Cameron Highlands, a region located about 214km north of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is a great weekend getaway from the bustling city, and strawberries and tea plantations aren’t the only attractions there. Travel writer Daryl Yep explores the many layers of this destination.
Cool weather, rolling hills of scenic tea plantations, and a whole range of leisure pursuits make Cameron Highlands a great destination for family bonding. Over the years, it has continued to attract an increasing number of visitors from honeymooners to researchers, and is perfect for practically anyone seeking a relaxing country retreat.
Apart from the increasing amount of accommodations to cater to the growing demand, Cameron Highlands hasn’t changed much over the years. Visitors can choose from the many options of hotels, guesthouses, lodges, bungalows, and established resorts such as Strawberry Park, Equatorial, and the award-winning Cameron Highlands Resort.
While plucking strawberries and savoring scones with tea ought to be on every visitor’s to-do list, learning about the background and history of the region is equally interesting. Hence, the discovery of a local museum at Jalan Sungai Burung in Brinchang came as a pleasant surprise. Opened in January 2007, the aptly named, Time Tunnel houses over 1,000 artifacts and features a gallery of monochrome pictures displaying the Highlands’ development and history. The owner and curator, See Kok Shan, has been gathering select memorabilia over the last decade. The heartwarming artifacts of the Time Tunnel truly capture the spirit of Malaysian life.
If by now the thought of big, juicy strawberries have already clouded your mind, you will be ecstatic to know that the Time Tunnel is located next to a strawberry farm. Before you proceed to the farm, I suggest you quench your thirst at the café above the museum. The refreshing and unique beverages made with fresh local strawberries will provide the energy that you need to explore the rest of the attractions in Cameron Highlands.
With a refreshing climate between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius all year-round, activities here are generally nature and agro-tourism-based. Markets, farms and nurseries make up the majority of the attractions. Nature lovers have a choice of 14 different trails of varying lengths and difficulty to explore the jungle of the Highlands. No nature tour is complete without a visit to the 220 million-year-old Mossy Forest, located at the peak of Mount Brinchang. At 6,666 ft above sea level, the mountain is the highest point in Malaysia accessible by road. On a clear day, the Straits of Melaka can be seen from the observation tower of Mount Brinchang.
The forests of Cameron Highlands are aptly nicknamed “cloud forests” because of the trees are able to strip moisture from the clouds. The trees are generally about 10m tall, with a rich medley of mosses, liverworts, ferns, pitcher plants, rhododendrons and wild orchids. These forests are often likened by the locals to the mystical Forest of Fangorn depicted in The Lord of the Rings, and are believed to be the final resting places for peaceful souls.
Among all the attractions in Cameron Highlands, tea plantations are one of the defining points that distinguish themselves from the rest of the hill resorts in the country. Whether you’re a tea drinker or not, a visit to this green carpet is highly encouraged to learn more about local tea, its benefits, and the tea making process. The spectacular view of the orderly tea bushes is a favorite photo opportunity for most visitors. There are a several tea plantations in Cameron Highlands for visitors to choose from. I headed to one of the most popular – BOH Tea Plantation Sungei Palas. With more than 75 years in the tea industry, BOH is a famous local tea brand in which most Malaysians are familiar. BOH Plantations is the largest tea-growing company in Malaysia with 1,200 hectares of tea gardens both in highland and lowland areas, producing a staggering 820,000 cups of tea per day!
To offer visitors a holistic experience of tea, the BOH Tea Centre was officially opened on March 8, 2007 on a hilltop of the Sungei Palas tea garden. The road leading to the Centre is long and winding, but once there, you’ll be rewarded with a magnificent view of the plantation from the overhanging platform at the Tea Centre. I joined a guided tour of the tea factory that has been operating since the 1930’s to gain an insight into the natural and simple process of tea processing, manufacturing and packaging.
After the tour, those who wished to purchase BOH teas proceeded to the souvenir and tea shop. The tour ended perfectly at the Tea’ria with snacks consisting of scones and sandwiches, which was washed down with a few cups of BOH tea. Before leaving, a final stop was made at the Kea Farm Day Market. A visit to the Highlands would not be complete without a trip to the day market to bring home various fresh produce at bargain prices. It didn’t take too long for the tour bus to be filled with bags of fresh vegetables, strawberries, fruits, corn, and flowers. Judging from the big glow of satisfaction and pleasure on everyone’s faces, one can’t help but suspect that this brief stop for shopping was actually the highlight of the whole tour.
For more information and images of Cameron Highlands, please visit www.tourism.gov.my/corporate.
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CAMERON HIGHLANDS – BACKGROUND:
(Excerpt from Cameron Highlands Tourist Information Guide Book 2009 – 4th Edition)
Cameron Highlands is made up of three main townships at different elevations, namely Ringlet, Tanah Rata, and Brinchang. Other smaller settlements located in the Highlands are Bertam Valley, Kea Farm, Tringkap, Kuala Terla and Kampung Raja.
Cameron Highlands was named after William Cameron, a British government surveyor who stumbled across a plateau in 1885 during a mapping expedition on the Titiwangsa Range. Failing to mark his discovery on the map, the location of the plateau was finally confirmed by subsequent expeditions after which Sir Hugh Low suggested that this would be an ideal location for a retreat and farmland. Nothing much happened after that until 1925 when Sir George Maxwell visited the highlands and decided to develop it as a hill station.
Once the road was constructed, wealthy residents and British government officials started building retreats on the slopes of the highlands. Farming was the main activity here at that time. In 1929, John Archibald Russell, the son of a British administrative officer, started a tea plantation that is now the famous BOH Tea Plantation.