Malaysia

From a swaying hammock on Coral Beach, Pulau Pangkor’s turbulent past feels a world away. ‘Beautiful Island’ is a former pirate hideout and bit player in the battle to control the Selat Melaka (Strait of Melaka). In the 17th century the Dutch built a fort here in their bid to monopolise the Perak tin trade, and were swiftly driven out. In 1874 a contender for the Perak throne sought British backing and the Pangkor Treaty was signed, ushering in the colonial period.

Emerald tea plantations unfurl across Malaysia's largest hill-station area. Temperatures in these 1300m to 1829m heights rarely top 30°C, inspiring convoys of weekenders to enjoy tea and strawberries in the restorative climate. Though technically in Pahang, the highlands are accessed from Perak.

Looking out to distant isles across the Bay of Sandakan, where fishing trawlers dot the teal-blue waters, the former colonialist capital of British Borneo is a buzzing little city used by travelers as a  gateway to the Sungai Kinabatangan and Sepilok. German merchants, Dutch and Chinese planters, Arab and Indian traders, and pearl divers all had their heads turned by Sabah's second city at some point, until it was razed to the ground by the British during WWII in an attempt to shake off the invading Japanese. Today the compact centre is buoyed by the success of the palm-oil industry and those who linger here will find religious relics, colonial mansions and haunting mementoes of WWII dotted across the city.

A visit to the world's most famous place to see orangutans in their natural habitat is all the more compelling thanks to the outdoor nursery for orangutan youngsters in the same complex, and the nearby Sun Bear Conservation Centre and Rainforest Discovery Centre. In addition, the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary is only a short drive away.

Sarawak makes access to Borneo’s natural wonders and cultural riches a breeze. From Kuching, the island’s most dynamic city, pristine rainforests – where you can spot orangutans, proboscis monkeys, crocodiles and the world’s largest flower, the rafflesia – can be visited on day trips, with time in the evening for a tasty meal and a drink by the waterfront. More adventurous travelers can take a ‘flying coffin’ riverboat up the 'Amazon of Borneo', the Batang Rejang, on their way east to hike from longhouse to longhouse in the cool environs of the Kelabit Highlands, or to the spectacular bat caves and extraordinary rock formations of Gunung Mulu National Park. For the best chance of seeing an orangutan in the wild, venture to the Batang Ai region.

Born of the British desire to fashion the teeming jungle into a pleasant park, the Lake Gardens (now officially named Tun Abdul Razak Heritage Park) remains a lush breathing space at KL's heart and home to top museums, themed parks and other monuments and sights. The transport and business hub KL Sentral and neighbouring Brickfields are immediately south of here.

Most travelers pause briefly in Pahang's capital and Malaysia's second-biggest port to break up longish bus trips. This is a shame; while the city isn’t especially geared towards tourism, it is definitely interesting enough to warrant a day or two’s exploration. There's an excellent museum, plenty of great places to eat, decent accommodation choices and the nearby sands of Teluk Chempedak with upmarket resort accommodation and beach views. The vast mosque is also a fantastic spectacle when illuminated at night, the padang is huge and refreshingly cool in the morning and at late afternoon, while food markets set up nearby towards evening.

In busy Kota Kinabalu (KK) you’ll soon notice the breathtaking fiery sunsets, blossoming arts-and-music scene and a rich culinary spectrum spanning street food to high-end dining. Alongside swanky new malls and expensive condos, old KK happily endures, through markets brimming with sea creatures and fresh produce, and busy fishers shuttling about the waterfront. This may be a city on the move with the 21st century, but its old-world charm and history are very much alive.

You wouldn't know it from the sunburnt buildings, fishing boats on the bay and slow tropical pace, but Kudat used to be an important trading post and the capital of Borneo back in the late 19th century. Some of the streets have Chinese names, harking back to the British colonial administration's request to the Chinese to come and run its coconut plantations. Many of their descendants are still here today, along with a warm cast of Bajau, Rungus and Filipino.

Sabah occupies a relatively small chunk of the world’s third-largest island, Borneo, yet what a punch it packs: the treasure of turquoise-fringed desert islands with coral reefs swarming with marine biodiversity; trekkers' paradise Mt Kinabalu reaching 13435ft (4095m) into the clouds; and jungles pulsing with a menagerie of bug-eyed tarsiers, gibbons, pythons, clouded leopards and huge crocs. Around 55% of Sabah is forest, and protected areas such as the Maliau Basin and the Danum Valley Conservation Area are more accessible than ever.