Over the forest
Ten minutes above dense rainforest into cool air.
Chongkian — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Shesmax — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jonashtand — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jonashtand — CC BY-SA 4.0
Ten minutes in a gondola over thick tropical forest, climbing from the heat of the plain into cool air at the top of Genting Highlands, where the temperature drops to around twenty degrees even in high summer. This cable car, about two and a half kilometres long, is how most visitors go up to Genting, and it is one of the most popular Gulf day trips from Kuala Lumpur. It starts from Sky Sentral station at a shopping and dining complex, passes the Chin Swee temple cut into the mountainside on the way, and arrives at the resort area on top. A standard gondola costs RM 19 return, and a glass-floored gondola showing the forest beneath your feet costs RM 54 return, or RM 48 bought online. At the top is the Genting SkyWorlds theme park, on a separate ticket, plus malls and restaurants. You should know, though, that the resort is built around a large casino, which many families dislike; the theme park, the cable car and the cool weather are what most Arab visitors come for. Mist often wraps the summit and hides the views, and afternoon rain is common, so go up in the morning. It is about an hour's drive from Kuala Lumpur, or take a direct bus from KL Sentral; queues grow at weekends and in holidays.
Ten minutes above dense rainforest into cool air.
A clear floor showing the forest beneath you.
A Chinese temple cut into the mountainside, seen on the way.
Sky Sentral station, Genting Highlands, Pahang, about 50 km north-east of Kuala Lumpur
The cable car, the cool weather and the theme park are entirely suitable. The resort on top is built around a casino, though, so steer clear of that area and stick to the rides, the cable car and the shopping.