Malaysia

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.

The northernmost major city in Malaysia is also one of its most devoutly Muslim and it is deeply grounded in traditional Malay heritage. Kota Bharu has all the energy of a midsized city with the compact feel and friendly vibe of a small town. There are excellent markets and ample opportunities to taste superb local cuisine. There is also a good spread of accommodation options from backpacker hostels to business hotels. This is a logical overnight stop between Thailand and the resort islands of neighbouring Terengganu: Perhentian and Redang.

Also known as the Gunung Mulu World Heritage Area, this park is one of the most majestic and thrilling nature destinations anywhere in Southeast Asia.

This compact Malaysian state's catchphrase – 'Don't mess with Melaka' – sums up its confident attitude. Recent years have seen Melaka capitalise on its illustrious history and assert itself as one of Malaysia’s most irresistible tourist draws.

If you linger in Lahad Datu, and hook up with Bike & Tours, you can learn to cook the Borneo way, dive and snorkel the local reef and shipwreck without the Semporna/Mabul crowds, or go mountain biking up and down Mt Silam for scenic views of Darvel Bay. It's a far cry from the first glance of this little coastal town, which appears to have a lively produce market, dry-goods market, sun-scorched buildings and very little else. Travelers who breeze through en route to Tabin Wildlife Park and Danum Valley, arriving on early morning flights from KK and spirited away immediately, are missing out. Lahad Datu's location, roughly halfway between Semporna and Sungai Kinabatangan, makes it an ideal place to fly into from KK if you're looking to commune both with sea creatures and orangutans.

A skyline punctuated by minarets, Mogul-style domes and skyscrapers; colorful, food-stall-lined streets shaded by a leafy canopy of banyan trees – this is Kuala Lumpur.

Whenever you enjoy a sunset off KK, the view tends to be improved by the five jungly humps of Manukan, Gaya, Sapi, Mamutik and Sulug islands. These swaths of sand, plus the reefs and cerulean waters in between them, make up Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park, covering a total area of just over 49 sq km (two-thirds of which is water). Only a short boat ride from KK, the islands are individually quite pretty, but in an effort to accommodate the ever-increasing tourist flow (especially large numbers of Chinese), barbecue stalls and restaurants now crowd the beaches. On weekends the islands can get very crowded, but on weekdays you can easily find some serenity. Snorkelling and diving are the islands' big draws.

Dominating an archipelago of more than 100 islands and islets, Pulau Langkawi is synonymous with sandy shores, jungle-cloaked valleys and bargain shopping. Blonde beaches are the biggest draw, but this 478.5-sq-km island has been duty free since 1987, making low-cost kitchenware a close second.

Cave temples, drowned forests, a town famous for bean sprouts – Perak's highlights are a motley group. This rugged swathe of Peninsular Malaysia is as rewarding for trekkers as gastronomes. Perak (literally 'silver', a nod to its tin-mining boom times) receives only a modest stream of international travellers, but to Malaysians, its attractions are totemic: white coffee, colonial-era architecture, limestone bluffs.

Gunung Kinabalu, as it is known in Malay, is the highest mountain on the world's third-largest island. It is also the highest point between the Himalayas and New Guinea. Rising almost twice as high as its Crocker Range neighbours, and culminating in a crown of wild granite spires, it is a sight to behold. March to August (dry season) is considered to be the best time to climb.