Home to tea plantations, rising hills and refreshing temperatures, Malaysia’s largest hill station has been a sought-after destination since the country’s colonial days.
It’s easy to see why Malaysia’s verdant highlands have been a top spot with the country’s residents for decades. Boasting stunning scenery that takes in sprawling tea plantations, strawberry fields and a chain of townships, Cameron Highlands has been the choice refreshing retreat of the country’s elite since the early-19th century.
Named after British explorer Sir William Cameron, who first mapped the elevated area in 1885, the highlands rose to popularity during the 1930s when gardens, bungalows and villas sprung up to cater to British colonials seeking a cool weekend retreat away from the heat. Teetering at 1,300 metres to 1,829 metres above sea level, the highlands barely see temperatures rise above 30C.
Things to Do in Cameron Highlands
Visit Boh Tea Company
Tea plantations hug the highlands’ rolling hills making a visit essential. BOH Tea Company is one of the most famous of Malaysia’s many brands and is an excellent place to learn about the process.
Here, visitors can enjoy views of the lush terraces and learn how tea is grown and harvested before sampling a refreshing brew. A tea shop sells samples of the signature flavours for visitors to take home.
Go Strawberry Picking
Cameron Highlands’ cool climes makes it the perfect place to grow strawberries, with farms dotting the landscape. Raaju’s Hill Strawberry Farm is famed across the area for its fruits grown in a picturesque misty valley.
Visitors can get their hands dirty and pick strawberries to take home and savour. Alternatively, there is an on-site café where the juicy fruit can be sampled in a tasty English cream tea and other delights.
Climb Mount Brinchang
Standing as Cameron Highlands’ main peak, teetering 6,666 feet above sea level, Mount Brinchang is a must-do for visitors. The main way to access its peak is a thrilling drive up winding mountain roads. An alternative cable car ride offers incredible bird’s eye views of its dramatic slopes.
At the top sits an observation tower that boasts unparalleled vistas that stretch across verdant valleys, lush tea plantations and sprawling forests. The more active can trek through dense woodland to its summit.
Mingle with Locals
The highlands are dotted with villages home to various indigenous groups, referred to locally as Orang Asli, which from Malay translates as ‘original people’. There are plenty of tours that take visitors into these villages to experience local life.
For those wanting to get further off the beaten track, the jungle that clings to Cameron Highlands’ slopes is also sprinkled with traditional communities who are willing to welcome visitors into their homes.
Browse Fragrant Rose Gardens
Its lofty heights make Cameron Highlands the perfect climate for a range of colourful flora, with the area home to a range of roses. The best spot to see them is at Mrs Robertson’s Rose Garden nestled on a scenic hillslope that boasts stunning valley vistas.
The spectacular 10-terrace gardens house more than 100 species of roses, as well as sunflowers, carnations, hibiscus trees, camellia and other flora. There is also a quaint café where visitors can soak up the serene views.
Get on a High in a Helicopter
After exploring the area on the ground, the ultimate way to experience it is hovering above Cameron Highlands’ patchwork of emerald tea plantations, rolling hills and misty valleys in a helicopter.
There are a series of aerial tours available, or alternatively visitors can organise their own itinerary and charter a helicopter to enjoy serene views of this lush corner of Malaysia.
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