Chennai:  In countries across the globe, UNESCO has identified specific sites for their special cultural or physical significance, as well as their importance to the common heritage of humanity – and these have been declared UNESCO WORLD Heritage sites. The list includes forests, mountains, lakes, deserts, monuments, complexes and cities – a total of 936 properties till date.

With its spectacular natural wonders and rich heritage, Malaysia has some of its notable locales on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. These are Gunung Mulu National Park, Kinabalu Park, and the historic cities of Georgetown and Malacca. A visit to these sites will demonstrate why they are a significant part of the Earth’s heritage.

Gunung Mulu National Park

Situated in Sarawak on the island of Borneo, Gunung Mulu National Park is famed for its incredible caves and karst formations in a mountainous equatorial rainforest setting. Spread over 52,864 hectares of land, the Park is rich in biodiversity and comprises 17 vegetation zones. The park is dominated by Gunung Mulu,a 2,377-metre high sandstone pinnacle which is home to around 295 km of explored caves that attract visitors for the amazing sight of millions of cave swift lets and bats flying around.

The park has the world’s largest natural enclosed space, a cave chamber known as the Sarawak Chamber, which is 600m by 415m in area and 80m in height. The caves of Mulu are important for their classic features of underground geomorphology, and their structural characteristics help in providing a greater understanding of Earth’s history. The park is worth visiting for its incredible experiences and captivating sights that include deeply-incised canyons, wild rivers, rainforest-covered mountains, spectacular limestone pinnacles, cave passages and more. The area is also home to a wide range of plant and animal life, both above and below ground, and is one of the richest sites in the world for palm species.

Kinabalu Park

In the state of Sabah on the northern end of the island of Borneo, stands the impressive Mount Kinabalu (4,095 m), the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea. The site is blessed with a wide range of habitats, from rich tropical lowland and hill rainforest to tropical mountain forest, sub-alpine forest and scrub.

It has been designated as a Centre of Plant Diversity for Southeast Asia and is exceptionally rich in plant species. Here, one can spot examples of flora from the Himalayas, China, and Australia too. A large number of Bornean mammals, birds, amphibians and invertebrates (many threatened species too) can be found in this Park. The area is famous for its many carnivorous plant and orchid species, most notably Nepenthes rajah. It is also home to a number of endemic animal species, including the Kinabalu Giant Red Leech and Kinabalu Giant Earthworm.

The park is abundant in other treasures as well, and these are some of the other interesting areas worth spending time at: Poring Hot Springs – where one can de-stress and soak away muscle aches in the spring’s hot sulphuric minerals; The Butterfly Farm – which is the very first of its kind in Borneo; the Poring Orchid Conservation Centre – home to over 1,200 species of orchid; the Tropical Garden – where one can also see mousedeer and brightly coloured birds; the Poring Canopy Walkway – which stands 41 metres high and is 157.8 meters long; and the Rafflesia Flower Site – where one can come up-close with the world’s largest flower.

Georgetown & Malacca

These historic cities of the Straits of Malacca have developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between the East and the West. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed both towns with a unique multi-cultural heritage that can be experienced as one explores their various, stunning attractions.

Georgetown represents the British era from the end of the 18th century, and the architecture of its residential and commercial buildings reflect the best of the colonial life.

Malacca’s history dates back to the 15th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods that began in the early 16th century. Its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications take the visitor on a fascinating journey back in time.

For a one-of-a-kind holiday experience that is rich in natural and cultural heritage, make it a point to visit Malaysia’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites.