Malaysia is the kind of country where even the endless bus journeys are full of stunning scenery. Heading to the Cameron Highlands from Kuala Lumpur by bus takes about three and half hours (not including the two train rides just to get to the bus station), with the last hour or so taking you along windy roads through lush, green landscapes, including the tea plantations for which the area is so famous. I couldn’t wait to get out hiking in the Cameron Highlands.
The main town in the area is Tanah Rata, one main street long. It’s fairly touristy, with lots of souvenir shops and restaurants, but the surrounding hills and walks more than make up for that.
Speaking of walks, oh my god I can still feel the aching in my legs from the jungle walk I did there, even all this time later. I was so unfit.
Who am I kidding? I’m still unfit.
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Hiking the Cameron Highlands Solo
With no tours running that particular day, I decided to go it alone and walked the 5km to the next town, Brinchang. From there you can take Jungle Track 1, a fairly tough uphill trek through dense jungle that takes you to the 2000m summit of Gunung Brinchang, the highest mountain in the state. Further up it can get very muddy, but there are some very helpful ropes at the most difficult points.
As you’re hiking through the jungle, there are no views until you almost reach the top. I spent the last third of that walk praying I’d just get to the top already. Then, about five minutes from the summit, there’s a break in the trees and you can see the surrounding peaks.
After the almost claustrophobic nature of the forest, the rolling hills stretching out in front of you really take your breath away.
The Mossy Forest
I’d spent the entire hike alone, not a soul in sight but at the summit I meet a few other travellers from my hostel who were also out hiking the Cameron Highlands. They had left the hostel just minutes before I did. After checking out the viewing platform at the top of a wooden tower at the peak of Gunung Brinchang, we headed a little down the road (yes, you can drive to the summit, but the hike is so much more satisfying) to the Mossy Forest.
The Mossy Forest isn’t really all that mossy, but the short walk along the boardwalks is really quite lovely. I’d never been in a cloud forest before. The boardwalk is there to protect the fragile ecosystem of the forest from the growing number of visitors to the Cameron Highlands, so it’s very important to respect the area and stay on the wooden walkway.
The group from the hostel then decided to continue from the Mossy Forest to the summit of Gunung Irau, a slightly higher peak that is actually across the border in the next state. My legs were already killing me, so I decided not to join them and continued down the road instead. Every step was painful but I kept going.
Cameron Highlands Tea Plantations
All that pain was totally worth it, because suddenly I turned a corner and BAM! there was the tea plantation I was hoping for. A spectacular sight.
A few workers in those famous conical hats wandered through the tea leaves tending to the crop. They stopped their work and stared as I passed by, but I guess it was only fair, since I was also staring at them. This was what I came to the Cameron Highlands to see. It was like something straight out of a travel magazine.
Hiking in the Cameron Highlands is the perfect way to see Malaysia’s largest tea-producing region, the hills carpeted in the lush, green crop. The area’s cooler climate makes it the perfect place to grow the precious tea. Walking down that road, you would almost think the plantations had been here forever. Surprisingly, they are a more recent addition to the environment here: most were founded in the 20th century and are less than a hundred years old.
Getting back to Tanah Rata
Just as I’ve hobbled my way down to the bottom of the plantations, a car pulled up. It was a Malaysian couple on their honeymoon. They were very concerned about the fact I was walking by myself, even though it was broad daylight in a fairly busy area. They offered me lift into Brinchang, saving me several kilometres walk. The couple were absolutely lovely, and quite funny, especially when the wife berated the very chagrined husband after he accidentally drove their rental car over a raised edge of a car park. You could definitely tell who wears the pants in that relationship!
A second hitchhike from a middle-eastern man with no English driving a refrigerated truck (wait, does that sound like the start of a horror movie??), brought me back to Tanah Rata. I’m in desperate need of a shower, food and sleep. Oh, my poor feet.
The next morning it was onto another bus, off to George Town in Penang, home of street art and street food.
Practical Info:
- The tea plantations bring a lot of visitors to the area, so there’s no shortage of accommodation options for any budget. Since I visited, the number of hostels has greatly increased. Check out booking.com to see what’s available.
- Because of the number of tourists, Tanah Rata and Brinchang have everything you might need. ATMs, restaurants, groceries, laundry, pharmacy, etc.
- Restaurants serve a variety of Western and Asian cuisine, so there’s something for everyone. There’s even a Starbucks!
- There are several tours available in Tanah Rata. They can take you to the tea plantations, strawberry farms, waterfalls, etc. Just approach one of the booths a day in advance. Or you can do a self-guided tour if you have your own transport (or two working legs). There are many walking trails in the area, some to plantations, some to waterfalls. Some are more popular than others, and the information on several of them is lacking, leading to a bit of confusion over where they start/end. The one I did, Jungle Trail 1 is popular and fairly easy to follow and covers a lot of what makes the Cameron Highlands so special.
- A note on hitchhiking: yes, I hitchhiked here. Twice. But I always say – go with your gut. If you’re not comfortable or something doesn’t feel right, don’t stay in that situation. Don’t be afraid of being rude or annoying someone if it means you feel safer.
Have you ever been to the Cameron Highlands? Do you want to go? Tell me in the comments below!
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i love to visit cameron highland.
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