Cooling Cameron Highlands - Day 1

4D 3N in Cameron Highlands (CH), Pahang

24 - 27 November 2011

Do you know what's the biggest hill station in Malaysia? Yup, Cameron Highlands it is. It is also the highest point in Malaysia which is accessible by car (Wikipedia).

Road signs showing direction to CH

I am sure if you ask the locals, they will tell you that Camerons is not as cooling as it was years ago. Must be the development that's fast encroaching into the hills. Hotels, apartments, restaurants, souvenir shops etc. etc. have altered the landscape so much since my last visit back in 2002. We visited all 3 main towns, Brinchang, Tanah Rata and Ringlet. Brinchang is congested with traffic due to the ever busy markets. So is Tanah Rata, I think it is kind of dead now, if not for the food outlets. The Tapah Road which brings people to Tanah Rata used to be the only route into Camerons until the opening of the Simpang Pulai Road. And Ringlet, what is there to see.

Ringlet town

So, you  want to know what we did during the 4 days? Here is a list of the places we visited...

1. Lata Iskandar Waterfall, Ringlet
2. Bharath Tea Plantation, Tanah Rata
3. Raju's Hill strawberry Farm, Brinchang
4. Rose Garden, Brinchang
5. Kea Farm Valley, Brinchang
6. Cactus Point, Brinchang
7. Robinson Falls, Tanah Rata
8. Kampung Ruil Orang Asli Settlement, Tanah Rata
9. Shri Sathya Sai Baba Centre, Tanah Rata
10. Sam Poh Buddhist Temple, Tanah Rata
11. Butterfly Farm, Brinchang
12. Bee Farm, Brinchang
13. Sungai Palas Boh Tea Plantation, Brinchang
14. Brinchang Night and Morning Market

Day 1 - 24 Nov 2011 (Thurs)

There were 10 of us, 4 adults and 6 kids. We went in 2 cars.The distance between KL and Camerons is about 220km. We left on a weekday so drive was smooth. We took the meandering Tapah road.

Open the windows please..can u feel the cool breeze..

See my hair flies.....

Took us about 2-3 hours uphill. There was no rush so we drove slow with windows down. The kids enjoyed the cold breeze. The drive was scenic; plenty of green hills.

CH landscape

We passed by many makeshift huts built by the natives or what we call in Malay the 'Orang Asli'. They were seen selling honey, rattan products, petai etc. Women had their babies tied up on them in sarongs.

The native huts

Our first stop was Lata Iskandar Waterfall.

Lata Iskandar Waterfall

Lata Iskandar waterfall

When we stopped here, there were many families on picnic. Some were soaking in the cascades, some gathered closely under the cold shower of the falls, some were just doing leg spa. Our kids got to play in the water awhile, just splashing with their jeans rolled up.

Ehh..the water is so cool

This place looked like it was in the middle of nowhere. It is located along the Tapah Road leading up to Camerons and is about 25km from Ringlet, the first town you hit when you enter Camerons.There are many unstable looking stalls selling tribal and ethnic souvenirs and handicrafts made by the natives or 'orang asli', herbs, aphrodisiacs, fruits and petai. This is also a toilet stop.

At the time we were there, I didn't see any developments nearby so the waterfall is pretty much unpolluted. The water is clear and clean.

Our next stop was Bharat Tea Plantation.

Bharat Tea Plantation

The Bharat signage

Barath tea plantation

Owned by a North Indian from Uttar Pradesh, and now managed by his descendants, the plantation is huge. We took pictures, walked through their mini museum and its history, shopped for tea products and had their famous Cameron Valley Tea which is their signature brand. Delicious.

A hot cup of tea on a cold day

We sat at the tea cafe and gazed at the panoramic view of a tea plantation. If it hadn't drizzled we would have loved to take a stroll in plantation.

There are signages along the way on Tapah Road so you can't miss this place.

We checked into our apartment in Equatorial at about 4pm. It was spacious and clean. But we had problem with the heater as it turned cold quickly. And the flush of one of the toilets wouldn't flush.

Tudor-styled apartment - where we stayed

That's Kea Farm at the back of the apartment

For dinner, we opted for Steamboat at Jin Jin Restaurant, Brinchang. This restaurant is adjacent to the Butterfly Farm and is also a subsidiary of it.

Steamboat..cook-it-yourself

In case you are wondering what a steamboat is, it is actually a 'do-it-yourself' soup, suitable to be eaten in cold weather. You will be served a steaming hot soup on a mini gas stove; you have a choice of two soups - tom yam or chicken. The uncooked food is served separately and it  consists of fish ball, crab stick, prawns, mushroom, cabbages, green vegetables, fish cakes, squid, fish minus the bones, chicken, noodles and eggs. Once the soup boils, you just throw in the items and let them cook.  Best eaten with noodles.

The seafood ready to be steamed

More seafood and chicken

Steamboat at Jin Jin was priced at RM17 per pax. We also ordered Chinese tea, some extra noodles and even fried tom yam rice. It costs us about RM75 for 10 pax.

Later that night, we went into the hotel lobby to experience their much-talked-about fireplace. The staff set the fire for us so the kids got a chance to warm themselves a bit.

Yes, Prisha, we know you look cute in that hood..

Our first night was so very cold. I could feel the cold seep right into my bones. We walked in layers of clothings and socks; and went to bed without a bath.

