We are leaving Penang island and continuing to the area of tea plantation in Cameron Highlands. The place is located in the mountains so we are expecting colder weather and nice trekking trails. Cameron Highlands is the largest tea plantation in Malaysia that produce BOH tea alias Best of Highlands! Whether you are tea or coffee lovers no one in Malaysia shouldn’t miss this place!
How to get to Cameron Highlands by bus
Cameron Highlands can be only reached by bus. There are several bus companies which run from Penang (Butterworth) or Kuala Lumpur. We chose company Unititi Express and we didn’t have any problem with bus or during the way. You can buy tickets online via Busonlineticket that works very reliably in Malaysia and shows the widest range of buses. The way from Butterworth to Cameron Highlands lasted about 5 hours, with the last 2 hours in winding roads so Tom started to get sick 😀
What to see and visit in Cameron Highlands
Cameron Highland offers plenty of spots to explore. You can find there 10 hiking trails, waterfalls and the most famous BOH tea plantations. Then you should end your day with nice food and malaysian national drink Teh Tarik (black tea + sweet condensed milk) 🙂
1. BOH Tea Plantation
There are several Tea plantation around Cameron Highlands. We visited the most famous ones BOH Tea Estate (southeast of Tanah Rata) and Boh Tea Centre (north of Tanah Rata).
Boh Tea Estate
We decided to walk there from the city Tanah Rata via the hiking trail number 9 that also passes Robinson waterfall. But be careful on this path, it divides into two paths behind the waterfall 9A and 9B. We wanted to walk with 9B but wild dogs appered in front of us after few meters. Dogs were barking and running towards us, they seemed to be dangerous. But Tom acted like a hero and screamed on them at the last minute. Fortunately, it frightened them and forced them to run back. But in the evening we read Google reviews in which two people complained that these wild dogs had bitted them and had to get rabies vaccination. So be careful!
After about 2 km via path 9A we went on a normal road, which led through agricultural beds, villages and of course tea plantations. It was a pretty nice walk that showed us a completely different side of Malaysia. On the top we had Malaysian tea Teh Tarik and enjoyed the view of the surroundings 🙂
Boh Tea Centre
Boh Tea Centre is in our opinion the most beautiful area with plantations. We wanted to reach it via trail number 1 and across the highest mountain there Gunung Irau. Before entering the jungle, however, we found that trail number 1 is closed due to the rain season. Therefore, we had no other choice but to hitchhike to Kea Farm and try to go from another point. The way up was 3 km long but difficult. We also realized after a while that we were the only pedestrians and the other tourists were driving their own cars or went there with taxi. It’s a shame that people are lazy to walk a few kilometres. Instead, they are stuck in the way to the plantation (traffic jams) and emits exhaust gases into the shrubs of the tea plant. On the way up we were accompanied by wild dogs but these ones weren’t dangerous 🙂 On the way downhill we went to the Boh tea centre/tearoom and order Tea tarik (I think that we are starting to be addicted :D)
2. Big Red Strawberry Farm
A divide place for strawberry lovers! We got there because Anet was impressed by the marketing advertisement showing strawberries with whipped cream :D. Strawberry farm is located in Bringchang and you can see there hydroponic strawberry and vegetable growing. Finally you can choose and order delicious strawberry dessert with fresh from the farm!
3. Trail number 7 and 3 – hike to Gurung Berembun mountain
Challenging but very nice and adventurous jungle path to the Gurung Berembun Mountain leads via trail number 7 from the city Tanah Rata. Then you can choose trail no. 3 or 2 depending on where you want to end. We walked in the rain and fog so we not only got wet, we also didn’t see much through the fog 😀 Along the way we were scared by a tree that fell about 20 metres ahead of us. It was a very unpleasant feeling but this is a wild nature right?
4. Robinson Falls and Parit Falls
Both waterfalls are rather average in terms of beauty and size: D. If you have the time, we recommend at least Robinson Falls, which can be reached with trail No. 9 from Tanah Rata. Just watch out for the wild dogs that are around the waterfall (we found them behind the waterfall, but on Google reviews we found that two people at the waterfall were bitten by them). Parit Falls was one big disappointment. The waterfall is small in size, but in terms of the volume of plastic bottles and other waste, it really has no competition. It is a pity, but in Malaysia there are plastics and other garbage everywhere. People just have no place to throw them, because finding a trash bin on the street is also a miracle.
5. Trail number 10
Unfortunately we miss it but it is also very popular and not so difficult train in Cameron Highlands. In the end you will be rewarded by view of amazing tea plantations.
How to get around Cameron Highlands
1. Hitchkihing
We have always been hitchhiking for longer distances, which showed to be extremely easy. We didn’t have to wait more than 2 minutes for a car. People are nice there and helpful, so we were not afraid of it. Advice for you: Just go to the main roads, pick up your thumb and you will get in car in a few minutes.
2. Taxi
You can find taxi there without any problem. Alternatively you can arrange taxi driver via your accommodation.
3. Bus
There is an hourly bus that stops in the main touristic destinations. Price is around 3 MYR and higher. We didn’t try it because hitchhiking was easier and faster than waiting for bus 🙂
Accommodation in Cameron Highlands
There are two main starting points for the most popular places in Cameron Highlands. Firts of them is Tanah Rata and second is Brinchang. Therefore we recommend looking for accommodation in or around these two cities. In terms of price, for example food in Brinchang was cheaper than in Tanah Rata. Both cities are full of hotels so the choice is really wide and depends only on your budget.
Budget options for accommodation
We found our accommodation via Booking.com . If you are looking for affordable accommodation with breakfast in Tanah Rata (and you don’t mind street noise) you can try De Cameron Guesthouse. It is located in the Tanah Rata city center and across the bus station.
Another cheap accommodation with really good location are BRICKS Cameron Highlands or BRICKS Sleepbox.
Luxury option
If you are not limited by the budget and want to enjoy some luxury, check out the accommodation The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands. It is stylish English cottage near the lake that offers amazing views and hotel rooms.
