'''East Malaysia''' (''Malaysia Timur'') occupies the northern third of the island of Borneo, shared with Indonesia and tiny Brunei. Covered in impenetrable jungle where headhunters roam (on GSM networks if nothing else), East Malaysia is rich in natural resources but very much Malaysia's hinterland for industry and tourism.
See East Coast (Malaysia) for the eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia.
Regions
Labuan
Sabah
Sarawak
Cities
Bintulu - coastal town and home of the world's largest natural gas processing plant
Kota Kinabalu - the largest city and capital of Sabah state
Kuching - largest city in East Malaysia and the capital of Sarawak state
Labuan - duty-free port and entry point to Brunei
Miri - resort city with an underwater world which has one of the world's most spectacular coral reefs & main departure point to UNESCO World Heritage Site Gunung Mulu National Park and Brunei Darussalam
Sandakan - second-largest town in Sabah, and home of Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre
Tawau - one of the best seafood in Malaysia & main departure point to Mabul, Kapalai and Semporna
Other destinations
Sipadan Island - one of the world's premier dive destinations
Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park
Understand
Talk
Get in
Kota Kinabalu is the main hub of the region, fielding an increasing number of international flights as well. Kuching also has a large number of mostly domestic flights, but there are services to Miri, Labuan and Tawau as well.
Get around
By road
East Malaysia is large, distances are long and roads are relatively poor in terms of network when compared with the Peninsular.
By bus
By air
Domestic flights are affordable and by far the fastest way to get around, especially outside the coastal region. '''Malaysia Airlines''' [http://www.malaysiaairlines.com.my] and budget airlines '''AirAsia''' [http://www.airasia.com] links most major cities in Sabah and Sarawak as well as Labuan several times a day. '''MASWings''' [http://www.maswings.com.my], operates the '''rural air service''' which links interior communities, including those in the Kelabit Highlands, with coastal cities. Flights use Fokkers and turboprop aircraft. MASWings took over the rural air services network from FlyAsian Express on October 1, 2007, which in turn took the service over from Malaysia Airlines 14 months before that.
See
Do
Eat
See Sarawak#Eat for indigenous dishes.
Drink
Sleep
Get out