The Cameron Highlands are a super popular backpacker destination, and for good reason. Famous tea plantations, plenty of hiking, stunning sunrise views and landscapes that look like something out of Lord of the Rings! Cameron Highlands is small but has great hostels and great vibes among the backpacking community. It is also a much cooler climate due to the elevation, so it makes a nice change from the humidity of Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
How many days to spend in the Cameron Highlands
Depending on how much of an avid hiker you are, most people spend between 2-6 full days in the Cameron Highlands. As a casual hiker, I think three full days is the perfect amount. Three days would allow you to do two different hikes across two days and explore the tea plantations and strawberry farms. This does not include the travel days to get in and out of the Cameron Highlands.
How to get to the Cameron Highlands
Most travellers heading to the Cameron Highlands will come from Kuala Lumpur, Taman Negara or Penang, so there are plenty of services. It is possible to come from further afield, such as Melaka, Langkawi, Perenthian Islands and even Singapore. However, this route would be considerably longer and would mean skipping a lot of popular destinations on the way.
How to get to the Cameron Highlands from Kuala Lumpur
Several direct bus and shuttle services are operating between Kuala Lumpur and the Cameron Highlands. All buses depart from the TBS Bus Terminal in KL (Terminal Bersepadu Selatan) and arrive at the main bus terminal in Tanah Rata in the Cameron Highlands. The two main companies operating services on this route are Unititi Express and C.S Express. You can purchase tickets through your hostel or online at www.busonlineticket.com. Expect to pay around 38 RM Malaysian Ringgit ($8.50 USD) for the 3-4 hour journey. Buses run regularly between 8 am and 5 pm daily.
How to get to the Cameron Highlands from Penang
The journey from the Cameron Highlands to Penang takes 4-5 hours and is a popular travel route. Many companies operate buses along this route, such as GJG Express, C.S Express and Unititi Express. The first bus departs at 8:30 am, and the latest bus departs at 1:30 pm, departing from the Komtar Tower Bus Station, within walking distance from Georgetown. Expect to pay around 38 RM Malaysian Ringgit ($8.50 USD) for the journey. You can usually purchase tickets through your hostel or online at www.busonlineticket.com.
How to get to the Cameron Highlands from Taman Negara
The easiest and quickest way to get from the Cameron Highlands to Taman Negara is via the shuttle service of Han Travel. You can book directly on their website for the bus departing at 8 am daily. With Han Travel, you have two options: a shuttle-only ticket or a shuttle and scenic boat ride ticket. Depending on your ticket type, expect to pay between 95-140 RM Malaysian Ringgit ($21.50-$32 USD). The journey will take 6-9 hours, depending on ticket type, including rest and food stops. Read my Taman Negara blog here for full information on the different ticket types.
How to get around the Cameron Highlands
There is no Grab, Gojek or Taxis in the Cameron Highlands, so the main ways to get around will be walking, day tours or hitchhiking.
Getting around the Cameron Highlands on foot
Tanah Rata is the main town of the Cameron Highlands and where most of the accommodation is based. Most restaurants, cafes and bars are in Tanah Rata and within walking distance. The entrances to many hiking trails are also walkable from Tanah Rata, such as trail 10. You also can potentially walk to the Strawberry Farm and the Time Travellers Museum, but it’s around an hour’s walk on the side of the road with no footpath. Still, it was doable but not the best walk back and forth.
Getting around Cameron Highlands with a tour
If you want to go to Mossy Forest or see the sunset at Mount Brinchang, booking a day tour is your best bet, as these attractions are not walkable from Tanah Rata. Most tours also include a stop at the BOH Tea Plantation.
Getting around the Cameron Highlands by rental car
If you have a vehicle or scooter, you can visit all the sites without a tour. This includes the BOH Tea Plantation, Sunrise at Mt Brinchang and Mossy Forest. However, the roads around the tea fields are pretty narrow with a sharp drop, so exercise caution. You may have to stop and give way to oncoming traffic in many turns, as the roads are barely wide enough for two vehicles. Most tours use Jeeps or 4WD cars as they sometimes have to go off-road to give way to oncoming traffic.
