Malaysia lies between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea and covers 2 main areas, the Malaysian peninsula and the Northern Half of Borneo. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, which has a mix of modernity and tradition. Away from the cities are dense rainforests home to the proboscis monkeys and orangutans as well as exotic islands and the white-sanded resorts. Malaysian cuisine has been influenced by Thailand, China, Indonesia, India, the Middle East and Portugal and uses largely home grown produce.

Malaysia is a fascinating place and all over you will find coral reefs, tropical jungles and friendly locals. Local divers living in Malaysia have been diving the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia and the west coast of East Malaysia, since scuba diving equipment first became available.

In the late 1980s, with the discovery of the delights of the island of Sipadan, Malaysia became a truly global diving destination and divers have been arriving in droves from all over the world. Apart from the Layang Layang area, diving is generally easy and relaxed. There is something for divers and snorkellers of all levels. Malaysia's offshore islands are of legendary beauty. Remote dive Island resorts such as Pulau Sipadan, a small oceanic island off the eastern shore of Borneo, rises in a sheer column more than six hundred meters from the seabed.

Completely encircled by sheer drop-offs and walls, Sipadan is one of the world's foremost dive sites. The tropical waters off both Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo offer some of the world's best scuba diving. You can dive with whale sharks and hammerheads, hover around immense coral gardens and walls, or dive on ominous and hulking WWII shipwrecks. In many places, you can get extraordinary visibility.

Macro marvels also abound, ideal for naturalists and photographers alike. Kuala Lumpur is ideal as a stopover en route to your beach or diving destination, and offers fantastic shopping, sightseeing, charming colonial buildings, lively ethnic neighbourhoods and colourful markets. It's difficult to know where to start! Take a tour around the city. Visit the world's tallest building and see the view from the top of the Petronas Twin Towers.

Kampung Bahru is the oldest Malay residential area in Kuala Lumpur. Founded in 1899 there are still authentic traditional Malay wooden houses there and a bustling market on Saturday evenings. Or visit Little India or Chinatown. Kuala Lumpur also has a remarkably varied nightlife. Music clubs, Karaoke lounges, jazz bars, pubs, discos, dance clubs, wine bars and funky restaurants are all over the city, catering to an affluent and sophisticated young local crowd as well as visitors.