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Cycling in Malaysia

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I have to admit, I have not done a lot of extensive cycling all over Malaysia. This is maybe weird because I live here. That said, I have made quite some kilometers (around 40.000) here in the country, mostly in the north west part.

Cycling in Malaysia is a mixed though mostly very pleasant experience. People in Malaysia are less interested in cycling. Riding bicycles is for children or poor people though nowadays you will see more and more people who can afford a top notch (expensive) bicycle. However, more and more people get interested.

However, when you pass, they are very interested in what, why and how you do it. Don't be surprised they give you very valuable advice to visit a nearby waterfall of cave which you would not have found in any other way.

So Malaysia is not really a country, like for example Holland or China, where people ride bicycles. The cities are usually busy and there's little space for a bicycle to go around. Many drivers find it weird you ride a bicycle. In many people's eyes, it's too hot, too dangerous and too crazy to cycle around. The other side is that many find it fascinating you do ride here and especially in the lesser visited areas, people are proud you take the time to visit their town.

In some areas mountain biking is quite popular. Around Kuala Lumpur are several trails for mountainbikers. The hills of Penang have their own enthusiasts. An overview of the available bicycle shops in Kuala Lumpur you find here.

There's an excellent bicycle shop in Carnavon Street in Georgetown: Cyclon Cycle IND SDN BHD.

The address is:
216 Lebuh Carnavon (Carnavon Street)
10100 Penang
Telephone 04 2631688

Gary Yap is the owner and apart of being a nice guy, he also knows what he is talking about. He has excellent service and all the material you possibly need.

I live in Sitiawan (there's a good bike shop here too: the "Iron Horse") and as you will understand, many people here know me because I ride a bicycle in the tropical heat. Some ask me how much this bicycle has cost me, while others find it incredible I came all the way from Holland by bicycle. Few realize that it took me a some years to do that.

If you come or go to Singapore, you may want to check:

Cannasia (Cannondale Asia)Cannondale Centre
101 Frankel Avenue
Singapore 458224
Tel: (65) 64414772

I think cycling in Malaysia is very good to do, it's quite safe, even on the busier roads. The roads, busy or not, are usually in good condition. In fact, when you leave the ongoing big roads, it becomes surprisingly quiet. You will pass small kampongs (villages) where the time seems to have stand still, sometimes it feels like being in a time machine.

And on other moments you simply end up in a festival: the Hindu Thaipusam. Here's the report!

I do quite a bit of cycling in Malaysia, mostly in the north west and I find it easy, along the coastline it's mostly flat but land inwards it can be surprisingly steep. Like I said, once of the ongoing roads, cycling in Malaysia is extremely nice, quiet and pleasant.

Once off those main roads, you will enjoy the country life, see birds, monitor lizards (they call them biawaks here), some times a hornbill or a snake. Even tortoises (land turtles) can be seen but in the last 2 years this happened to me only twice.

Do's and don'ts while cycling in Malaysia

In the tropical heat it is necessary to keep on drinking. Fortunately drinking water is almost everywhere available, even during the Ramadan. During the Ramadan the Chinese and Indian shops and restaurants are normal open.

In Malaysia, Saturday and Sunday are holidays which means the official offices and banks are in general closed. In major tourist areas as Penang, Langkawi, Kuala Lumpur and Malacca the Tourist Information office are sometimes open on Saturday and Sunday.

Some good resources about Malaysia on the Internet are:

• www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com
• www.penangheritagecity.com
• www.my-island-penang.com
• www.pulau-pangkor.com
• www.malaysiavacationguide.com/
• www.cameron-highland-destination.com/
• www.kuala-lumpur-city-guide.com

Banks are closed in the weekend but there are plenty of ATM's available, I use Maybank, as I find it the most reliable of all banks.

Malaysia is a Muslim country. As Muslims do not drink alcohol you would expect alcohol is difficult to get. The opposite is true. When you are cycling in Malaysia you will find plenty of local Chinese and Indian restaurants and stalls where beer and liquor are available.

One thing you do have to be careful with, as always in tropical countries, is the sun. The heat at the daytime can be very intense, even if it's cloudy. Always cover you head. I use a cloth as I find it more comfortable then a hat. Shorts are no problem.

Accommodation and food

Malaysia has not the name to be cheap in Asia. However, when you are cycling in Malaysia, you will be able to keep the budget.

Food is cheap and although many travelers claim the food is not as rich as in for example Thailand, I think they are wrong.

