 Malysia's new international
airport - at Sepang, 50km (31mi) south of KL - opened in June 1998. Most tourists either
fly into Sepang or arrive overland from Thailand or Singapore. However, Penang also has
international flights, and Kuching in Sarawak and Tawau in Sabah have flights to/from
Kalimantan. There is a departure tax of US$40 on international flights, but if you buy
your ticket in Malaysia the tax is already included in the ticket price. Departure tax for
flights to Singapore and Brunei is only US$5.There are five road border
crossings between Malaysia and Thailand (two on the west coast, one in the centre and two
on the east coast). There is also a west-coast rail link. To get to/from Singapore, you
can cross the causeway at Johor Bahru, catch a ferry or take the train. There are three
ferry services between Malaysia and Indonesia (Penang-Medan, Melaka-Dumai and, in East
Malaysia, Tawau-Tarakan). There's also a difficult road link between Sarawak and
Kalimantan.
Getting
Around
 Malaysian Airline System (MAS)
is the main domestic airline, servicing both the peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak. Fares
are reasonable but it's unlikely that you'll need to fly in Peninsula Malaysia unless
you're in a real hurry. It's cheaper to fly to East Malaysia from Johor Bahru than from
KL. In East Malaysia, flying is often the only quick way to get around. Note that flights
in East Malaysia are frequently fully booked during school holidays and are prone to
delays due to the vagaries of the weather.
 Peninsula
Malaysia has a fast, economical and widespread bus system, and this is generally the best
way to get around. Sabah has excellent roads, and minibuses ply the main routes. Buses ply
Sarawak's major trunk road, but hardly anywhere else. Peninsula Malaysia has a comfortable
and sensibly priced railway system, but there are basically only two lines: one linking
Singapore to Thailand via KL and Butterworth, and the other branching off this at Gemas
and heading north-east to Kota Bharu. In Sabah, there's a narrow-gauge line through the
Pegas River gorge from Tenom to Kota Kinabalu which is well worth catching.
In Peninsula Malaysia,
long-distance taxis are twice the price of buses but they're a comparatively luxurious and
efficient way to travel. If you want to get around by car, all major car-rental firms have
KL offices. There are no boat services between Peninsula and East Malaysia, but fast boats
ply the rivers of both Sabah and Sarawak.
Local taxis in Malaysia
are metered. Rickshaws have all but disappeared in KL, but they are still a viable form of
local transport in provincial areas. KL has a notoriously bad public transport system, and
peak-hour travel in the city should  be avoided at all cost. |
