What did the British do to escape India’s heat? They built hill stations and grew tea leaves next door for refreshment and profit. So it was with Malaysia. In 1885, a British surveyor, William Cameron, came up to the Titiwangsa Mountains on elephant back and found a haven that had all the ingredients for a prefect hill get way – a constant cool breeze, plenty of rain, plenty of shine and perfect soil for growing tea. Tea planters settled into Cameron’s highlands. Chinese farmers followed in their wake. Shopkeepers set up shop to sell the farmers tea and fruit. And a hill-station was born.
Like any good British-bred hill station, the Cameron Highlands too have their share of mystery, populated by colourful colonials. Read on, and we’ll tell you the legends about a spy disappeared into the forested hills of north-east Burma, but the Cameron Highlands have their own mystery tale of a vanished Western spy who… Well, read on.
To this day the Cameron Highlands send up a soothing greeting to the traveler, just as they did for William Cameron a century ago. Cool breezes waft over acre after acre of perfectly manicured, green hillsides amidst the sound of eternally falling rain. The highlands are all but frozen in time – their colonial cloak intact, the tranquil mist still wrapped around the jungle trails.
All travellers enter the Cameron Highlands from the south. Coming up from Tapah (50 km/ 1¼ hrs) in Perak State – the doorstep of the highlands – you will pass a pretty waterfall before you encounter the town of Ringlet and its large lake in the Bertram Valley. About 12 km north is Cameron Highlands’ HQ – Tanah Rata. A short 3 km further north is Brinchang, the third of the triplets, which affords access to Gunung Brinchang, the highlands’ tallest peak at 6,562 ft. All three towns are tea country – promising beautiful views, long drives and relaxation in an atmosphere that combines Malaysia and an English village, thanks to the mock Tudor character of the buildings.
The highlands are truly picturesque and a great getaway in spite (or perhaps because) of the almost daily rain. While this means you’ve got to stay indoors while it rains, most of the hotels offer exquisite views and the sight of the mist descending on the hills is stunning. Quite the place to snuggle up with a loved grown tea...
Things To See & Do
Visit a tea plantation, take in the fruit farms and waterfalls, explore the fruit farms and waterfalls, explore the jungle trails, climb up to Gunung Brinchang and then pass the days listing to the hypnotic sound of falling rain.
The easiest way to take in the prime tourist sites is a guided tour. All hotels offer standard ones. This is most economical way to see the main sights, since the tour is approx RM 15 per head. However, it does mean you have to do some pretty pointless stuff. If there are enough of you (at list 4 or 5), through, you can easily get a customized tour, or simply take along your OT guide and hire a taxi for RM 15-18 per hour. Most drivers double as guides.
Apart from the day tour, we urge you to drive across the hills at night. The lights from a hundreds to aid their blooming give the hillsides a ghostlike, ethereal look.
Warning if you’re driving a rental, do keep in mind that these hills have several blind turns. If you’re susceptible to motion sickness, carry your medication along as you meander up and down the curves.
Tea Plantations
Conveniently, all the three towns offer access to one tea plantation each – Sungai Palas Estate from Brinchang, Cameron Bharat Tea Estate from Tanah Rata and Boh Plantation from Ringlet. The Sungai Palas Tea Estate, owned by Boh Plantations in the area and has been growing Ceylon (Sri Lanka) tea since 1929. A drive through the sprawling green valleys of the plantation and a visit to the tea factory are the highlights of the standard half-day tour that all agents offer. The view of the neat bushes covering every inch of the slopes above the estate will bring back memories of munnar.
You also get to see the stages tea goes through in its journey from bush to cup. Don’t get too close to the machines though – as the bureaucratic sign at the entrance to the factory informs you, any limb you lose is entirely your own concern. The estates used to employ mostly local women of the Tamil community, which is why a tamil-style Hindu temple sits disconsolately in the midst of the workers’ houses. Sungai Palas is located north of Brinchang town; take the left turn after the Butterfly and Wild Orchild Farms, opposite the fruit and vegetable stalls.
You can similarly visit the other two plantations – the Boh Tea Estate, 9 km east of the town of Ringlet, where you can also visit the factory; and Shalimar Estate of Cameron Bharat Plantations, off JI Besar just south of Tanah Rata, where you cannot. Take the road going east between the Power Station at the dam the site and Habu to get to Boh.
At any of these places, you can buy the tea produced and also taste it in their teashops. If you care about your tea, you may want to note that Boh and Sungai Palas grow Ceylon whereas Cameron Bharat grows Indian Orange Pekoe.
• Sungai Palas factory visitor timings 9 am-4.30 pm, Mon closed Boh factory visitor timings 9 am-4.30 pm, Mon closed
Back
