Taman Negara National Park was established in Malaysia in 1938/1939 as the King George V National Park. It was renamed to Taman Negara after Independence, which literally means “national park” in Malay. The total area of Taman Negara is 4,343 km².

Sandakan is a starting point for ecotourism destinations such as the Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary, Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary,Turtle Islands Park, Kinabatangan River and Gomantong Caves.

Tanah Rata

Main town in the Cameron Highlands (with Brinchang to the north and Ringlet to the south). Most budget guesthouses are here and it is the starting point for many jungle trails.

The town is itself is not that spectacular, the beauty lies outside of it on the lush green hills. After sunset, there’s not much to do besides keeping yourself warm (it does get quite cool) or visiting some of the restaurants (there are few good ones actually - a popular dish to have is Steam Boat). From Tanah Ratah you get bus tickets to Penang, Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur, even Mini-bus rides to Kuala Besut (jetty to Perhentian Islands) and Taman Negara.