Cameron Highlands travel guide

Cameron Highlands Travel Guide – Visit Cameron Highlands – Budget Travel In Malaysia

Facebookpinterestyoutubeinstagram

Visit Cameron Highlands, Malaysia to experience rolling hills, tea plantations, strawberry farms, cafes selling scones with cream and a welcome escape from the heat.

After visits to George Town, Taiping and Ipoh, we were ready for a change of pace. Cameron Highlands seemed to fit the bill as a beautiful place to spend a few relaxing days and maybe enjoy some hiking. We arrived fully expecting to take advantage of the hiking opportunities on offer.

WHERE TO STAY IN CAMERON HIGHLANDS | FOOD AND DRINK IN CAMERON HIGHLANDS | THINGS TO DO IN CAMERON HIGHLANDS

How To Get To Cameron Highlands From Ipoh

We took the bus from Ipoh to Cameron Highlands. We booked our bus tickets online but there didn’t appear to be any need as there were only 3 other passengers on the bus with us. The bus departed from ‘Yoyo Bus Terminal Bus Amanjaya’ (map). It was delayed by about half an hour but took less time to reach Cameron Highlands than expected so we rolled in pretty much on time.

Powered by 12Go system

Where To Stay In Cameron Highlands

CLICK HERE FOR ALL ACCOMMODATION IN CAMERON HIGHLANDS!

These are some of the best budget hostels in Cameron Highlands, according to user reviews. These are affiliate links to the Agoda web site. I found Agoda to be much better than booking.com in Southeast Asia. I receive a small amount for any bookings made through these links at no extra cost to you.

Father’s Guesthouse

Our research had shown that the most popular area to stay was probably ‘Tanah Rata’ so we booked 4 nights in ‘Father’s Guesthouse’ (map). Our bus passed through ‘Brinchang’ which is also a busy area so you might want to consider that as an option.

The guesthouse is on a quiet side street but only a couple of minutes walk to the main road where you will find shops and restaurants and even a couple of bars.

Father's Guesthouse, Cameron Highlands

Father’s Guesthouse, Cameron Highlands

We booked a double room but on arrival had been given a triple so had a bit more space. We shared a bathroom here and there were no problems with cleanliness or having to wait.

Father's Guesthouse, Cameron Highlands 2

Father’s Guesthouse, Cameron Highlands 2

The WiFi was excellent. I was able to download movies quickly and even stream an entire live football match with no buffering issues. The guesthouse organises trips and transport (which we didn’t use) and you can buy beer at reception at good prices. There are plenty of places to hang out: either indoors or outside.

The only snag was we never had any room service during our stay. Fresh towels after a couple of days would have been nice.

We had a great stay here. It was the lowest priced accommodation on offer at booking.com but it didn’t feel cheap. Highly recommended.

**********

We paid £49 for 4 nights.

Click here to stay at ‘Fathers’ Guesthouse’.

Food And Drink In Cameron Highlands

There are many reasonably priced food options in Tanah Rata. You can get a good meal from as little as 5 MYR. As always, look for the places that are busy and filled with locals.

Durian Stand

This place opens in the late afternoon. We had noticed he was selling whole durian fruit from 10 MYR per KG. Having only ever tried the packaged durian, we wanted to try a whole fruit. We opted for the more expensive variety at 15 MYR per KG and our durian came in just under 1 kg.

The guy chopped it up for us and we sat at a table and pulled it apart and dug in. It was wonderful. Soft and creamy with little of the ‘gassy’ taste that you often get with durian. Even Joanna liked it! Nearest location – Map.

Whole durian in Cameron Highlands

Whole durian in Cameron Highlands

Fisha Foods Corner Masakan Panas

We came here on a recommendation from the guesthouse. Unfortunately, we didn’t rate the food, which was average at best. Mine looked awful, though it didn’t taste as bad as it looked. The food also took a long time to arrive. Map.

GV Stall

On our first day in Cameron Highlands, we left the guesthouse and immediately came across a row of food places, all serving traditional Malay food. One of them being GV Stall. We both ordered the thali (one veg and one chicken). It was delicious and very cheap: 5 MYR for the veg and 7 MYR for the chicken. Map.

