Genting Highlands Guide: Things to Do and Day Trip Tips

Genting Highlands is Malaysia’s mountaintop playground: a cluster of hotels, malls, theme parks and the country’s only legal casino resort, sitting at around 1,800m on the border of Pahang and Selangor. It is roughly an hour from Kuala Lumpur, and the air is noticeably cooler, usually between 14°C and 22°C. This guide covers the best things to do in Genting Highlands, how to get up the hill and whether to stay the night.

Almost everything at the top belongs to Resorts World Genting, so expect a polished, commercial experience rather than a mountain village. The appeal lies in the cable car ride, the rides and shows, and the novelty of mist and cardigans an hour from the tropical capital.

Top things to do in Genting Highlands

Ride the Awana SkyWay

The cable car is half the fun. The Awana SkyWay climbs 2.8km from Sky Sentral at mid-hill to SkyAvenue at the summit in about 10 minutes, passing over unbroken rainforest. A standard one-way ticket costs around RM11 at the time of writing, and a few gondolas have glass floors for a higher fare. The line closes for scheduled maintenance from time to time, when the older Genting SkyWay from Gohtong Jaya takes over, so check the Resorts World Genting website before you travel.

Spend a day at Genting SkyWorlds

Genting SkyWorlds is the outdoor theme park at the summit, opened in 2022, with rides and themed zones built on film licences from 20th Century Studios. It suits families and teenagers, and it is worth arriving at opening time, since mist and afternoon rain can pause the bigger rides. Indoors, SkyAvenue has the Skytropolis Funland rides and arcade games, a good backup on wet days.

Visit Chin Swee Caves Temple

Built into the hillside at around 1,500m, Chin Swee Caves Temple is a Taoist and Buddhist complex with a nine-storey pagoda, a large Buddha statue and vivid sculptures of the Ten Chambers of Hell. The Awana SkyWay stops here, and you can hop off and reboard on the same ticket. Visit in the morning, when the views across the valley are clearest.

Shop at the outlets

Genting Highlands Premium Outlets, at mid-hill beside Sky Sentral, is an open-air centre with well over 100 brand stores. It is an easy add-on before or after the cable car, and the cooler air makes it more pleasant than the malls in KL.

The casino and shows

Resorts World Genting runs Malaysia’s only legal land-based casinos. Entry rules, age limits and dress codes apply, so check before you go. Concerts and touring shows are held at the resort’s arenas throughout the year.

Day trip or overnight?

A day trip from Kuala Lumpur works if you mostly want the cable car, the temple and a few rides. Leave early, as queues for the SkyWay and the theme park build from late morning on weekends. Stay a night if you plan a full day at SkyWorlds, want to see the summit when the mist rolls in after dark, or are travelling with young children who will tire of the bus.

Families often fit Genting into our Malaysia family itinerary, and it also makes an easy add-on to 3 days in Kuala Lumpur. Technically most of the resort lies in Pahang, though the western slopes fall in Selangor.

Practical tips

• Bring a light jacket. Evenings are cool and indoor areas are heavily air-conditioned.
• Avoid weekends, Malaysian school holidays and Chinese New Year if you can, when roads, cable car queues and hotel prices all peak.
• Book SkyWorlds tickets online in advance; the official site often has lower prices than the gate.
• The weather changes quickly. Mist can hide the views within minutes, so ride the cable car early in the day.
• Summit restaurants are expensive. Eat in Gohtong Jaya if you have a car.

Getting there

Express buses from KL Sentral and TBS run to the Awana bus terminal at mid-hill, from where you walk or take the free shuttle to Sky Sentral and ride the cable car up. Allow about an hour to 90 minutes on the bus, plus queuing time at weekends. Driving takes around an hour via the Karak Highway, and parking at Genting Highlands Premium Outlets lets you park and ride the SkyWay. Grab from central KL is often the simplest choice for a small group.

When to go

Genting is a year-round destination because most attractions are indoors or close to cover, and the temperature barely changes through the year. Rain is frequent in every month, so the real choice is about crowds. Midweek outside school holidays is the calmest time, and early mornings bring the best chance of clear views from the SkyWay.