• Admire Kuala Lumpur's architectural gems including the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, in Independence Square, which blends Victorian and Moorish architectural styles, Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, which resembles a Moorish palace and the striking National and Friday Mosques. 

• Take a short trip out of Kuala Lumpur to the remarkable Batu Caves, situated in a hollow limestone ridge, and housing a Hindu temple.

• Tour Malaysia's most impressive mosques including Kuala Kangsar, the Ubudiah Mosque, the State Mosque in Seremban, the Tranquerah Mosque, one of Malaysia's oldest, in Malacca, Kuching's Sarawak State Mosque, with its magnificent gilt domes and Labuan's futuristic An'nur Jamek Mosque.

• Explore subterranean Malaysia, with a visit to the cave temples at Perak Tong, Sam Poh Tong and Kek Lok Tong. The Museum Cave has a display of statues and murals from Hindu mythology. 

• In Gunung Mulu National Park (website: www.mulupark.com), a World Heritage site, visit the most extensive cave system in the world, including the Deer Cave, Clearwater Cave and The Cave of the Winds. The park is also home to Sarawak's last nomadic tribe.

• Traverse Malaysia's stunning rainforests and jungles. Templar Park, 22km (14 miles) north of Kuala Lumpur, is a well-preserved tract of primary rainforest. Jungle paths, swimming lagoons and waterfalls lie within the park boundaries. 

• Be at one with nature in Malaysia's largest national park, Taman Negara (website: www.tamannegara.org). Surrounded by the world's oldest tropical forest (supposedly 130 million years old), the park is a favourite haunt for outdoor enthusiasts and birdwatchers.

• Don a pair of binoculars at the Kuala Gula Bird Sanctuary in Ipoh, host to over 150 species of birds. Lucky visitors may see smooth otters, long-tailed macaque and ridge-back dolphins. 

• Horticulturalists and bird lovers ashould head for Penang Bird Park (website: www.penangbirdpark.com.my). This landscaped park in Seberang Jaya is home to over 400 bird species and specially designed aviaries are placed among manmade islands with beautiful waterfalls and ornamental gardens.

• Visit the twin islands of Perhentian Besar and Perhentian Kecil (website: www.pulauperhentian.com.my). The country's most beautiful islands boast pristine white beaches, crystal clear waters and are still relatively unexploited. The islands are popular for scuba-diving and snorkelling with accessible reefs.

• For an unusual attraction, go to the Snake Temple in Penang, which swarms with poisonous snakes, their venomous threat countered by heavily drugging them with incense. 

• In the southern state of Johor, be sure to watch the trance-inducing Kuda Kepang dances in Muar, accompanied by the euphony of ghazal music and devotional chanting.

• In the interior of Pahang, visit Malaysia's answer to Loch Ness: Lake Chini's waters are said to contain mythological monsters that guard the entrance to a legendary sunken city.

• See orang-utans in their natural environment. The Sepilok Orang-Utan Rehabilitation Centre in Sandakan, Borneo, has many of these ‘wild men of Borneo' - in fact, it has the world's largest orang-utan population.

• Take respite from Malaysia's humid cities and soak up the magnificent views from the mountain resorts of the Central and Cameron Highlands. 

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.