Penang - Kuala Lumpur

Our flagship, most ambitious route. It begins in Penang – George Town, Balik Pulau, Tropical Fruit Farm – and then heads deep into Kedah along back roads (70 km and 750 m of climbing on the first day in the saddle), where a night awaits in a traditional Malay stilt house. The hosts prepare dinner served in sarongs, and in the evening you can try congkak – a traditional Malaysian board game in which players move seeds or pebbles between hollows carved in wood, known in the region for generations.

The next day leads through the increasingly rural areas of Kedah, until the route starts passing the first monumental limestone formations on the way to Ipoh (85 km, 460 m of climbing), where Buddhist and Taoist temples are hidden in the rocks, and the night is spent in glamping tents among the karst hills. The following day is a deliberate break from the miles – instead of the saddle, natural hot springs and an amusement park among the limestone cliffs await, with a roller coaster and a small zoo.

Then comes the hardest section of the whole trip: the climb from Ipoh to Cameron Highlands, 76 km and over 2,270 meters of climbing in a single day (on group trips backed by a support van you can hop into on any stretch). At the top await the BOH tea plantations with green terraces winding down the slopes, the Big Red strawberry farm and a walk in search of the rafflesia – a flower that can be the largest single bloom in the world (up to a meter across), famous for a smell resembling rotting meat, which it uses to attract the flies that pollinate it.

The descent from the mountains leads past the Lata Iskandar waterfall to Tapah (60 km, 680 m of climbing and 2,130 m of descent), from where a train takes you to Kuala Lumpur for the finale of the trip: 272 colorful steps and a 43-meter golden statue of the god Murugan at the entrance to Batu Caves, the bustling Chinatown beneath red lanterns and a celebratory dinner atop KL Tower overlooking the illuminated Petronas Towers. This is a route for those who want to see all of Malaysia – from the tropical coast to the cool mountains – from the saddle of a bike.