Getting around the Cameron Highlands by Hitchhiking
Hitchhiking is incredibly common in the Cameron Highlands due to the lack of taxis or rideshares. Common places to hitchhike include the Bharat Tea Plantation, the Night Market, the Strawberry Farms and the end of the hiking trails. There is only one road in and out of Tanah Rata, so everyone has to pass through the town to get to other attractions. Hitchhiking is easy, as all cars are headed through Tanah Rata. It only took around a 10-15 minute wait at maximum to find someone to give us a lift back into Tanah Rata.
What to do in the Cameron Highlands
Although Cameron Highlands is a relatively small place, it is full of things to do! Cameron Highlands has a little bit of everything from hiking to tea tastings and strawberry picking.
Hiking in the Cameron Highlands
Cameron Highlands is a treasure trove of hiking trails for avid hikers. The popular trails are numbered 1-10, ranging from beginner hikes to more challenging treks. If you plan on doing all the hikes, you would need at least three full days consisting of 12+ hours of hiking. The majority of people choose one or two of the trails to complete.
Route 10 and Route 6 are the two most popular hikes for the views, and they are suitable for beginner hikers. I started on Route 10 and then came back via Route 6, which ends near Bharat Tea Plantation, where I stopped for a tea tasting and snack. If hiking trails other than Route 10 and Route 6, watch out for stray dogs. The less popular trails (particularly in low tourism periods) tend to have packs of stray dogs traversing them. While they are mostly harmless, hiking with someone else on these lesser-walked trails is always recommended.
Mount Brinchang Sunrise Tour
A must-do in the Cameron Highlands! Book a tour as soon as you arrive, as it’s an extremely popular activity, and spots tend to fill up. The tours consist of 3 main stops: a place where you watch the sunrise over Mt Brinchang, a tea tasting and snack stop at BOH Tea Centre, and lastly, hiking the Mossy Forest. The best part of the tour is you ride around in cool old Jeeps, which is an experience.
Tours cost 60 RM Malaysian Ringgit ($13.50 USD) and do not include breakfast or tea at the tea plantation. Make sure you buy breakfast food from a convenience store the night before, as nothing is open before sunrise in Tanah Rata. The tour starts 30 minutes before dawn (exact timing dependent on the time of year) and finishes around midday. Our tour ended up running a bit late as there was traffic coming back into Tanah Rata. The hiking is pretty easy even if you aren’t an experienced hiker or very fit. Some of the locals even did it in slip-on sandals!
BOH Tea Centre
BOH Tea Centre is one of the most famous spots in the Cameron Highlands! The Highlands are renowned for their tea plantations, and BOH is one of the oldest and largest plantations in Malaysia. Even if you’re not a tea drinker, trying the famous BOH Tea is a must-do! BOH Tea Centre also has panoramic views over the tea fields, making it a lovely spot to visit. BOH Tea Centre isn’t within walking distance from anything, so you will need to hitchhike or join a tour to get here. If you join a Mount Brinchang Sunrise Tour, generally, they include a stop here before heading to the Mossy Forest.
Bharat Tea Plantation
Another day, another tea plantation. Bharat Tea Plantation isn’t quite as famous as BOH Tea, but it is a popular spot nonetheless. They have panoramic views of the tea fields and serve great tea, cakes and other snacks. Bharat Tea Plantation is a popular stop after hiking Route 6, as the trail ends right near Bharat. It is also an easy spot to hitchhike back to Tanah Rata from.
Big Red Strawberry Farm
Another thing Cameron Highlands is famous for is its strawberries! Many strawberry farms are scattered throughout the Highlands, with Big Red being the largest and most popular. You can pick strawberries or visit their strawberry-themed cafe to try some unique strawberry-flavoured dishes. Big Red is around an hour’s walk from Tanah Rata, with some of the walk being on the side of the road (as opposed to a paved sidewalk).
Where to stay in the Cameron Highlands
There are several different hostels in the Cameron Highlands, all in the centre of Tanah Rata. Regardless of which hostel you stay at, all backpackers tend to bump into each other, given the size of Cameron Highlands. Traveller Bar of an evening is a great spot where all the backpackers hang out and chill out after long hiking days. You can book all accommodation here.
