Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
All Malaysia

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Malaysia

60 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Malaysia

Updated May 13, 2025

Email

Cities

Bamboo Playhouse.
Kuala Lumpur
Cheong Fatt Tze’s Blue Mansion
George Town
Malacca
Langkawi Sky Bridge
Langkawi
Kuching Cat Museum
Kuching
Attractions
Food & Drink
Trips
Map
Leaderboards
Stories

Unusual Attractions in Malaysia

The 272 steps to the main cave, guarded by Murugan

Batu Caves, Malaysia

Batu Caves

Holy Hindu shrine in an enormous, monkey-filled limestone cavern.

Bestari Jaya, Malaysia

Kampung Kuantan Fireflies Park

Malaysian fireflies create a dazzling display as thousands light up in unison.
The Pinnacles of Gunung Mulu.

Marudi, Malaysia

The Pinnacles of Gunung Mulu

These jagged limestone blades cut out through the canopy of the jungles of Borneo.
Niah Caves

Miri, Malaysia

Niah Caves

One of the largest caverns in the world has a maw large enough to stack cathedrals in.
Boh Tea Plantation and Factory

Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

BOH Tea Garden and Factory

The largest tea plantation in Southeast Asia supplies gorgeous vistas alongside tea for the surrounding countries.
Langkawi Sky Bridge

Langkawi, Malaysia

Langkawi Sky Bridge

This dangerous-looking suspension bridge may have been too unstable to remain open.
Bamboo Playhouse.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Bamboo Playhouse

A delightful architectural wonder awaits on a lake island in Kuala Lumpur’s oldest park.
Buffet

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Dharma Realm Guan Yin Sagely Monastery Canteen

Come for the chanting, stay for the monastical vegan buffet.
See All 60 Things To Do in Malaysia

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Malaysia

Boh Tea Plantation and Factory

Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

BOH Tea Garden and Factory

The largest tea plantation in Southeast Asia supplies gorgeous vistas alongside tea for the surrounding countries.
Buffet

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Dharma Realm Guan Yin Sagely Monastery Canteen

Come for the chanting, stay for the monastical vegan buffet.

Temerloh, Malaysia

Amani Vanilla

This vanilla farm serves its crops at an on-site café.

Taiping, Malaysia

Antong Coffee Mill

Malaysia's oldest coffee roaster is also a historical landmark.
See all 7 Places to Eat in Malaysia
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

In partnership with GetYourGuide

Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest

Orangutans, fishing villages & untouched beauty in the Borneo Rainforest.

Book Now

Explore Malaysia

Museums 9
Architecture 8
Temples 8
Sacred Spaces 6
Colonialism 6
History & Culture 5
Ecosystems 4
Statues 4
Art 4
Animals 4
Architectural Oddities 4
Plants 4

Malaysia Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. Fred Cherrygarden
    8
  2. ghostkamera
    2
  3. atimian
    2
  4. serflac
    2
  5. Snowdrop68
    2
Join the Ranks!
Add an unusual place to Malaysia.

Places Edited

  1. Snowdrop68
    18
  2. Collector of Experiences
    9
  3. Fred Cherrygarden
    9
  4. Rachel
    6
  5. linkogecko
    6
Join the Ranks!
Improve the Atlas with edits and photos.

Places Visited

  1. SimNShy
    28
  2. Snowdrop68
    23
  3. danield52
    22
  4. lukefishfrench
    21
  5. scheung
    20

Recent Malaysia Activity

  • Potnoodle79

    has been to Batu Caves

  • jyackabonis

    wants to go to Gomantong Cave

  • jyackabonis

    wants to go to Nepenthes Rajah: The King of the Pitcher Plants

  • jyackabonis

    wants to go to Snake Island of Borneo

  • jyackabonis

    wants to go to The Pinnacles of Gunung Mulu

Stories About Malaysia

To get acquainted with Penang’s rich food culture, start with finding as many colorful iterations of kuih as possible, then dive deeper into the island’s history to understand how its vibrant food scene came to be.

A Gastro Obscura Guide to Penang

The tropical trading hub is home to delicious diasporas, fantastic fruit, and sumptuous snacking.
by Samantha Chong
July 1, 2024
A Ronald McDonald statue from a McDonald’s store in Langkawi, Malaysia.

Inside the Malaysian Museum Devoted to McDonald's Toys

Lee Choon Chiek has spent four decades collecting 70,000 toys, Happy Meal boxes, Grimace costumes, and more.
by Joni Chng
March 19, 2024
An overlooked character on the Victoria ship possibly got to his homeland before the Europeans arrived in theirs.

Did an Enslaved Man Beat Magellan to Circling the World?

The unsung hero may have also been instrumental in defeating the colonizers.
by Kate McMahon
November 20, 2023
Kebaya is the first restaurant in New York to focus on Peranakan food.

A Secretive Food Culture Enters the Spotlight

Peranakan cuisine is a feast of complexity.
by Samantha Chong
September 19, 2023
Metal guitarist and paper effigy artisan Koh Eng Keat sits on his motorcycle in front of a seven-foot-tall paper mansion. Keat runs 358 Custom Effigies Workshop with his father Koh Ah Bah where building elaborate papier-mâché effigies like this are just part of a normal workday.

Meet the Punk Rocker Building Life-Sized Paper Effigies for Malaysia’s Ghosts

The doom metal guitarist builds papier-mâché BMWs, iPhones, and mansions—then it all goes up in smoke.
by Marco Ferrarese
February 24, 2023
A man makes a traditional dragon heads for the Lunar New Year celebration in Bogor, Indonesia.

5 Colorful Stories About the Pageantry of the Lunar New Year

Go behind the scenes of celebration, from molten metal to sticky cakes.
by April White
January 24, 2023
A detail of a plant with blue berries, from Marianne North’s 1876 painting Curious Plants from the Forest of Matang, Sarawak, Borneo.

A Botanical Mystery Solved, After 146 Years

How a young illustrator’s attention to detail—and a determined Victorian woman's legacy—led to the discovery of a new species in an old painting.
by Gemma Tarlach
March 29, 2022
The endangered langurs need a hand—and, in Teluk Bahang, a bridge made from fire hoses.

In Malaysia, Recycled Fire Hoses Help Make Way for Endangered Langurs

These crossings keep them—and many other species—safe from roadway dangers.
by Kristen Pope
May 19, 2021

Become an Atlas Obscura Member

Join our community of curious explorers.

Learn More

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.