The Cameron Highlands of Malaysia are famous for many reasons: beautiful tea plantations, a significantly cooler climate, and lush scenery draw hordes of tourists to the mountains of Malaysia.
Backpackers and adventurers who love the outdoors are drawn to jungle trekking in the Cameron Highlands. Numbered jungle trails cut through hills and tea plantations in a confusing array of barely noticeable peaks, brick paths, and dirt tracks.
Trekking in the Cameron Highlands is not for everyone; Many of the trails are steep, poorly maintained, and difficult to follow. Still, the beauty of the area and pleasant temperatures for trekking are too tempting to resist!
Trekking in the Cameron Highlands
With the once helpful tourist information office, your first priority for hiking Cameron Highlands should be to buy one of the trail maps sold around Tanah Rata for $ 1. Many of the trails start behind buildings, residential areas and private homes, even experienced hikers will have trouble locating some of the trails.
There is speculation that some of the unscrupulous local guides looking for business in Tanah Rata have been removing the signs from the trails. If you decide to hire a guide, which is a good idea for some of the remote trails, please do so through your accommodation.
Trekking to Mount Brinchang
Mount Brinchang, at an elevation of 6,666 feet, is the highest summit in the Cameron Highlands. An observation tower at the top offers panoramic views of the Titiwangsa Mountains. Gunung Brinchang summit is accessible by road and is very popular with tour groups; Don’t expect loneliness as a reward for the strenuous hike up the mountain!
Guides for Gunung Brinchang can be hired for around $ 30. If you want to do the difficult hike, find trailhead # 1 on the left of the main road north of Brinchang before the Central Multicrops Market; Look for a white stone labeled 1/48 . The steep hike takes just under four hours for a fit hiker – get an early start before the afternoon mist obscures the views from the summit.
Parit Falls
For an easy, family-friendly hike, start at trail n. 4 north of Century Pines Resort in Tanah Rata for a short walk to Parit Falls. The park near the falls has seen better days, but it is possible to cross the parking lot and continue walking north. The trail eventually passes through a small community and ends at the only golf course in Cameron Highlands.
Temple Sam Poh
The Sam Poh Temple, south of Brinchang, is worth a visit, even if you don’t plan on trekking in the Cameron Highlands. You can do a challenging hike to Sam Poh Temple starting with trail # 4 past Parit Falls , then continue on the path north (turn right) on the golf course to trail # 3 .
Trailhead # 3 is hard to find. Look for a private drive on the right side of the road, go up the hill, and look for the trailhead behind Arcadia Bungalows. Walk trail # 3 and then turn left onto trail # 2 ; The crossing is signed. The path n. 2 is poorly maintained and requires a bit of slaughter, but it ends directly behind the Sam Poh Temple.
Don’t get too excited when you see the yellow signs along trail # 2 stating “pitcher plants” – they’re gone!
Robinson Falls
More attractive of the two waterfalls near Tanah Rata, Robinson Falls is easily accessible along a downhill trail. Trail # 9 to the falls begins about a mile southeast of Tanah Rata from the road to Mardi – look for a walkway over the water and a yellow sign marking the trailhead. Trail # 9 becomes a service road for the power plant. For a better hike, take trail # 9A on the left that continues onto the main road and finally the Boh Tea Estate.
Boh Tea Estate
The Boh Tea Estate, southeast of Tanah Rata, can be reached by walking trail # 9A, past Robinson Falls to the main Habu Village road. Turn left and continue for about two miles to reach the tea farm. Alternatively, turn right onto the main road to see Ringlet Lake, a dam, and the village of Habu. Take one of the buses heading north to get home instead of walking down the steep road.
Note: The Boh Tea Estate is closed on Mondays.
Beremban Mountain
The trails n. 3, n. 7 and n. 8 converge on the summit of Gunung Beremban. All three trails require at least a three-hour hike for fit hikers to reach the mountain; The path n. Robinson Falls # 8 is perhaps the easiest way to get to Gunung Beremban. A stirring stir awaits at the end.
Cameron Bharat Tea Estate
Trail # 10 starts at Tanah Rata behind Oly Apartments, passes the top of Gunung Jasar and ends via trail # 6 through Cameron Bharat Tea Estate. What appears to be the perfect loop on the map is actually a risky adventure; trail # 6 is stubbornly difficult to follow and is often closed . If you insist on doing the hike yourself, start at Tanah Rata and finish at Cameron Bharat, a few miles south of the city.
Multiple service roads and trails used by plantation workers make starting trail # 6 a frustrating experience. Investigating inside the tea shop will confirm: Staff strongly recommend that you hire a guide to communicate with Gunung Jasar.
Arriving in the Cameron Highlands
Cameron Highlands is located roughly halfway between Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Peninsular Malaysia. The bus is practically the only transportation option to get to Cameron Highlands; The winding road is sometimes too much for the stomachs of the passengers!
The small town of Tanah Rata is the usual base for hiking in the Cameron Highlands. Buses travel to Tanah Rata from as far away as Singapore.
- From KL: Buses from Kuala Lumpur take around five hours; about $ 10 each way.
- From Ipoh: Ipoh’s transportation hub is only two hours away by bus; about $ 5 each way.
- From Penang: Buses from Georgetown and Butterworth take around five hours; about $ 10 each way.
Accommodation in Cameron Highlands
Hikers in the Cameron Highlands can choose to stay in Tanah Rata (more popular with budget travelers and foreign visitors) or Brinchang (higher elevation; Chinatown feel that draws more locals and Singaporeans).
The Legend of Jim Thompson
No visit to Cameron Highlands is complete without investigating the mysterious disappearance of millionaire Jim Thompson.
