The Federation of Malaysia is made up of two separate geographical regions. Peninsular Malaysia: which is located south of Thailand and part of the Asian mainland. Malaysian Borneo: Sarawak and Sabah regions make up part of the island of Borneo, which is also made up of the Sultanate of Brunei and the Indonesian province of Kalamantan. The Malaysian people are generally very friendly and welcoming. Malaysia is an Islamic state, but other religions are accepted and practiced in this forward-thinking country. About 55% of the population are Malays, with Chinese, Indian and other ethnic groups forming the remainder. Bahasa Melayu (Malay) is the official language, but English is also widely spoken. The Malaysian climate is hot and humid and therefore classed as equatorial. Rain is possible throughout the year but from the travellers and divers perspective, there are two distinct rainy seasons. The heaviest rains fall from March to May and from September to November. In addition to the rain, monsoon winds also affect the costal areas during these periods. The air temperature ranges from a low of 21°C during November and December then averages between 26-32°C for the remainder of the year. The sea temperature averages 26-28°C in summer and drops down to about 23-24°C in winter. The official currency is the Malaysian ringgit.
Tourism & Malaysia Malaysia is one of the most westernised & developed countries in South East Asia. Tourism is one of Malaysia's main industries with a well-developed infrastructure to cater for visitors. The range of services and hotels cater for the discerning visitor wishing to holiday in style, through to the back packer and adventurer wishing to explore this beautiful country. Travelling around peninsular Malaysia is relatively straight forward. There is a good infrastructure of roads transport and internal flights. Malaysian Borneo is not so well developed in terms of travel infrastructure because Borneo is mostly mountainous and swathed in dense rain forest. Travel in this region is best served by local airlines flying into regional centres. Boats are used to ferry visitors to inner islands. Travel within the interior can be slow by road and a river boat is quite often the most efficient means of travel.
Most travellers from the UK arrive in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, or neighbouring Singapore. From these starting points internal flights can be used to reach regional centres In Borneo, the outlying island of Tioman or the north eastern parts of peninsular Malaysia. Road/rail transport is also a viable option for internal travel in peninsular Malaysia if time permits. Most journeys to dive destinations will also require a boat trip to complete the final stage of the outward journey. For the non-diver, there are diverse activities available in most locations. The most popular being visits to national parks. However, the range of activities for a specific location should be verified prior to making a booking if you are a non-diver. Many of the outlying islands that provide excellent diving may not reciprocate with plenty to see and do for the non diver.
