About equidistant from Kuala Lumpur and Penang, the Cameron Highlands are the perfect stop to make on your way either north or south to one of these major cities. Set 5,250 feet above sea level, the highlands have a completely different terrain and an average temperature of 65 degrees F, also making it the ideal reprieve from the scorching temperatures of the rest of the country.

To be candid, I had two days set aside for the Cameron Highlands, and I thought that was plenty of time. Unless you plan on doing some serious hiking, one full day and a night should suffice to see the meat of the Cameron Highlands (tour of the tea gardens, Mossy Forest and Mt Brinchang in the morning, and a hike in the afternoon). The two main towns, Tanah Rata and Brinchang are relatively sleepy, but have plenty of hostels, hotels and places to eat local food. Honestly, I felt like a lot of things in the Cameron Highlands were worth skipping altogether. HOWEVER – I did find the few standout experiences to be really, really worth it. The seemingly never-ending rolling hills of green were simply spectacular. I mean, take a look for yourself…

Must-Sees

BOH Tea Plantation

This is what people come for. The sea of tea gardens for as far as you can see is straight up out of this world! The drive from the main town (Tanah Rata) to BOH Tea Plantation was pretty lackluster until we turned that one corner and “AHHHH” the heavens opened up and presented us with those stunning tea covered hillsides. Driving through the landscape of the tea plantation was my favorite part, but it was nice to stop off at the BOH cafe to try a cup of tea, grab a strawberry pastry and take in the views.

Mt. Brinchang

This peak is the highest point in Malaysia, and with an observation tower at the summit, visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding Titiwangsa Mountains. There is a paved road leading to the summit, so it’s easiest reached by car, but if you’re keen to hike, it will take you about 3 hours. You can hike on the main road, although not all that scenic, or there is a nature hike you can start from Brinchang town.

The Mossy Forest

Set up in the clouds, this mysterious forest is teeming with exotic flora, primitive ferns, and medicinal plants. It’s also such a damp forest that all of the trees are strung with massive amounts of moss. There is literally moss everywhere – hence the name Mossy Forest. There is a boardwalk that takes you relatively deep into the forest and is the perfect path for viewing this bizarre place!

Trail #10

I only hiked trails 4, 5, and 6, and although they were nice, I wouldn’t say they were absolute MUSTS. I attempted to take trail 10 with a few other travelers (which apparently is the real star of the show), but could not for the life of us find the nature trail! We found a road that led us in the same direction, but we completely missed the trail that leads you up to the incredible views. All of the trails are poorly marked, so make sure not to go alone. The above photo is I guess what we missed out on! Bummer!

***I took a tour through Eco Cameron in order to see the BOH Tea Plantations, Mt. Brinchang & the Mossy Forest. The tour cost RM53 ($12) and went from 8am until about 12pm. You can absolutely do all of the above without an organized tour, but if you’re pressed for time, I think it’s a good option. We cruised around in an old Land Rover and our guide was fun, informative and easy to talk to. There are other tour companies you can go through, but they will waste time taking you to strawberry farms, vegetable farms and a butterfly museum. Eco Cameron cuts all of that out and allows more time for the real, natural stuff that the Cameron Highlands has to offer.

Must-Skips

Strawberry Farms

There are signs about strawberry farms everywhere. There are strawberry key chains, strawberry pillows, strawberry hats, strawberry everything for sale just about everywhere… I was under the impression that this was the most incredible land of strawberries you’d ever find in your life. I opted to go to Big Red Strawberry Farm to check out these supposed magical strawberries, as it was easy walking distance from Brinchang town. Here is what a found: a big, tacky tourist trap. I went along with it and ordered a strawberry pancake (a regular old pancake with some strawberry jam and a few fresh strawberries) and just embraced the situation.

Attached to the strawberry “farm” is a placed called Cactus Valley (not making this up). Just what I want to do in Malaysia – shop for cacti! On the way out, a massive sign (in the shape of a cactus, no less) read “thank you,” and I couldn’t help but laugh. You know you’ve hit a tourist trap when a sign is thanking you on your way out.

Butterfly Farm

I’m pretty sure the photo above does enough explaining, but if you’re still not convinced: other travelers told me that it had reptiles, insects, ferrets, squirrels and other kinds of animals locked in cages, in addition to a room full of butterflies. Did you really take a bus 4 hours from Kuala Lumpur to look at butterflies and caged animals?

Vegetable Farms

There is another tourist trap lurking in Cameron Highlands and that is Kea Farms. In theory, it sounds like a great thing to do right?  Check out a local farm in the highlands, get familiar with the vegetables grown in this region… However, it’s a market along the main road selling incredibly overpriced produce, along with the strawberry souvenirs and other tacky things that I mentioned above.

A local told me to steer clear of this market as they would try to sell me produce for double the actual cost. An alternative? Get off the beaten bath in KL, Penang or Malacca and find an authentic neighborhood market. That’s where you’ll get the real experience!

But hey, who knows. Maybe you like putting your head through a cutout of a giant cardboard strawberry and over-paying for vegetables! Don’t let me stop you!

Have you been to the Cameron Highlands? What did you think?

Wander On,

Wanderluluu xx