With rolling green hills, beautiful flowers and tea plantations, the Cameron Highlands are a far cry from the hustle and bustle of KL, Malaysia’s buzzing capital. An escape to the highlands will reward you with cooler temperatures, endless hiking trails, tea and strawberries – what’s not to love? Read on for a quick guide to this stunning part of Malaysia:
Where
A 3 hour bus ride (200kms) north of Kuala Lumpur, roughly half way to Penang. It is also the highest point of Malaysia still accessible by road.
What to see
Much of the area is covered by huge tea plantations, which you can visit as long as you stick to the marked paths. Many of them also offer guided tours, and you’ll have a chance to sample the tea yourself. There are also a number of strawberry farms in the area where you can pick your own delicious strawberries.
English Influence
Many of the houses in the area are built in a traditional English style, which look slightly out of place in the Malaysian landscape. You can even enjoy afternoon tea with scones, jam (made from local strawberries of course) and clotted cream!
Hiking Trails
There are a number of hiking trails in the area. All the routes are numbered and graded by difficulty. Maps are available from the local tourist information centres (although they’re not always that accurate so make sure you bring a phone with gps!). Another nice area to explore is Mossy Forest – as the name suggests, it’s a large luscious forest carpeted in moss. Also known as cloud forest, it’s shrouded in mist, giving it a mysterious atmosphere. There’s an elevated walkway that you can take through the forest to avoid damaging the moss.
Other Attractions
The Cameron Highlands have the perfect climate for growing plants, so as well as the tea plantations and strawberry farms you’ll see a number of other greenhouses and gardens. Take a trip to the Lavender Garden where you can enjoy lavender flavoured ice cream. There’s also a butterfly garden with a huge number of exotic butterflies.
How to get around
The easiest way to get around the Cameron Highlands is to rent a car or a motorcycle (there are plenty of scooter rental places around offering casual day rentals).
Where to stay
The Cameron Highlands cover an area of land as big as Singapore! However, most of what you will want to see can be reached from the three main towns: Brinchang, Ringlet and Tanah Rata.
There are plenty of hostels in the area offering “pod” type beds in dorms so you still have your own privacy. These are great places to stay if you want to meet other hikers to explore the trails with.
Want your own space? There are a number of nice airbnbs in the area, and you get a lot for your money in Malaysia. If it’s your first time using airbnb you can get some free credit by clicking here.
Fancy treating yourself? There are also some luxury resorts in the area such as the Cameron Highlands Resort, which offers spa getaways if you feel like splurging.
Read my other posts about Malaysia here.
Photos edited using my Malaysia Preset Collection – buy the pack here.
Leave a Reply