Some Tips :-
1. Never drive up during peak seasons ie end year school/public holidays and weekends; if you do, be prepared for miles and miles of stretching traffic jam

All the way from Tanah Rata  to Brinchang and sometimes vice versa

2. Stay in Brinchang for the cool weather; but be warned about the traffic situation

Mist in Brinchang

3. Stay in Tanah Rata if you prefer less congestion and crowd; but be prepared for a not so cooling weather

Tanah rata shop lots and restaurants

 4. Anticipate evening and night drizzles and rain

5. Come with loads of indoor games like cards, boards etc as there really is nothing much to do at night other than hibernate in your cold cold room/apartment

It's even more cold inside the room..

6. Service your vehicles first especially the brakes and tyres

7. Be aware that all prices are hiked up during peak seasons

8. You only need 3 days to see them all, unless you want to visit the same places over and over again.


All pictures are copyrighted. I can be reached at sivakay2009@gmail.com.

Cooling Cameron Highlands - Day 3

4D 3N in Cameron Highlands, Pahang

Day 3 - 26 Nov 2011 (Sat)

We had hot Maggie noodle soup for breakfast, just what the body needed on a cold morning. Our plan for the day was to visit the remaining places of interest.

Butterfly Farm, Brinchang

The welcome banner into Cameron Butterfly & Insect Farm

First stop was the Butterfly Farm. There is an entrance fee of RM5 for adults and RM2 for kids (4-12 years).  The butterflies are kept in a an enclosure.

Some not-so-lucky butterflies - broken wings and found on the floor

Most of the butterflies actually avoided human contact, they kept to the top parts of the enclosure. 

The enclosure - see them hang around the top

There were signs warning people not to catch them as they were fragile. But why weren't the names of the species displayed? And where were the guides to educate the public especially the children? Luckily, the kids were inquisitive, they went around looking for caterpillars and the pupa and found some.

One life cycle of the butterfly

Pretty - but not sure what species

Rishi took this shot - good work, Rishi!

Orange coloured butterfly feeding on nectar of a orange flower

Outside the enclosure, there are other creatures on display. The Rhino beetle, the scorpions, bullfrog, chameleons, leaf insects, Burmese phython ad even a chipmunk. Again, there were not enough of proper info display - like where did they originate, how old are they, their habitat etc etc.

Ugly Rhino beetle

So gross..

Interesting to watch was the  Leaf Insect..very cleverly disguised

The scorpion

The bull frog....BTW, Malaysians like to throw coins into any ponds with shallow water

The tortoise

The tangled snakes

Hint to Butterfly Farm, the farm is interesting but can you please add more education value to your collection. I know you are not running a zoo, and I can see that you do have a valuable collection, so why not share the story behind each species?

Just when we were leaving, I spotted a huge white board with info on the butterflies-their life cycle etc etc. So not strategically placed. The board should be at the entrance of the enclosure!

The preserved butterfly sold as souvenirs

We stopped at their souvenir shop and bought leaf-shaped butterfly bookmarks.

Bee Farm, Brinchang

By now (when we got out of the butterfly farm), we saw a long line of cars stuck in traffic in front of us. The Butterfly Farm and the Bee Farm are within walking distance.

So, we decided to walk to the Bee Farm. We passed a Bee Cafe and Souvenir Shop before stepping out into the farm.

The bees attracted to the honey inside the bee huts

There were a number of phony bees around (man-made). The bee huts attract the bees as they keep honey inside. Again, no guide to educate anyone.

Ok you all...walk up now, no bees here

There was another area where you pass through a maze that leads to the bees but this you need to pay. Everything is so commercialised.

The best part of the Bee Farm

The kids hit some balls (thank goodness the machine was spoilt so we needn't insert coins) while some of us looked around the souvenir shops.

For lunch, we stopped at a Malay stall nearby. We ordered fried rice with sambal belacan (chilly shrimp paste), simply delicious.


Sungai Palas Tea Plantation, Brinchang

Kreetha at the entrance

Next, we headed to Boh's Tea Plantation in Sungai Palas. Their cafe is spacious and offers a panoramic view. Tea in a garden, anyone?

Sg Palas Tea Plantation, rolling green hills....soothing to the eyes

But between Cameron Valley tea and Boh tea, I prefer the former. Having said that, you should try Boh's Coconut and Strawberry Tarts, they are really good, so soft and melts in the mouth.

You want to come? I'm going to pluck some tea leaves.

The highlight at Boh was supposed to be the factory tour. A signboard said that visitors should wait in the video room for their staff to collect us for the tour. After sitting through the video, nobody approached us. So, we went to enquire and they said the factory is closing and that we should have waited at the waiting area. So misleading.

The machine used to process tea leaves

So, we went in and just about saw the workers cleaning up tea stains from the floor and machines.

It stretches and stretches

The cafe that overlooks the plantation

The tea estate - blue houses indicate workers' quarters, I think

The mist started setting in soon after the rain



This  is how tea leaves look like



Boh Plantation, please have clear instructions put out or at least get your staff to come greet and talk to visitors.

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Since we had just about covered all that there is to see, we returned to the apartment. The drizzle continued. N (who else?) suggested the kids try out the indoor swimming pool located at the 5th floor of the hotel. The pool is heated and the water lukewarm. So, when the kids stayed in the water, they were okay but the moment they stepped out, they kind of froze. A quick dash to the apartment and a hot shower followed. But of coz they never complained.

For dinner, we wanted to check out the famous Brinchang Night Market. When we left, it wasn't raining so we thought it will be a smooth ride. But alas, we got stuck in the traffic jam for one hour. And by this time, it started to rain. Finding parking in Brinchang town at night was another nightmare.

Steamed sweet potatoes

But we did stop, and walked through the market stalls and got ourselves burgers, steamed tapioca, steamed corn, appam balik, pizza and nasi lemak. Thank goodness the traffic cleared by the time we started back to our apartment.

All pictures are copyrighted. I can be reached at sivakay2009@gmail.com.