Pahang > Cameron Highlands

Situated at 1520m above sea level, this is Malaysia's green bowl supplying vegetables to the major cities of the country and to Singapore. The cool climate makes it an excellent tea growing area and indeed the Cameron tea is highly prized in the world market. With temperatures ranging between 25 and 10 degrees Celsius, this place is popular all year round with tourists.

Cameron Highlands is the premier hill top holiday spot at Pahang. Discovered by a British surveyor, William Cameron in 1885, this highland paradise still retains much of the charm of an English village. Thus, European cottages are very common at in Cameron Highlands.

Places of interest are the Robinson Falls, the Rose Garden nurseries and the strawberry and vegetable farms. A visit to the tea plantation is well worthwhile, to see how one of the world’s favourite beverages is processed fresh from the plantations. Stroll around and admire the old colonial buildings such as the Old Smokehouse. This hill station is surrounded by jungles and trails are marked for jungle trekking. There are various villages inhabited by Orang Asli. There is also a golf course.

The small town of Tapah at the foot of Cameron Highlands is the gateway to the highlands. Cameron Highlands consists of a series of little townships which include Ringlet, Tanah Rata, Tringkap. Kuala Terla and Brinchang. The lowest is Ringlet, 1,200 metres above sea-level situated near Bertam Valley where the soil is rich thus making this area the main agricultural centre of the highlands.

Further up is Tanah Rata, which is the principal township where most of the main banks and government offices are situated. The bus terminal and taxi station are located here too.

Next is Brinchang, which is about 15 minutes drive from Tanah Rata. The night market, which is open every Saturday night, features all kinds of vegetables, flowers, fruits and other products of the highlands.

Beyond Brinchang, the road leads to Kea Farm, Sungai Palas, Tringkap, Kuala Terla, Kampung Raja and the Blue Valley Tea Plantation.

The majority of its people are employed in agriculture, tourism and hospitality industry.

Places of Interest
	Butterfly Garden The Butterfly Garden is located conveniently near the main road. Different species of butterflies and insects can be found here. Look out for the large black and shimmering Raja Brooke butterflies. The Garden also sell live insects and bonsai.
	Cactus Garden Two famous cactus gardens are the Cactus Point and Cactus Valley. Visitors can walk around the gardens to view a variety of cactus of different shapes and sizes. Cactus Valley is one of the biggest and most popular tourist destination located here. The valley boast of having one of the most variety of cactus plants, some as old as 60 years.
	Vegetables & Fruits Farm Fruit and vegetables farms are located throughout the highlands. Most farms allow visitors in and you can also buy them fresh on-site.
	Honey Bee Farm There are a few honey bee farms at the highlands. It is very save and encourageable to bring along children so that they can learn more about the nature of bees and honey.
	Flowers Garden Cameron Highlands is Malaysia’s leading producer and exporter of fresh flowers. At the flower gardens and nurseries, found on the hilly inclines bordering the main road in Brinchang, be ready to be dazzled by the mix of colours and blooms of various species being grown here. The various blooms include roses, carnations, dahlias, geraniums, gladiolus and orchids.
	Orang Asli (Aborigine Village) There are many aborigine villages in Cameron Highlands. The two famous aborigine villages in Cameron Highlands are the aborigine villages near Villa Dahlia at Tanah Rata and Kampung Pangan Orang Asli Village, near Boh Tea Estate.
	Sam Poh Temple This temple is serving the large Chinese population that live in Brinchang, the ornate Buddhist temple is built on a hill overlooking Brinchang town.
	Strawberry Farm Visit the strawberry park here will entail visitors not only to the opportunity to see how strawberries are cultivated but also offer the opportunity to purchase freshly picked strawberries with thick delicious fresh cream at affordable prices.
	Tea Plantation There are several tea plantation located at Ringlet, whose hardy perennial plants, at a distance, produce the verdant carpet so characteristic of the highlands.

How To Get There

Tapah , a town in Perak, is the main entry point to the highlands.

The only way to get to Cameron Highlands is by road. Until a few years back, you could only get to Cameron Highlands from the south via Tapah but since the opening of the new Simpang Pulai road, traveling to the highlands has become much more easier from the north. You can also get here from the east coast via Gua Musang in Kelantan but take note that this road has yet to be gazetted by the authorities.

