Walk through the treetops of the tropical rainforest and come face-to-face with a spider monkey. Cool off in the jungle in a colonial mountain village at an altitude of 1500 metres. Or take a nocturnal boat ride in a sampan surrounded by thousands of flickering fireflies. In addition to cities and beaches, Malaysia boasts a spectacular natural world full of bizarre plants and animals.
Nature lovers will find much to explore in Malaysia. Conservation International named Malaysia one of the 17 countries with the greatest biodiversity in the world; together these countries are home to two-thirds of all flora and fauna. Tropical rainforest covers almost half of the country; here we find 650 species of birds, 210 types of mammals, 150 kinds of lizards, 80 frog species, thousands types of insect, and 14,500 plant and tree species. You don’t need to travel far: there are three beautiful nature reserves close to the capital Kuala Lumpur.