Transportation
BY AIR
Most visitors arrive by air at one of the six international airports in
Malaysia. The main gateway is the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at Sepang in the state of Selangor. The rest of the country, including Sabah,
Sarawak and the Federal Territory of Labuan in East Malaysia, is well serviced
by 14 domestic airports and airstrips.
Located about 50 km from the capital city of Kuala Lumpur (KL), the fully
computerised, state-of the-art KLIA is among the most modern airports in the
world. KLIA is a four-runway airport facility capable of handling an initial 25
million passengers per annum with facilities for expansion to 45 million
passengers per annum.
Incorporated into the airport's design is an automated shuttle system which
links the satellite building, where passengers disembark, to the airport
terminal building, where immigration and customs clearances take place. With a
connection time of a mere two minutes, this fully automated baggage and
passenger clearance system is especially efficient.
Within the airport terminal building, there are rest, recreation, dining, and
duty-free shopping facilities. The fitness centre at the Hotel Airside Transit
even comes with a well-equipped gym, steam room and sauna. Just a mere 5-minute
walk from the airport is the luxurious 5-star Pan Pacific Hotel.
From KLIA, KL is a short 28-minute journey away on the comfortable KLIA Ekspres,
a high-speed rail service. By road, visitors may travel via the ELITE highway or
the North-South Expressway. The North-South Expressway also links the main towns
on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Car rental, bus, coach, taxi,
limousine and rail services into Kuala Lumpur and neighbouring towns are widely
available at the airport.
BY SEA
Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia are easily accessible via sea ports.
Located just outside the capital city of Kuala Lumpur (KL) on the west coast of
the Peninsular, Port Klang is Malaysia’s largest modern sea port. With excellent
harbourage, it is also a major shipping and cargo terminal. Other major sea
ports are located on the islands of Penang and Langkawi, in the north of the
Peninsular; at Johor to the south; at Kuantan on the East Coast; and at Kota
Kinabalu in Sabah.
Westport on Pulau Indah
Already serviced by North Port and South Port, Port Klang is now serviced by the
new international harbour city - Westport located on the island of Pulau Indah.
A free trade zone, Pulau Indah is currently being developed as an industrial,
commercial, residential, recreational and tourism hub with a marina and resorts.
Stretching over 11km, with a natural depth of 14-18 metres, Westport is designed
to be a high-tech regional port. It has a container terminal, large warehouse
area and commercial centre. Star Cruise Terminal - the largest cruise ship
terminal in the Asia-Pacific region - is also situated here. Star Cruise is a
major international leisure cruise line that calls at Penang, Port Klang, Melaka
and Langkawi.
FerryLink operates a vehicular ferry service from Changi Point in Singapore to
Tanjung Belungkor on the southern coastline of the Peninsular. Tanjung Belungkor
is the gateway to the popular beach resort of Desaru. There are four daily trips
on weekdays and eight daily trips on weekends. For reservations, please call
02-545 3600 (Changi Point) or 07-252 7408 (Bandar Penawar, Johor).
BY ROAD AND RAIL
Located 48km north of Alor Star in the northern state of Kedah, Bukit Kayu Hitam
is the main entry point into Malaysia for visitors from Thailand. The
North-South Expressway links Bukit Kayu Hitam to Kuala Lumpur – 490km away. Near
the Malaysian immigration and customs post are restaurants, shops, car parks and
a duty-free shopping complex.
Situated on the main rail route with a daily train service from Bangkok, Padang
Besar - in Malaysia's northernmost state of Perlis - is another entry point.
Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) or Malayan Railway provides an international express
from Butterworth to Haadyai in Thailand, and regular services from Padang Besar
to Singapore via Kuala Lumpur.
The exclusive Eastern and Oriental Express also romances the route from Bangkok
to Singapore via Kuala Lumpur. Covering the entire length of the Peninsular -
over 2,000 km, this two-day journey has frequent stops at scenic locations.
For visitors entering from the Singapore, Johor Bahru is the main southern entry
point. The North-South Expressway links Johor Bahru with Kuala Lumpur - 220km to
the north. A rail and road causeway connects Johor Bahru to Singapore.
Immigration and customs checkpoints are based at the entrance to the Causeway. A
second bridge links Tanjung Kupang - 30km south-west of Johor Bahru - to Tuas in
Singapore.