Cameron highlands trip - Visit tea plantations

Time for tea

Route: Kuala Lumpur - Cameron Highlands

The Cameron Highlands are without a doubt one of the most beautiful areas in Malaysia. The British apparently thought so too when they decided to settle here and the climate must certainly have made them feel right at home; wet, unpredictable and considerably cooler than the rest of Malaysia. But most importantly, it’s the perfect place for growing tea.

The highlands are made up of rolling hills with endless lush, green tea plantations as far as eye can see. During your Cameron Highlands trip you’ll visit the surrounding jungle and discover one of the leading tea plantations in the world, the Boh Tea Estate. You’ll stay in a charming colonial hotel in Tanah Rata, one of the ‘larger’ cities in the area. Or you can choose our special stay accommodation in the Cameron Highlands.

Feeling inspired? You can start building your own Malaysia trip using our bite-sized Malaysia tours. Or, alternatively you can take your pick from our range of suggested holidays in Malaysia. Fancy combining your Malaysia adventure with a trip to Borneo? Simply choose from our selection of bite-sized Borneo tours or ready-made holidays in Borneo.
Duration 3 days / 2 nights
departs daily

Accommodation

Comfortable, colonial styled hotel or charming special stay hotel (see our photos here).  Comfort level 3 or 4 (see accommodation).

Price

 £149 per person - based on 2 people sharing our standard accommodation
£199 per person - based on 2 sharing our special stay accommodation

Includes

 2 nights accommodation with breakfast, guided tea plantation walk including lunch (tea factory closed Mondays)

Transport


Jeep/ Van during excursion
 

Excludes

 Other meals, transfers to and from the Cameron Highlands, entrance fee to Butterfly Farm excursion

Day 1 - Kuala Lumpur - Cameron Highlands (Tanah Rata)

Travel time: 3-4 hours

The Cameron Highlands trip begins in Tanah Rata, 180 miles north of Kuala Lumpur. It’s about 3-4 hours’ drive by hire car, luxury bus or private transfer (all of which we can arrange for you). Driving to the Cameron Highlands you’ll notice the temperature gradually begins to drop the higher you get. You’ll be staying on the edge of Tanah Rata, one of the three larger towns in the area and with a lot more local charm than nearby Brinchang.

On our search for nice, small-scale accommodation in the area we stumbled upon a small and very unique hotel nestled in the green hills just outside Tanah Rata. The hotel has that wonderful colonial atmosphere that’s so typical to the Cameron Highlands. This is where you’ll be staying for the next two nights and breakfast is included in your stay. Once you’ve checked in it’s a 10-minute walk (from our standard accommodation or a short taxi ride from our special stay accommodation,) to the town centre where you can wander round the little souvenir shops or grab a bite to eat in the evening. During your stay make sure you try the local ‘steamboat’ a kind of Cantonese fondue.
Cameron highlands trip - Colonial style hotel
Cameron highlands trip - The Mossy Forest

Day 2 - Cameron Highlands (Tanah Rata)

After breakfast you’ll be picked up at the hotel by our local guide and continue your Cameron highlands trip. Depending on the weather, you’ll drive to the tea plantations where Maniam will tell you all about the history of the plantations and the surrounding area.

After this, Maniam will take you to a viewpoint where you can (if the weather is clear) admire the views across the green, rolling hills. On the way back you’ll go on a short walk through the jungle of Mossy Forest. The path can be slippery in places so make sure you wear sturdy shoes or boots. Soon, you’ll probably fancy a cuppa, so following a winding road downhill, you’ll head back to the tea plantations and the most famous tea factory in the area, the Boh Tea Estate (closed Mondays). Maniam will give you a short tour of the estate; showing you how the freshly picked tea leaves are processed into the more familiar brown brew. This factory produces enough tea for 5.5 million cups a day and no less than 4 million kg of tea per year. If you’re in the Cameron Highlands on a Monday, you’ll visit a local strawberry farm instead.
After the factory visit it’s time for lunch. You’ll be given a lunch box which you can eat on one of the picnic tables behind the cafe, where you can also order a pot of tea. Try the Palas Supreme, the ‘champagne’ of the teas. After lunch you’ll drive back to Tanah Rata, stopping off at the Butterfly Farm, (an additional RM5.) A bit touristy but nevertheless worth a visit. Inside the covered flower garden you can walk around among the hundreds of delicate, colourful butterflies fluttering above your head. There are also dozens of cabinets displaying the largest and most unusual insects in the area.

Early in the afternoon, Maniam will drop you off at your hotel. Later on, you could wander into town for some dinner in one of the restaurants in Tanah Rata. If you fancy something a bit stronger after all that tea, grab a beer or a cocktail at the Travellers bistro and pub. If you walk from the hotel towards Tanah Rata’s main street you’ll see the blue neon signs on the right-hand corner just before the car park. They also serve some excellent curry here.
Cameron highlands trip - Maniam
Cameron highlands trip - Lang Tengah

Day 3 - Cameron Highlands (Tanah Rata) departure

Today your Cameron highlands trip comes to an end. Once you've checked out, follow the winding roads out of the Highlands down to warmer climes where you'll need to get used to the hot, humid weather again. You could always extend your stay in the Cameron Highlands with a couple of days, just let us know and we'll arrange if for you.

From the Cameron Highlands you can continue your Malaysia tour in several directions:

If you'd like a couple of days of soft white sand and sparkling blue sea, then try our Perhentian trip. For a bit of jungle adventure, check out our Malaysia  national park tour or alternatively, you can explore the fascinating Malaysian culture on a Penang trip with our Rickshaw Ride to the Temples of Penang module. Penang is also the culinary capital of Malaysia, so food-lovers take note.

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Cameron Highlands tour accommodation (Click to enlarge)

Tips for your Cameron Highlands trip

Best time to take the Cameron Highlands trip: The Cameron Highlands are fine to visit most of the year round, but be aware that in the peak of the monsoon season (e.g. November – December) heavy rains can cause landslides.

Restaurants: The Mayflower serves local specialties like the steamboat, a kind of Cantonese fondue. For exceptionally good local cuisine try Zainab Sam and if you’re looking for a good filling breakfast, try the Kampung Nasi Lemak at Gerai Opah. All these restaurants can be found in Tanah Rata.

Souvenir shops: In Tanah Rata try the Yung Seng Souvenir Shop, a slightly more upmarket shop with an interesting collection of handcrafts and utensils of the Orang Asli, the indigenous inhabitants of Malaysia.

Tea tasting: For top-quality tea, there’s only one place: Gan Seow Hooi. They also have some beautiful Chinese teapots.

Temperature: The Cameron Highlands lie at an altitude of 1300m – 1829m. The unique climate differs from the rest of Malaysia with temperatures varying between 10C and 24C and temperatures dropping considerably in the evening. You’ll need a warm sweater and waterproof jacket for your Cameron Highlands trip.
Cameron highlands trip - Cameron Tanah
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