Malaysia in Pictures: 108 Free Photos and a Short Travel Guide

Malaysia in 108 free photos: the Moorish-style colonial buildings and the mosques of Kuala Lumpur, the Petronas Twin Towers and the KL Tower, butterflies, orchids and rainforest, the tea plantations of the Cameron Highlands, the golden domes of Kuala Kangsar, and the shophouses, Chinese clan houses and Thai and Burmese temples of Penang. Each set of photos has a short note on the place.

Malaysia at a glance

• Getting there: Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA); the KLIA Ekspres train reaches KL Sentral station in about 30 minutes.
• Getting around: in Kuala Lumpur the LRT, MRT and monorail; between cities, the fast ETS trains up the west coast, long-distance buses and cheap flights.
• Money: Malaysian ringgit. Eat at the hawker stalls and the Indian and Chinese coffee shops.
• Weather: hot and humid all year; showers almost every afternoon. On the west coast the wettest months are April, May, October and November.

How to download: click a photo to see it large, then use Download. The originals are about 1200 × 800 pixels: right for blog posts, slides, social media, school projects and video call backgrounds.

Colonial Kuala Lumpur and Merdeka Square

Kuala Lumpur, “muddy confluence”, began in the 1850s as a tin-mining town where the Klang and Gombak rivers meet; the Masjid Jamek mosque of 1909 stands right on that point. The British built their offices in a Moorish style: the Sultan Abdul Samad Building of 1897 with its copper domes and clock tower, and the old railway station with its minarets. Across Merdeka Square, where independence was declared in 1957, stands the mock-Tudor Royal Selangor Club.

The Petronas Towers and modern Kuala Lumpur

The Petronas Twin Towers, 452 metres tall, were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004; a skybridge links them on the 41st and 42nd floors. The KL Tower on its hill is even higher above the city. The National Mosque of 1965 has a roof shaped like a sixteen-pointed star.

Butterflies, flowers and the rainforest

Malaysia’s rainforest is among the oldest in the world. In Kuala Lumpur you can see its butterflies, among them the green and black Rajah Brooke’s birdwing, the national butterfly, in the Butterfly Park near the Lake Gardens, along with orchids, heliconias and hibiscus, the national flower.

The Cameron Highlands

At about 1,500 metres, the Cameron Highlands were a cool retreat for the British in colonial days. Their green hills are covered with tea plantations; you can visit the tea estates and drink tea looking over the fields. Mock-Tudor inns, strawberry farms and jungle trails complete the picture.

Kuala Kangsar and Ipoh

Kuala Kangsar is the royal town of the state of Perak. The Ubudiah Mosque of 1917, with its golden onion dome and minarets, is often called the most beautiful mosque in Malaysia, and the sultans’ palaces stand on the hill beside it. Nearby Ipoh, an old tin-mining city, is ringed by limestone hills with Chinese temples built into their caves.

Penang: the shophouses of George Town

George Town on Penang island, founded by the British in 1786, shares a UNESCO World Heritage listing with Malacca. Its streets of shophouses, painted in every colour, house money changers, family shops and street markets, side by side with mosques, Hindu temples and Chinese clan houses. It is also one of the best places to eat in Asia.

Temples of Penang

Penang has temples of every faith. Kek Lok Si on the hill at Air Itam, with its seven-storey pagoda, is the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia. The Chinese clan houses are covered in carved dragons and painted beams, and in Pulau Tikus a Thai temple with a reclining Buddha faces a Burmese temple across the street, both guarded by dragons and serpents.

The coast and the sunsets

The sea and the mountains, sunsets over the Strait of Malacca and a view from the hills.

Tips for a first visit

• Book the Petronas Towers skybridge and observation deck online; the free view of the towers is from KLCC Park at dusk.
• Take a jacket to the Cameron Highlands: the nights are cool after the heat of the lowlands.
• Give George Town at least two days, one of them for eating; walk the streets for the murals and the clan houses.
• Dress modestly in mosques; most lend robes and headscarves at the door.