Malay food in Cameron Highlands

Malay food in Cameron Highlands

Jungle Bar

Off the main road so not a place you would walk past, but a great place to get drunk, sit around the indoor fire and relax. There was no-one in when I turned up but pretty soon it started to fill. Beer was 12 MYR for a big can which is pretty cheap for Malaysia. They have 2 pool tables for 60 cent per game. Good atmosphere but lousy music. Despite this, it is probably the best bar in Cameron Highlands for backpackers. Map.

Lord’s Cafe

We spotted this by accident whilst having our first look around Tanah Rata. Joanna was excited to discover they sold scones with cream and jam so we just had to go in. The scones were delicious and went perfect with the local tea. We also tried their speciality, the strawberry scone, but found the original scones were better. The cheesecake, apple pie and sandwiches were also great. We came here every day! Map.

Delicious scones and tea in Lord's Cafe, Cameron Highlands

Delicious scones and tea in Lord’s Cafe, Cameron Highlands

Mr AISU Ice Cream Cafe

Located in Brinchang, we came here for ice cream after visiting the ‘Big Red Strawberry Farm’. There is a great choice of ice cream and they use locally sourced ingredients. The ice cream was delicious and was a great mid-afternoon treat! Map.

Rasa Sayang YA MAL SHAM Cafe

Rasa Sayang is an Arabic restaurant selling kebab and grilled meat and also offering vegetarian options. The meals are more expensive than other places in Tanah Rata. The food was decent but I was expecting better after reading all the positive reviews online. Map.

Restoran Kumar

We actually tried to have a look at the menu for the place next door, but the waiters here are fast and before you know it, you have a menu in your hand. I had a tandoori chicken set which was actually very nice and came with naan, daal, mint and a veg curry with rice. The waiter brought me more curry even though I didn’t ask. Map.

Restoran Sri Brinchang

The woman who welcomed us in to this restaurant was so friendly, I was really hoping this place would be better than it was. I ordered a clay pot mutton dish. On the menu, you have a choice between ‘small’ and ‘big’. Unless you are a HUGE eater, go for the small. They should be called ‘normal’ and ‘group size’ as the pot was massive and not that great. A bit of a struggle. Map.

Traveller’s Bistro & Pub

As there was little choice when it comes to places to have drinks, I expected this place to be busier. As it was, it was fairly chilled out; none of the incredibly loud bass music that so any had complained about on Google Maps. A choice of beers on tap; the cheapest being the tiger at 18 MYR for a pint. Map.

Things To Do In Cameron Highlands

As Cameron Highlands is famous for its tea plantations, strawberry farms and hiking trails, the chances are you will end up visiting one or all of them. There are a number of plantations and farms to visit.

‘Mossy Forest’ is also a popular tourist trip which we missed. Any of the tour operators offer trips but be aware that you now have to pay an extra 30 MYR to visit.

There are also a number of bee farms that we had considered but never got around to visiting.

We also realised whilst here that this is the place where Jim Thompson, whose house we visited in Bangkok, went missing. There is a ‘Jim Thompson House’ here too.

Here are the Cameron Highlands attractions that we visited.

Bharat Tea Plantations Sdn. Bhd.

The ‘Bharat Tea Plantations’ (map) are south of Tenah Rata. The other big tea plantation is the ‘BOH Sungai Palas Tea Centre’ (map) which is much further north. We decided to walk to Bharat as it took only 45 minutes. It was all downhill which made it an easy walk, though the way back is obviously tougher. The walk is entirely on the main road but is very green.

We reached the ‘Tea House 2’ which offers amazing views over the plantation. The drinks are very expensive though so we headed straight for the plantation. We had to buy a wristband for 4 MYR each which gave us access to the plantation.

The views are pretty much the same as from the tea house, except you are actually in the plantation, surrounded by tea plants. Apparently, from ‘Tea House 1’ further south, you can walk around the plantation more.

Amazing views at Bharat Tea Plantation, Cameron Highlands

Amazing views at Bharat Tea Plantation, Cameron Highlands

We sat enjoying the view for about half an hour as tourists came and went, taking photos and selfies with the plantation in the background. We left knowing we had a steep 45 minute walk back to town. As we began our walk, a young local said hello and asked where I was from. Within seconds, he had offered to drive us back into town! Hurrah!

