Malaysia In A Day: 10 Best Day Trips From Kuala Lumpur - Updated 2024

1. Historical tour around Malacca

On this guided tour, you’ll be going around Malacca; a declared UNESCO heritage site, rich in historical significance and has perfect preservation of various old colonial buildings, cultural heritage and traditional cuisines! Starting off your tour in the heart of Malacca, you’ll visit the prominent Red Square of the Stadhuys. Then, having a short climb up to St. Paul’s Hill, you’ll also be taking a stop at Southeast Asia’s oldest church, while also getting an amazing panoramic view of the surrounding Malacca city. You’ll be having lunch at a known local eatery, where you’ll be served some delicious Baba Nyonya Cuisines. Then, have a leisurely stroll down Jonker Street, where you could also admire the many colonial shop-lot facades, antique shops and quaint little cafes along the walk. Completing the tour, you’ll be taken to a beautiful ornamental Chinese Temple before ending your visit at the oldest surviving European architectural remains in Southeast Asia, the A Famosa fortress.

2. Tropical bird-watching in Fraser's Hill

Boasting 270 species of birds in its forests, Fraser’s Hill is a birdies’ personal haven! Customized to your preference, you’ll be taken on a 2-hour nature trail in the beautiful cooling forest of Fraser’s Hill, guided to the best spots to bird watch, giving you a chance to catch a glimpse of tropical birds like Flycatchers, Minivets, and Sibias. An expert in bird watching, your tour guide will help you identify the sounds of the native birds of the land. If you’re lucky and fast enough with your cameras or binoculars, you can also spot Dollarbirds, Laughing thrush, Green Magpie, or Red-bearded Bee-eater along the 31-mile nature walking trails!

3. Firefly gazing in Kuala Selangor

Be dazzled by thousands of fireflies! This trip will first bring you to have an informative visit at the ruins of Kota Melawati’s ancient fort. Then, you’ll have a short visit to the Royal Mausoleum, the final resting place for Selangor’s first 3 Sultans. Continuing on, you’ll have a great time sightseeing in Kuala Selangor National Park, where you can gaze in awe at migratory birds, spot silver-leaf monkeys, rare-butterflies as well as tropical birds. As the evening falls and sunlight fades, you’ll make your way to Kampung Kuantan, where they have the largest population of fireflies in Malaysia. Taken into the mangroves on a private rowboat, your eyes will twinkle along with the thousands of fireflies’s speckling illumination in the surrounding darkness!

4. Tour the administrative capitol in Putrajaya

An informative venture into the administrative capital of Malaysia, your local experienced tour guide will visit Putrajaya’s most famous landmarks, including the pink-domed Putra Mosque, beautifully designed bridges, the Prime Minister’s office in Perdana Putra, among others. Then, take a trip to Taman Warisan Pertanian Agricultural Park, where you’ll be impressed by the variety of local agricultural produces grown. Then, admire the Sahn courtyard where lush landscapes and waterways await you. Ending your tour, you’ll pass one of the top racing circuits on earth - Sepang Formula 1 Race Circuit.

Private Putrajaya Day Tour from Kuala Lumpur

Price: From 52.00 USD

Duration: 3 hours (approx.)

Access: Pickup from selected hotel

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5. Respite in a forest reserve at Taman Negara

This full-day tour will take you to Malaysia’s finest 4343sq. km (2698sq. mi) forest reserve! An eventful day at Taman Negara, you’ll get your adrenaline pumping walking the longest canopy walkway in Southeast Asia while admiring the birds-eye view of the forest below! Making your way through the Teresek Hills Trek, you’ll be surrounded by hundreds of plant and bird species that would keep your senses alive. To appreciate the lush greenery more, a nature guide will share stories and secrets of the forest as you pass various natural wonders on your treks, like rivers, waterfalls, caves and a view of towering mountains. After lunching at a floating cafe, you’ll get a wet thrilling time as your captain navigates you through the seven sets of river rapids! Teaching you to admire the culture as well as the fauna, your last activity is having a visit at an Orang Asli aboriginal village and learn about their traditions, like fire making and blowpipe demonstrations!