Traveller Bunker Hostel
I cannot recommend this hostel enough for solo travellers! The dorms are pod-style beds with curtains and plugs/ reading lights in the pod. This Cameron Highlands hostel has multiple common areas, so making friends is super easy. The hostel staff are also fantastic and give you so much info about all the hikes and their personal recommendations for things to do in the Cameron Highlands. They encourage everyone to pair up with “hiking buddies” when hiking for safety and the social aspect. Traveller Bunker has a blackboard where you write what day and time you will be hiking a particular trail so other travellers can join you.
Bricks Backpackers
Bricks Backpackers is a super clean and modern hostel in the Cameron Highlands with pod beds and curtains in the dorms. They also have a great price for private rooms if you’re travelling as a couple or want to treat yourself to some privacy. They have great common areas and are located in the centre of town.
Hikers Sleeping Port
Hikers Sleeping Port is a small hostel in the Cameron Highlands with a very homey vibe. As the name suggests, it is a hostel marketed at avid hikers with staff who are all hikers themselves. It’s super close to the bus station but still in the central area of Tanah Rata. Hikers Sleeping Portan excellent alternative to Traveller Bunker if you want to have many early nights and stay somewhere quiet.
Where to eat in the Cameron Highlands
One of the most unexpected things about the Cameron Highlands was the diversity and quality of food. There are several great restaurants and cafes in Tanah Rata, and the weekend night market is one of the best I’ve been to in Malaysia!
The Weekend Night Market
If you’re in Cameron Highlands on a Friday or Saturday night, check out the night market for dinner! The night market is called Pasar Malam on Google Maps and is open only on Friday and Saturday nights from 5 pm-11 pm. It’s a 45-minute walk from Tanah Rata, or you can easily hitchhike there and back, and most people will be heading to the night market. There are many different foods, including non-Malay foods like pizza and kebabs. Some of the best foods to try are tempura vegetables, sweet potato balls, nasi lemak with strawberry rice, smoking ice cream and strawberries and chocolate for dessert.
Sri Brinchang
Located on the main road of Tanah Rata, this restaurant offers authentic Indian cuisine at great prices. They open only for lunch and be prepared to wait for a table at busy times and on weekends.
Mayflower
Strongly recommend getting a group from the hostel to share hotpot at Mayflower in the Cameron Highlands! Great food and prices on meat, seafood and vegetarian/ vegan hotpots. They also help you cook everything so you don’t accidentally give everyone salmonella from not cooking the meat enough.
Amsterdam Cafe
Looking for an all-day Western breakfast? Then Amsterdam cafe is the place to go. They serve great smashed avocado on toast, coffees and pastries. They have both indoor and outdoor seating are based on the main road of Tanah Rata, so a great place for people-watching.
Bunga Suria
The best spot in town for Roti Canai! Fast service and great prices. They also have an extensive menu of different combinations of Roti Canai.
Lords Cafe
This cafe is famous in the Cameron Highlands for its scones and tea! The cafe has a cute, homey vibe with plenty of indoor plants. If you don’t like tea or scones, they have plenty of other food and drink options that are just as good.
Singh Chapati
Affordable and delicious Indian food, open for dinner only! Singh Chapati is one of the most popular restaurants in the Cameron Highlands. The location is on a residential street just off the main road, in a big white building resembling an apartment complex. Given the restaurant’s innocuous exterior and location, we got lost trying to find Singh Chapati.
Nightlife in the Cameron Highlands
Cameron Highlands and Tanah Rata town are small but very much geared towards tourism. There are a few bars that cater towards travellers, but no clubs or anywhere where you can dance, unfortunately. Their bars tend to be relatively quiet, as many people get up early for hikes or to watch the sunrise.
Rainforest Cafe
A solid little sports bar, which is perfect for a post-hike bevvy. They also have a few food options, but it’s mostly bar food and nibblies, so head elsewhere for a hearty dinner. The bar has a good mix of locals and tourists on any night of the week.
Traveller Bar
Traveller Bar is a small dive bar hidden in a small street off the main road of Tanah Rata. Any night after 9 pm it is filled with backpackers playing drinking games. It’s not the most aesthetic bar, but it does serve the cheapest drinks and has the best backpacker vibes. Don’t expect dancing or a late night, as it is the Cameron Highlands. Most people leave around midnight (if not earlier) to get a good night’s rest before another day of hiking.
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