Hikes, Highlands & Hot Tea: A Guide to Malaysia’s Coolest Escape
After zipping around Malaysia’s dazzling coasts and exciting cities, we headed for the cool embrace of the Cameron Highlands — a change of scenery, and climate. Spanning over 700 square kilometres of misty jungle, lush, emerald hills, and sprawling tea estates, the Highlands offer a quieter, greener side of Malaysia. Think strawberry farms, scenic hikes, and crisp air breezing through the trees. It was the perfect reset after weeks of heat, hustle, and humidity.
Emerald green tea estates.
Where to Stay
We based ourselves at a guesthouse in Tanah Rata, a backpacker-friendly locale — but the Highlands is made up of a string of towns connected by a main road. There are plenty of accommodations to choose from in the other towns as well. Brinchang is bigger, a little busier, and great for markets and farm tours, while Kampung Tringkap is quieter with more local charm.
If you want to visit the iconic BOH Tea Centre, Brinchang is the closest jump-off point… but we’ll get to that in a little.
Hiking Trails Galore!
If you’re like me, a good hike somehow always sneaks its way onto the itinerary — and the Cameron Highlands did not disappoint.
The area has 14 official Jungle Trails, each offering its own blend of panoramic views, varying degrees of difficulty and bits of magic. They can be found on Maps.me or AllTrails.
The List
Trail 1: Mt Brinchang - difficult
Trail 2: Sam Poh Buddhist Temple - difficult
Trail 3: Arcadia Cottage to Mt Beremban - moderate
Trail 4: Parit Waterfall - easy
Trail 5: Agriculture Institute (MARDI) - easy
Trail 6: Bharat Tea Estate to Mt Jasar - moderate to difficult
Trail 7: MARDI to Mt Beremban - very difficult
Trail 8: Robinson Waterfall to Mt Beremban - difficult
Trail 9: Robinson Waterfall to Tanah Rata - moderate, steep (includes 9 and 9a)
Trail 10: Oly Apartments (Tanah Rata) to Mt Jasar - moderate to difficult
Trails 11 & 12: Currently closed
Trail 13: Cameron Holiday Inn to Trail 14
Trail 14: continues to Mt Mentigi, ending in Tanah Rata - moderate
* This one winds through mossy forests
BOH Tea Centre
Located deep in the Highlands, BOH is the largest plantation in Malaysia, and it’s absolutely beautiful. To get there you have to follow a long, winding, narrow, two-way-but-feels-like-it-should-be-one-way road, so if you’re not a super confident scooter driver, consider getting a ride.
But once you arrive? WOW.
The view from the tea centre’s terrace is incredible, where you can see the lush green hills roll far into the distance. Wander the tea fields, tour the tea factory and — my personal favourite — enjoy a freshly brewed cup of local tea while taking it all in.
The BOH tearoom overhanging the plantation