6. Quali-tea time with nature at Cameron Highlands

Known for its eco-tours, in your Cameron Highlands you’ll visit magnificent cascading waterfalls, visit aboriginal villages, and admire the landscaping of the hill-slope tea plantation; 8,000 acres of an undulating, vast carpet of greenery. Moving forward you will have the chance to visit a butterfly farm and insectarium; a secret paradise the hosts 5,000 butterflies that dance on ferns and fragrant flowers. Lastly, you’ll personally handpick fresh strawberries at a strawberry farm, before taking a stroll to see the various vegetables and fruits that thrive in the Cameron Highlands at the vegetable, fruits and flowers market. If you’re into nature and sustainable agriculture, this tour will definitely pique your interest!

7. Explore the British colonial city of Ipoh

Enjoy a day exploring Ipoh and all its attractions, like Orangutan Island; a sanctuary where the orangutans roam freely. Here, visitors admire their beauty from a caged walkway. You’ll also explore centuries old Kek Lok Tong (cave) and see the temple built into the limestone cave and the famous Sam Poh Tong Cave temple. Known for its local delicacies, you’ll have lunch in Old Town before visiting the 1885 Leaning Clock Tower and old railway station. Then, find out the love story behind the unique and beautiful Kellie’s Castle, an uncompleted large building of old British architectural design.

8. Bathe with the elephants in Kuala Gandah

An elephant sanctuary run by Malaysia’s Wildlife Society, you’ll be transported to lush green tropical forests, 2 hours away from Kuala Lumpur. On the way to the sanctuary, you’ll be stopping by the Deerland Park, where you can admire Indonesian deer prancing through the picturesque Malaysian countryside. On Kuala Gandah, which is surrounded by thriving rainforest, you will get to see the majestic elephants and learn the importance of conserving their species. A once in a lifetime experience, you would also get a chance to bathe the baby elephants in the river, really getting up close and personal with these wild grey beasts!

9. Temples in caves at Batu Caves

A diverse nation of culture, tradition and religions, Batu Caves are famous limestone caves, housing Hindu temples and shrines of various deities. An iconic landmark, you would recognize Batu Caves by the large golden statue of the Lord Murugan in front of the cave’s 272 steps. A spectacle of devotion, tens of thousands of worshipers, carrying extravagantly decorated Kavadis (big structural offerings) would attempt to climb these steps during the festival of Thaipusam to fulfil their vows. With your expert tour guide, you’ll be taken to the caves to gain insight and understanding of Hinduism and the religious roots of the country. Besides the caves, you’ll also drive through the colourful streets of Little India in Brickfields, where many unique shops and flavourful cuisines are to be admired! On your way back from this 3-hour tour, you’ll make a quick stop at a batik center to learn about this traditional textile art form, before going to the Royal Selangor Visitor Center to learn about the ancient art of pewter smithing.

10. Seafood on stilts at Pulau Ketam

Taking you to Pulau Ketam (Crab Island), be amazed by this small fishing town built on stilts above mangrove swamps! You’ll find much to appreciate, observing daily lives of working fishermen and residents on this quaint rural island. The experience is one of a kind, and you’ll definitely see the stark contrast between the living styles of urban Malaysia from this rural fishing community. Famous for its fresh seafood cooked with strong, authentic and vibrant Malaysian flavours, you can indulge yourself in the many eateries found here. Although your meals are not provided on the tour, you’ll find food here rather inexpensive! Catching your ferry back, your tour doesn’t end there, you’ll be taken to see the ornate Palace of the Sultan of Selangor, then 2 of Malaysia’s most famous religious sites; the magnificent blue-domed Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque, and the final stop being the Thean Hou Temple; a gorgeous 6-tiered temple to the Chinese sea goddess, Mazu.

Experiencing Malaysia's best

As much fun as it is to plan and go on your own trips around town, to really experience Malaysia at its best, you’ll want to have an experienced local tour guide that would share with you all the local insights and stories of the land that you wouldn’t have known from reading a pamphlet! Especially if it’s your first time in this beautiful country!