A first-time guide to Genting Highlands

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Genting Highlands is a hillside resort city in Malaysia comprising luxury hotels, casinos, theme parks, entertainment activities, games arenas, and shopping malls. Having heard a lot about this place, I had to visit it. It is located about 1800 meters up in the Titiwangsa mountains on the border between the states of Pahang and Selangor.

Genting Highlands also has a strawberry leisure farm where you can view lots of beautiful strawberry beds and a picturesque lavender garden.

The Genting Highlands also hosts the world’s largest hotel ‘The First World Hotel’ which is spread over 500,000 square feet and includes an indoor theme park, shopping center, many dining outlets, spa center, entertainment activities, and casino.

When should I go to Genting Highlands?

The ideal season for visiting Genting Highlands is from March to September. There is hardly any rainfall during these months, hence making your visit and sightseeing easy and worthwhile.

The remaining months may have constant rainfall, so if you are planning to visit during those months you will have to stuff your bags with raincoats and umbrellas.

How to reach Genting Highlands?

From the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Bus Terminal, take a taxi and settle on a fixed fare (it may cost up to RM 200) to the Genting Skyway or the Awana Skyway cable car station. You can also catch a direct bus to Genting Highlands, i.e. the Aerobus which would cost you RM35 per adult & RM25 per child.

Top things to do in Genting Highlands

Ride the Genting Skyway

We took a taxi from the Kuala Lumpur Station to the Genting Cable Car station. Once you are in the cable car be prepared to be awed by the breathtaking & scenic beauty unfolding before you.

There may be thin mist in the air which will add much more beauty to the valleys covered with tall green trees & bushes. The cable car travels about three and a half kilometers and climbs about 6000ft above ground level.

This ride was a surreal and amazing experience.

Timings

The cable car service operates daily, from 7.30 am in the morning till 11 pm. You may find long queues at the ticket station during the weekends, but since the cable cars are frequent and accommodate 4-5 people each, the queue is fast-moving.

For safety reasons, Genting Skyway undergoes periodic maintenance. During the maintenance closure, visitors to Resorts World Genting can go for Awana Skyway, which was built prior to Genting Skyway.

First World Hotel, Genting Highlands

We had our stay at the First World Hotel which is the world’s largest hotel featuring a total of 7,531 rooms. The check-in lobby is huge and super efficient having automated self-service kiosks which make the check-in & check-out pretty convenient and fast.

The hotel also has an indoor theme park, many dining outlets, a casino, and is very well connected to a shopping mall. It also has Snow World which is extremely cold, it would be better if you could put on some thermal wear and then go inside. I couldn’t bear the chilly temperature there, so we just clicked some good pictures and made a quick exit.

You can relax at the hotel, go to the theme park, have a delicious dine-in, shop at the shopping mall as well, and enjoy all the entertainment activities accessible from there. It has a bowling arena called the Genting Bowl which offers glow-in-the-dark bowling after 6 pm, it’s also a bit expensive during the evening hours.

The hotel is within walking distance of the various highlights of the Genting Highlands, including Genting International Convention Centre (GICC), Arena of Stars, and the newly opened SkyAvenue concept mall.

Genting Strawberry Leisure Farm

This is another popular tourist attraction in Genting Highlands. Besides strawberries, you will find many beautiful flowers, herbs, plants, and vegetables here. You can also pluck the strawberries you like and purchase them from there.

The farm is very well maintained and also very clean. The lavender garden was beautiful and pleasant. This place is also good for photography. Also, you can buy good souvenirs, lavender perfumes, fresh strawberry jams, and juices from there.

Timings

9 AM to 6: 30 PM

You can plan a week-long or weekend getaway visit to Genting Highlands and you will be treated to a whole lot of fun and pleasure. For us, the highlight of this trip was the cable car ride and the theme park visit. We also had a lovely stay at the hotel.

Where to Stay at Genting Highlands?

Genting Highlands being a hilltop destination has many hotels offering breathtaking views amidst the beautiful rainforest and mountains. Here are some of my picks where you can have a perfect and relaxing stay while exploring this scenic resort city;

Budget: Resorts World Genting – First World Hotel (We stayed here!)

Luxury Hotels: Resorts World Genting- Resort Hotel

If you are visiting Langkawi Island in Malaysia, Click here for a well planned itinerary.

Have you been to Genting Highlands or planning to make a visit, please drop by your experience or query. It would be great to read your views & share more information. 🙂

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