Malaysia

Best time to visit Malaysia

The monsoon most guides warn about hits the east coast. Every place we cover is on the west coast or in Borneo, and their wet months are October and November.

Photo by Meimei Ismail

When to go to Malaysia

The best time to visit Malaysia is January to March. That is the driest stretch in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi and Malacca, and it works in Kota Kinabalu too.

This is where most advice about Malaysia goes wrong. The monsoon people warn about is the northeast monsoon, which runs from November to March and hits the east coast. The Perhentians and Redang largely close for it and Tioman runs a reduced service. None of the places covered here are on that coast.

The west coast has a different pattern. Its wettest months are October and November: October is the turn between the two monsoons, and by November the northeast monsoon has arrived, wetting the west coast too even though it hits the east far harder.

Temperature barely comes into it. Every place here is around 30°C all year, give or take a couple of degrees, so the only thing that really changes month to month is how often it rains.

Malaysia straddles the South China Sea, and the two halves do not share a calendar. Below are the six places we cover: five on the peninsula and one in Borneo.

Best time to visit by destination

Below are the six places we cover, five on the peninsula and one in Borneo. They share a season more closely than most countries on this site.

  • Kuala Lumpur January to February, and June to July Two drier windows rather than one dry season, and neither is very dry. Rain comes as a late-afternoon storm most of the year. October and November are the wettest and the most flood-prone.
  • Penang January to March The driest months by a clear margin, and the best time for the Georgetown street food that people come for. September to November is its wet end.
  • Langkawi December to March The most seasonal place we cover in Malaysia, and the closest thing to a proper dry season. February is very dry and October is five times wetter.
  • Malacca January to March Drier and calmer than Kuala Lumpur two hours up the road, with the same pattern. October and November bring the heaviest rain.
  • Ipoh January to February, and June to July No real dry season here, just slightly drier spells in February and midsummer. The cave temples and the food are indoors, which helps.
  • Kota Kinabalu January to April Sabah runs a month or two later than the peninsula. February and March are the driest, and the calmest for boats out to the islands. October and November are the wettest.

Green is a month we rate as one of that city's best, amber one worth avoiding.

City JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Kuala Lumpur Best month 31 Best month 33 Fine 33 Fine 32 Fine 32 Best month 32 Best month 33 Fine 32 Fine 32 Avoid 31 Avoid 31 Fine 31
Penang Best month 32 Best month 33 Best month 33 Fine 32 Fine 31 Fine 32 Fine 32 Fine 30 Avoid 30 Avoid 30 Avoid 30 Fine 31
Langkawi Best month 32 Best month 34 Best month 34 Fine 33 Fine 31 Fine 31 Fine 30 Avoid 30 Avoid 29 Avoid 29 Fine 29 Best month 30
Malacca Best month 30 Best month 32 Best month 32 Fine 31 Fine 32 Fine 31 Fine 31 Fine 30 Fine 30 Avoid 31 Avoid 30 Fine 30
Ipoh Best month 31 Best month 32 Fine 33 Fine 32 Fine 33 Best month 33 Best month 34 Fine 32 Fine 31 Avoid 31 Avoid 30 Fine 30
Kota Kinabalu Best month 29 Best month 30 Best month 31 Best month 32 Fine 31 Fine 31 Fine 31 Fine 30 Fine 30 Avoid 30 Avoid 30 Fine 30

Numbers are the average daily high in °C.

When is monsoon season in Malaysia?

There are two, and which one matters depends entirely on which coast you are on. The northeast monsoon lasts from about November to March and soaks the east coast of the peninsula and parts of Sarawak. The southwest monsoon, from about May to September, is much weaker on land.

For the west coast the wettest months are neither of those. October is the wettest, when the winds turn between the two, and April and May bring a smaller second peak. November is wet as the northeast monsoon sets in. Rain then is usually a heavy late-afternoon thunderstorm rather than an all-day soaking.

The practical difference is what closes. East-coast island resorts and boat services stop for the northeast monsoon, roughly November to February. Langkawi, Penang and the rest of the west coast stay open all year.

When is the best time to visit Borneo?

For Sabah, January to April. Kota Kinabalu is at its driest in February and March, and the sea is calmest then for the islands off the city. Sarawak is a different answer, below.

October to December is the wet end of its year. Climbing Kinabalu and diving off Sabah are both better in the drier months, and rough water is what cancels boat trips rather than rain on land.

Sarawak is wettest from November to February, closer to the peninsular east coast than to Sabah, so there is no single answer for Borneo. We do not cover Sarawak yet.

What is the worst time to visit Malaysia?

October and November, for the places covered here. That is the inter-monsoon peak. October or November is the wettest month of the year in all six of the places here.

  • October in Penang and Langkawi. The wettest month on the northwest coast, and the one most likely to cost you a beach day.
  • October and November in Kuala Lumpur. Heavy evening storms, and the months when flash flooding is most likely.
  • November to February on the east coast. Not covered here, but worth knowing if Tioman or the Perhentians are on your list: that is when they close.

The cheapest time to visit Malaysia

Malaysia is cheap year-round and the seasonal swing is small, so the bigger factor is holidays. Rates rise around Chinese New Year, Hari Raya and the school holidays, and those dates move. Check them here before you book.

If you want the quietest and cheapest weeks, aim for the shoulder either side of those, or travel in the wetter months of October and November when hotel rates on Langkawi come down.

Whichever month you pick, see what a month in Malaysia actually costs, and the Malaysia money guide for keeping the 3 to 5% that ATMs and card terminals take.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the best month to visit Malaysia?

    February. It is the driest month in Penang, Langkawi, Malacca and Kota Kinabalu, and one of the two driest in Kuala Lumpur. January and March are close behind.

  • When is the best time to visit Langkawi?

    December to March, and February most of all. It is the driest island we cover in Malaysia in those months. August to October is its wet end, when the beach days get less reliable.

  • When is the best time to visit Kuala Lumpur?

    January to February or June to July. Kuala Lumpur has no real dry season, just two slightly drier windows. Expect a heavy evening storm in any month, and the most rain in October and November.

  • Is November a bad time to visit Malaysia?

    On the west coast, yes: it is one of the two wettest months in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Malacca, Ipoh and Kota Kinabalu. It is also the last month before the east-coast islands close for the northeast monsoon.

  • Can I visit the Perhentians or Tioman in December?

    Mostly no. The east-coast islands take the northeast monsoon from about November to February, and most resorts and boat operators close for it. Go to Langkawi or Penang instead, which are at their best in those months.

  • Does the haze affect travel in Malaysia?

    Sometimes, but it is not an annual season you can plan around. It comes from agricultural fires in the region, usually somewhere between June and October, and it is much worse in some years than others.

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