Cool Climate of Cameron Highlands

GPS waypoint: 4°28'14.0"N 101°22'34.0"E
Location: Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

1600 MASL (meters above sea level)
From Penang, the next stop could have been Langkawi Island to the north, or Perenthian Islands to the east or Cameron Highlands to the south. En route to Kuala Lumpur where I was to take my flight out of Malaysia, Cameron Highlands was the logical destination as it was along the way. Travelers from Cameron talked about treks on tea plantation but somehow, no one mentioned the cold climate at 1,100 - 1,600 meters above sea level. It was freezing - a sharp departure from the hot and humid climate of Penang.

Tanah Rata - Brinchang
There are 2 townships in Cameron Highlands where travelers stay - Tanah Rata and Brinchang. They are only 4 kms apart and there is only one road connecting them. You would think there are plenty of public transportation plying that route, but no! There are no buses and the only way to get there is by a MYR10 taxi. In protest, I hitched both ways, and got a ride - but it took quite a while as hitching is not part of the Malaysian culture.

• Tanah Rata - is the business center where the bus terminal is, the post office and some tourist offerings like hotel and tour agencies. There is the night market for sumptuous eating, but it's not as busy as Brinchang.
• Brinchang - this is the more touristy area with hotels lined up one after another. They have a bigger night market. This is where you want to book your hotel. Buses coming from Penang will pass by Brinchang first before making its stop in Tanah Rata.

hitch hiking between Tanah Rata and Brinchang

Yoga
While walking around Brinchang, I chanced on a yoga studio. It's ran by June, a local from Ipoh who is devoted to her Sivananda practice. We had tea and talked about yoga and destinations in India to deepen the practice. She scheduled to have me teach a class the following day. It was all good until I realized my visa expiration was due - I had to leave for Kuala Lumpur to catch a flight out of Malaysia. I feel bad not being able to teach that class. Thank you for the offer June!

Foodscape
Although not at the level of Penang, the food scene in Cameron Highlands isn't too bad. There is a good mix of Chinese, Indian and Malay food at the night market. The chicken sate is particularly good specially with the peanut sauce. Despite Ramadhan, there was still plenty of open food stalls for good eats.

A Day in Cameron Highlands
I used my entire 4 days on my laptop getting productive on such a pleasant alfresco area breathing cool mountain air. I did a few walks around town, even hitch hiked to Brinchang to check out the scene and lavished good eats at the night market. There are various numbered jungle treks which you can do without a guide. But apart from all that, much of Cameron Highlands's itineraries are centered on packaged tours - farm tours, tea plantation tour, jungle tour, etc. Tours can range from MYR 25 to up in the 3 digits.

Ending Thoughts
The biggest draw of Cameron Highlands for me is the climate. You don't find many places in Southeast Asia along that hemisphere offering such cool mountain weather. You don't even have to do anything touristy. Just being there for the climate is rewarding enough.

--- TheLoneRider

Next stop: Kuala Lumpur

Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

• Tanah Rata
• Brinchang

Cameron Highlands Cost Index

• MYR 15 dorm bed at Daniel's Lodge in Tanah Rata
• MYR 15 haircut
• MYR 55 Taman Negara Tour
• MYR 125 Perhentian Island Tour
• MYR 25 Countryside Tour - tea farm, strawberry farm, honey bee farm, Market Square, Buddhist temple, Cactus Valley, Insect farm
• MYR 88 Rainforest Adventure Tour - aborigine village, blow-pipe hunting demo, waterfall, jungle trek, butterfly & insect farm, tea factory, Rafflesia (giant flower)
• MYR 65 Rainforest Jungle Trekking, 3-4 hours
• MYR 10/hour or 50/day fat bike rental
• MYR 25/hour taxi hire, min 3 hours
• MYR 50/8 hours motorcycle rental
• MYR 2.75 1.5 liter drinking water
• MYR 60 one hour body massage
• MYR 5 average night market hawker meals
• MYR 10 taxi from Brinchang to Tanah Rata and vice versa
• MYR 22.40 non-aircon economy bus from Cameron Highlands to Kuala Lumpur
• MYR 35 express a/c bus from Cameron Highlands to Kuala Lumpur
• MYR 32 express a/c bus from Cameron Highlands to Penang
• MYR 125-140 express a/c bus from Cameron Highlands to Singapore

Cameron Highlands FYI / Tips

• the tourist area where most of the hotels, restaurants, ticket offices, tour operators are in Brinchang

How to Get to Cameron Highlands from Penang

• instead of doing multiple transfers if you do it on your own, you can book it with your hostel for MYR 45 including hotel pick-up by taxi, transfer to the big bus at Comtar, 4 hours, departing at 8:30 and arriving Tanah Rata 12:50.

Things to do, Places to go in Cameron Highlands

1. jungle walk - the established walks are numbered. It's free and you don't need a guide. With the rainy season, the trails could be brushy
2. tours - there are many packaged tours offered from visiting tea plantations, jungle treks, strawberry farm visits, honey bee farms, etc. The main activities in Cameron Highlands are centered on these packaged tours
3. night market - eat and feast on the Indian, Malay and Chinese food selections at the night market
4. Thompson Falls - many eating places too

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