This page tells more about accommodation and food in Malaysia.

A great way of learning about Malaysia is following Nazlina's Cooking Class in the Tropical Spice Garden in Penang.

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is for most travelers the first city they visit in Malaysia. Although not bicycle friendly, it is still worth the effort to visit. And I have a good series of hotels for you, click here to review the hotels in Kuala Lumpur.

Penang

Penang has much to offer for any traveler, including those on bicycle. In fact, Penang has quite an active cycling community. For much more about Penang, check our Penang page.

We have much more about accommodation and hotels at Penang. Because we couldn't get all the hotels on one page, we had to separate it in 4 different pages:

• Batu Ferringhi
• Gurney Drive
• Georgetown Hotels
• Bayan Lepas

More about Penang and it's tourist attractions on my Penang page and we have a few detailed maps of Penang available.

Find here also a few descriptive articles how to cycle to Penang:

• Penang to Pangkor (through Kulim-Selama-Taiping)
• Penang to Thailand (via Alor Setar)
• Penang to Hat Yai (via Betong)
• Penang to Pangkor with Johan, 8 years old

Langkawi

Tropical holiday paradise but also a good moment to get your bicycle and go around

Here's an overview page of Langkawi and a special cycling at Langkawi page

As for accommodation, see our recommended hotels at Langkawi and the hotels at Cenang Beach. Making things a little easier for you, we have two maps of Langkawi available.

Malacca

Malacca (Melaka) is another heritage city in Malaysia. Unlikely you will miss the great historical city. Here are some hotels we like and recommend: Hotels in Malacca (Melaka)

Cycling in Malaysia is for children and fools? I don't think so!

Now this is a very provocative statement. It's not true of course and not many people think this way, fortunately! However, cycling in Malaysia is unusual. Not many Malaysians consider bicycling a pleasant leisure activity. While I am still cycling in Malaysia many people here look in quite surprise that I prefer to use a bicycle to go around.

There are however a few people who prove the statement made here is wrong. Johan is probably the best example a local boy can do what I did. Johan, a boy from Penang, at the time of his journey8 years old cycled from Pulau Pangkor to Pulau Penang, a journey of 250 km on his little kids bike. A true adventure for my little friend. His full story can here read here.

Some more stories and pictures of Johan are available at my bicycle adventure blog

Another excellent example to proof the statement wrong is David. In his early 50's David discovered cycling by accident. He got in touch with a cyclist, became fascinated by the stories this guy, a Korean, had.

David bought a local made bicycle and started his first journey, 14 days around in Malaysia. Other journeys in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam followed. In December David, who suffers diabetics, high blood pressure and some heart problems, decided he wanted to find his roots. As a Tamil Indian, he went to Tamil Nadu in India, cycled 2500 km there and found the birthplace of his parents.

Cycling is really for everyone, age and sex do really not matter, read more here

Religion and Festivals

Although Malaysia is a Muslim country it is tolerant to other religions. While you are traveling in Malaysia it is very well possible you will join in one or another festival. The most spectacular are the Indian Thaipusam, Chinese New Year and the Chinese (Taoist) Nine Emperor Gods Festival.

I have written a more extensive page about the Malaysian festivals. Please see this page.

We have many more photos of the Chinese New Year in Penang

Here are some other links to Malaysian festivals:

• Thaipusam
• Nine Emperor Gods festival
• Chinese New Year in Kuala Kurau
• Chinese New Year in Penang

Other options

Another adventure I had was a meeting with a cobra. I cycling in Malaysia, more precisely near Bruas (Taiping area) over a cobra. Read more about my adventure with the cobra near Bruas

In one of my other journeys I went to visit Kuala Sepetang, 15 km west of Taiping. Here is a mangrove forest worth a visit. I also visited twice Mr. Chuah's family business: a charcoal factory. That was another amazing experience.

The charcoal factory of Mr. Chuah in Kuala Sepetang

Patrick van der Meer has traveled all over the world and wrote a website about his travels: Adventure Travel Tales and Tips. Special for this website he wrote a story about his experiences in Malaysia. He has a good story to tell, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did! Patrick's adventures in Malaysia

While I was cycling in Malaysia I found, by accident and with help from some local people a so called Mandi Wap. This is a traditional Malaysian sauna, a herbal steam bath and not to be missed. See my story about the traditional Malaysian herbal sauna or mandi wap.

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