SELF DRIVE

From the South via Tapah

Cameron Highlands is about 300kms from Kuala Lumpur and it takes less than 3.5 hours to get here via the North-South Expressway (NSE). If you are driving from Kuala Lumpur, get find your way to the NSE by following the sign to Ipoh. Once you're on the expressway, keep on driving north until you reach Tapah which will take about 1.5 hours. Watch out for the sign that indicates the Tapah and Cameron Highlands exit (Exit 132). Once you have passed the toll booth, turn left at the traffic lights. From here onwards you will be on the long winding road to Cameron Highlands which is about 60 km's away. If you're driving from the north just take Exit 132 at Tapah and follow the same direction. It takes an average of 1.5 hours to reach Tanah Rata from Tapah.

Driving Tips :

The road from Tapah to Cameron Highlands is narrow and has a lot of sharp bends. If you have passengers who get motion sickness, its time to get those plastic bags out (just in case).

The roads have been upgraded recently so the drive up can be quite pleasant. There will be lots of heavy vehicles going up and down this road so be careful especially when you are overtaking. Most local heavy vehicles will give you the signal to overtake when its save so be patient. Its also common courtesy to let the vehicle behind you overtake you if you're driving slower that vehicle.

From the north via Simpang Pulai / Ipoh

Now that the new road from Simpang Pulai is open, more people are traveling to the highlands via this route. The road condition is much better here than the Tapah route and it only takes about 45 minutes to get to Kampung Raja from Simpang Pulai.

Take Exit 137 (Simpang Pulai) and turn right at the traffic light right after the toll booth. Turn right again at the next traffic light about 200 metres away. You are now on the way to Cameron Highlands. Eventually you will see signs to Kampung Raja or Cameron Highlands along the way. After about 1 hour, you will reach the Kampung Raja junction where you will have to turn right from the new road into Kampung Raja town. You're now in Cameron Highlands and you can just follow the main road to your destination. Brinchang & Tanah Rata is about 25-30kms from here.

Driving Tips :

Driving up this road is definitely a pleasant experience because it gives you some great views of mountains. Since the roads are less winding, people tend to speed here but watch out for the sharp bends at some stretches. There is NO mobile coverage along this road.

For more information on the NSE (North-South Expressway), please visit www.plus.com.my

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TRAIN

There is no train service to Cameron Highlands. The nearest stop is the Tapah Road station in Tapah. You can take a bus or taxi to Cameron Highlands from here.

Train schedules can be obtained from www.ktmb.com.my

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BUS

Buses to Cameron Highlands operate daily from Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Penang. Buses from Kuala Lumpur depart from the Pudu Raya Station and KL Central. Buses from Penang depart from Prangin Mall / Komtar.

Express bus service from Singapore is now available. Unititi Express leaves Beach Road Singapore at 10.00pm daily and arrives in Cameron at 7am the following morning.

For bus schedules and details, Click here

Please call the following bus companies for the latest bus schedules and fares.

Kurnia Bistari @ (KL) 03-207-24285 (CH) 05-491-1485

Kinta Omnibus @ ( IPOH) 05-254-0124 (CH) 05-491-1200

Unititi Express @ (KL) 012-2150044 or 016-5058776 (CH) 05-491-4181 or 05-491-1452

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TAXI

Taxis from Kuala Lumpur are available at the Pudu Raya Terminal. There are also daily taxi services from Tapah and Ipoh to Cameron Highlands. For services from other locations, please check with the local taxi terminal.

Visitors coming from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) will be able to get a taxi from the KLIA limousine service (normal taxi) but the cost will be higher.

Outstation Destinations - From Tanah Rata Taxi Stand to

Getting Around Cameron Highlands

It will be very convenient for you to get around Cameron Highlands if you have your own transportation. There are no car rental services in Cameron Highlands.

You can still get around with the local bus and taxi, but you will not have the flexibility you get from driving in your own car. Alternately you can also get on one of the many tours organized by the local tour companies in Cameron Highlands.

Some guest houses do provide motorbike rental services which you can use to get around. Bicycles are not here popular because of the terrain and the high traffic.

Local Bus

The local bus service is provided by the Regal Bus Company.

Taxi Local Destinations - From Tanah Rata Taxi Stand to

For more information, please contact :

Tanah Rata Taxi Stand - 05-4911234 or 05-4912355

Distance between towns

Things To Do

• Jungle trakking in the tropical rain forest
• Bird watching
• Visit a tea plantation and factory
• Visit strawberry and vegetable farms, cactus valley, rose centre and flower nurseries
• Visit the butterfly farm
• Visit honey bee farm
• Play golf
• Ride a mountain bike (rent in Tanah Rata) to the top of Gunung Brinchang
• Visit aboriginal villages (Orang Asli)
• Play sports at the Strawberry Resort : tennis, squash, swimming pool

Accommodation

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