General & Geography
According to COUNTRYAAH, Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia bordering Thailand to the north, an island of Singapore to the south, and Indonesia and Brunei to the east.
Around 29 million people are at home in the multicultural state, the capital of Malaysia is the metropolis of Kuala Lumpur, which is one of the most exciting destinations in all of Asia and above all inspires with the colorful, peaceful coexistence of different cultures.
Malaysia consists of the Malay Peninsula (western part of the country) and parts of the largest Asian island Borneo,
which is divided between Malaysia, Indonesia and the Sultanate of Brunei.
While Borneo is particularly popular with nature lovers for its unique flora and fauna, the Malaysian peninsula offers a wide range of pulsating cities and cultural highlights through to dreamy beaches.
Besides the capital Kuala Lumpur, the most popular travel destinations in Malaysia include the islands of Langkawi and Penang on the west coast.
Further inland, the Cameron Highlands and Taman Negara National Park, the oldest forest area on earth, are particularly inspiring. On the east coast, the islands of Perhentians, Tioman Islands and Redang are the main attractions.
The journey is usually made via Kuala Lumpur, which is served daily by all major airlines.
- Abbreviation Finder: Check to see national geography, brief history, society description, domestic politics, economy overview, and a list of widely used acronyms about Malaysia.
Climate in Malaysia
The climate in Malaysia is tropical with very high humidity and only minor temperature fluctuations over the course of the year. With the exception of the high altitudes (e.g. Cameron Highlands), the daytime temperatures are on average 30 to 33 degrees all year round, even at night the values rarely fall below 23 ° C.
The seasons in Malaysia are strongly affected by the monsoons, but they are subject to strong regional differences. Specifically, it can be said that even within the Malay Peninsula between the east and west coast, most of the precipitation falls at completely different times.
The east coast with the offshore islands is mainly between late October and mid- February affected by heavy monsoon rains, many hotels and diving schools are completely closed at this travel time. In the west, on the other hand, there is no pronounced rainy season, rather there can be brief, welcome cooling all year round.
In the region around the capital Kuala Lumpur, most rain falls from March to April and in autumn from October to Christmas. On Penang and Langkawi there is the heaviest rainfall in April and May as well as in September and October. Borneo is humid all year round, the driest months are March to May.
When is the best time to visit Malaysia?
Due to the large regional differences, Malaysia is actually a typical year-round destination, as there is a suitable region at every travel time. In our consideration of the best travel time for Malaysia, we try to limit ourselves to the most important travel destinations and routes:
For Kuala Lumpur and the west coast with Penang and Langkawi, we recommend December to February and June to August as the best travel time. In general, however, the west of Malaysia is easy to travel all year round. For the east coast, we particularly recommend April to October.
Malaysia round trips are also possible all year round, but the European summer (June to September) shows a good intersection of good climatic conditions on the entire Malay Peninsula. Borneo is also possible at this travel time and definitely recommended.
Optimal travel time for the regions
In the following overview you can see the best travel time depending on the region (Malaysia).
| Place | Best travel time |
| Kuala Lumpur | January, February, June, July, August and December |
| Sandakan | March, April, May, June, July and August |
| George Town | January, February and December |
| Langkawi | January, February, March, April and December |
Temperatures, precipitation, sunshine in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
| Jan | Feb | March | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Daytime temperature | 32 ° C | 33 ° C | 33 ° C | 33 ° C | 33 ° C | 33 ° C | 32 ° C | 32 ° C | 32 ° C | 32 ° C | 31 ° C | 32 ° C |
| Night temperature | 22 ° C | 22 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C |
| Water temperature | 27 ° C | 28 ° C | 28 ° C | 29 ° C | 29 ° C | 29 ° C | 29 ° C | 28 ° C | 28 ° C | 28 ° C | 28 ° C | 28 ° C |
| Precipitation in mm | 163 | 145 | 218 | 285 | 184 | 127 | 129 | 146 | 192 | 272 | 275 | 230 |
| Rainy days | 16 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 22 | 25 | 20 |
| Hours of sunshine | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Sunrise | 7:25 | 7:25 | 7:20 | 7:10 | 7:00 | 7:05 | 7:10 | 7:10 | 7:05 | 6:55 | 7:00 | 7:10 |
| Sunset | 19:20 | 7:30 p.m. | 19:25 | 19:20 | 19:15 | 19:25 | 7:30 p.m. | 19:25 | 19:10 | 19:00 | 18:55 | 19:05 |
Temperatures
The average annual temperature in Kuala Lumpur is 26.6 ° C. For comparison: Munich reaches an average of 8.6 ° C, in Berlin it is 9.6 ° C. The warmest month is May (27.2 ° C), coldest month of December with averages of 26 ° C. The maximum water temperature in Kuala Lumpur is 29 ° C. Comfortable bathing is possible at these temperatures. All months have a water temperature of at least 21 ° C and are therefore suitable for a beach holiday.
Precipitation
The annual precipitation is 2366 mm on 215 days with precipitation. For comparison: In Munich, 967 mm, in Berlin 570 mm, precipitation is measured annually. The months of March, April, May, September, October, November and December are considered the rainy season, as more than 175 mm of precipitation can be expected per month. Overall, about 1656 mm of precipitation can be expected in the rainy season. You cannot expect snow in any month in Kuala Lumpur.
Sunshine
As our climate table shows, February is the sunniest month with an average of 6.8 hours of sunshine per day. On average over the year, the sun shines 6.1 hours per day. For comparison: In Munich and Berlin, the sun shines an average of 4.7 hours per day throughout the year.
Cities nearby
The following larger towns are nearby and have a similar climate: Klang, Kampung Baru Subang, Subang Jaya, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam, Kajang, Ampang, Rawang and Selangor.