More about Malaysia

The Federation of Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. It consists of two geographical regions divided by the South China Sea:

West Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia, Malay Peninsula) shares a land frontier in the north with Thailand and is connected by a causeway and a bridge in the south with the island state of Singapore;

East Malaysia, the northern part of the island of Borneo, is bordered to the south by Indonesia and borders the Sultanate of Brunei on the east, south, and west.

Malaysia’s population is comprised of many ethnic groups, with the politically dominant Malays making up the majority. By constitutional definition, all Malays are Muslim. About a quarter of the population are Chinese, who have historically played an important role in trade and business. Malaysians of Indian descent comprise about 7% of the population and include Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, and Buddhists. About 85% of the Indian community is Tamil, but various other groups are represented, including Malayalis, Punjabis, and Chettiars.

Kuala Lumpur is the largest city in Malaysia and the capital of the federation. Within Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur is almost always abbreviated to KL. The executive branch of the Malaysian Government has shifted to a new administrative capital, Putrajaya, but the residence of the King of Malaysia, the Parliament of Malaysia, and the judicial branch remain in Kuala Lumpur. Kuala Lumpur is one of the three Federal Territories, and is an enclave within the state of Selangor, on the central west coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

Where to go in Malaysia

Malaysia is so big and offers so much, that you need to consider what kind(s) of experience you are looking for. For a sea and beach holiday, islands in Kedah and Terengganu states in Peninsular Malaysia offer crystal clear waters with great diving and fabulous beaches. Some have mangroves rich in wildlife, and although the modern tourist infrastructure is all there, local people still farm and fish in the traditional way. Langkawi Island is one of 99 islands off the coast of Kedah, and here you can hire a car and explore the island, or ride the cable car up to the top of Mount Mat Cincang. In Terengganu, Pulau Redang and Pulau Perhentian offer jungle trekking, boating, deep sea fishing and golf in addition to the beach. (Pulau Perhentian has two islands to choose from, Besar (more expensive and developed) and Kecil (cheaper and more for backpackers.)

For adventure, head for Mount Kinabalu in Sabah State where you can climb the worlds’ highest via ferrata (up to 3,800 metres, good head for heights essential!), or go trekking at 1,500 metres in the Cameron Highlands in Pahang State, among lovely little villages and farms. Wildlife-lovers can visit the elephant orphanage sanctuary at Kuala Gandah in Panang State, or the Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary in Sabah. If you just want to experience the culture of Malaysia, the Sarawak Cultural Village shows traditional daily life in this region, while the Islamic Arts Museum in Kuala Lumpur is the largest museum of Islamic art in all of Southeast Asia.

Where to stay in KL

Many backpackers like to stay in the lively ‘Golden Triangle’ area of the city, where Rainforest Bed and Breakfast is a budget hotel with safe boxes and encoded key cards for every room. Near China town and the central market is the colonial-style building housing the brilliantly named Reggae Mansion Kuala Lumpur, which has a rooftop bar hosting lively parties. Well located in the centre of the city is the Aloft KL Sentral, a 3 star hotel near the main railway station and handy for the business district, with a fitness centre and pool. Near the Petronas Twin Towers there are some more luxurious options: the Mandarin Oriental hotel offers you stylish rooms equipped with DVD players and iPod docks; the slightly cheaper Hotel Maya has an indoor pool and cable TV, as well as 24 hr room service.

More free photos

• Singapore pictures
• Bangkok and Thailand pictures
• Hong Kong pictures
• Vietnam pictures
• Free temple pictures
• Free tropical backgrounds
• Free butterfly and insect pictures
• Free palm tree pictures
• Asia pictures
• Free Buddha pictures

Questions about these Malaysia photos

Can I use these Malaysia pictures for free?

Yes, for personal and commercial projects. All we ask is a link back to BigFoto.com; the box at the top of the page has a credit link you can copy.

How tall are the Petronas Towers?

452 metres, with 88 floors. They were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 until 2004 and are still the tallest twin towers.