Bharat Tea Plantations Sdn. Bhd. Opening Times: 8.30 am – 6 pm, Mon – Thurs. 8 am – 7 pm, Fri – Sun.
Bharat Tea Plantations Sdn. Bhd. Entrance Fee: 3 MYR.

Big Red Strawberry Farm

They LOVE their strawberries in Cameron Highlands! There are many farms and all the souvenir shops sell strawberry-themed merchandise. You can get strawberry coffee, chocolate, chilli paste, syrup, jam, t-shirts, ear-muffs, key-rings… the list goes on. I even had a burger that came with strawberry ketchup!

We decided to visit ‘Big Red Strawberry Farm’ (map) as it is located in Brinchang, just under an hour walk from Tanah Rata. The walk took us past many smaller strawberry farms and made us realise just how much they love their strawberries here!

Arriving in Brinchang, we found an outdoor market where I bought myself a strawberry key-ring (obviously). Lots of strawberries here, at varying prices. But we were going picking, so no need to buy any.

After the market, we headed straight for the strawberry farm. We were disappointed to find that picking was not available on that day as the fruit stock was low due to the busy Saturday they had the previous day! Damn tourists!

The farm was still worth a visit though as there are animals and exotic plants as well as strawberries. Be careful though; there’s some weird creatures hiding among those plants.

Weird creatures at the Big Red Strawberry Farm

Weird creatures at the Big Red Strawberry Farm

There is also plenty of opportunity to take silly photos.

Silliness at the Big Red Strawberry Farm

Silliness at the Big Red Strawberry Farm

Hard work at the Big Red Strawberry Farm

Hard work at the Big Red Strawberry Farm

We left the farm and walked back to our guesthouse. On the way, we realised we had spent a whole day surrounded by strawberries and not eaten a single one. Instead, we arrived back at our hotel with a bag of rambutan!

Big Red Strawberry Farm Opening Times: 8.30 am – 6 pm, Mon – Sat. 9 am – 6 pm, Sun.
Big Red Strawberry Farm Entrance Fee: Free admission.

Brinchang Weekend Night Market

As there are no Grab taxis in the areaa, we looked at alternative transport to take us to Brinchang’s night market. There is a bus that travels between Tarah Rata and Brinchang but it finishes at 6 pm and the traffic is sometimes so bad that sometimes it just doesn’t bother!

We decided to walk to the market and get a taxi back. It wasn’t raining and it would be better to get a taxi when it was dark, we figured.

The walk was around 45 minutes. Along the way, we passed ‘Ye Olde Smokehouse’ (map) which is a historic building that reminded us of quaint, little English villages!

Are we still in Malaysia?

Are we still in Malaysia?

The market itself is very busy and you can buy clothes, souvenirs and food here. Oh, and strawberries. Lots and lots of strawberries! We had a bit of a pig out and between us ate deep fried potato in batter, sea coconuts, corn, burgers, pizza and meatball kebabs. It was great! Definitely check out the market on your visit. Map.

Getting back proved more difficult. I expected to find taxis parked up near the market but this was not the case. We didn’t have a number to phone and we don’t have credit anyway. This is why Grab is so useful. They will always find you, they are cheap and there is no misunderstandings due to language.

We decided to start walking back and try to hitch but with no luck. We came across a restaurant and one of the workers there phoned his uncle who came and took us back to town for just 10 MYR. Result!

Brinchang Weekend Night Market Opening Times: 5 pm – 11 pm, Fri & Sat.

Hiking In Cameron Highlands

There are many trails of varying difficulty around the area. We had planned to do 3-in-1 but a combination of rain and being lazy meant we didn’t do any. This website gives information on each trail. WARNING: trail number 9 is not recommended as people have been attacked by dogs and there was also one incident of travellers being robbed by knife point.

Is Cameron Highlands Worth Visiting?

Cameron Highlands is one of the few places where I regret not being able to ride a motorbike as it would have been nice to have seen much more of the area. Lack of public transport meant we were unable to get about as much as we might have liked. Despite that, we still loved our time there. It is a beautiful place and even more enjoyable because of the cool climate. When we were getting the bus to Kuala Lumper, we saw more of the area and it was simply stunning. Make sure you include it on your Malaysian itinerary.

For more information, visit http://www.cameronhighlandsinfo.com/

Facebookpinterest

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *