
5.00 |
9.30 |
| Alor Setar |
0.45 |
7.00 |
7.30 |
| Kuantan |
0.35 |
4.00 |
- |
| Johar Bahru |
0.35 |
3.00 |
6.00 |
| Singapore |
0.45 |
6.00 |
7.00 |
Public Holidays 2005
Public Holidays 2005:
Jan 1 New Year’s Day.
Jan 23 Hari Raya Haji (Feast of the Sacrifice).
Feb 9-11 Chinese New Year.
Feb 10 Hari Raya Tussa (Islamic New Year).
Apr 22 Birth of the Prophet Muhammad.
May 1 Labour Day.
May 23 Vesak Day (Birth of the Buddha).
Jun 4 Official Birthday of HM the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Aug 31 National Day.
Nov 1 Deepvali Festival.
Nov 3-5 Hari Raya Puasa (End of Ramadan).
Dec 25 Christmas Day.
Passport/Visa
Passport
A valid passport or other travel documents recognised by the Malaysian government required by all. The former must have enough pages for the embarkation stamp upon arrival and be valid for at least six months at date of entry. Note: All visitors must also have proof of adequate funds and an onward or return sea or air ticket.
Visas are required:
Afghanistan , Angola, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, China (PR), Congo (Dem Rep), Congo (Rep), Côte D’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, India, Iraq, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and holders of a UN Laisser Passer (nationals of these countries may be granted visa relaxation for transit through Malaysia for less than 120 hours, via a Malaysian international airport, if in possession of confirmed onward airline tickets to a third country before arriving). This is subject to specific criteria that varies depending on individual circumstance.
Visas are not required:
(a) 1. nationals of all Commonwealth countries (except nationals of Bangladesh, Cameroon, Ghana, India, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, who do require a visa) for all purposes and durations of visits for up to one or three months;
(b) 2. nationals of EU countries (except nationals of Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal and Slovenia who do require a visa) for social visits of up to three months;
(c) 3. nationals of Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Croatia, Cuba, Egypt, Iceland, Japan, Jordan, Korea (Rep), Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Morocco, Norway, Oman, Peru, Qatar, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, the USA and Yemen for social visits of up to three months;
(d) nationals of Iran, Libya, the Syrian Arab Republic and holders of a Portuguese Certificate of Identity, Palestinian travel documents or a Macau Travel Permit for social visits of up to 14 days;
(e) nationals of Ireland for social visits of up to two months;
(f) nationals of all countries other than those mentioned above for stays of up to one month;
(g) nationals on transit without leaving the airport precincts and who continue their journey to the next destination with the same flight and within 24 hours.
Capital: Kuala Lumpur.
