2 Days in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

During my time in Malaysia, I visited the beautiful Cameron Highlands region for two days. The area is known for its rolling hills, strawberry farms, and temperate climate.

Day 0 – Arrival

I took an afternoon bus from the city of George Town, which dropped me off in Tanah Rata, the main town in Cameron Highlands. The bus was half-empty which made the ride very comfortable. I checked into Traveller Bunker Hostel and then met a few girls in my room who invited me to dinner. A large group of us went to a nearby food-court area and I had a surprisingly good pasta from Boss Taste. We made plans to explore the area the next day.

Day 1 – Strawberries & Tea

I joined the girls in my room for breakfast and then we headed to a bike rental shop. We had planned to drive motorbikes, but Malaysia is more strict than other Southeast Asian countries and wouldn’t let us drive without proper licenses. I was secretly relieved since I’d heard the roads were difficult to drive on. Instead, the shop owner helped us hire a private driver for the day, which ended up being a similar price anyways. Soon we met our driver Robert, and we were off.

Our first stop was the Big Red Strawberry Farm. I didn’t think the farm was all that interesting, but the strawberries and cream I ordered from the restaurant was really good. My friend’s strawberry milkshake was also amazing! Next, we visited a butterfly garden which was also a mini-zoo with reptiles, alpacas, wallabies, and more. Robert then drove us to Cameron Valley Tea House, where we had lunch and then explored the tea plantation. We also tried some tea tarik, which is a delicious type of Malaysian hot milk tea.

Big Red Strawberry Farm

Tasty strawberry treats

Cameron Valley Tea House

After spending some time at the tea plantation, we had Robert take us back into town and said our goodbyes. We then went into a nearby store to try some Malaysian snacks; each of us picked two items to taste test and then we shared them all at the hostel. I picked the Salted Egg Lays (disgusting) and some stringy crisps (much better). It was a fun way to try some new local foods; my favorite ended up being the Thai coconut rolls.

It was raining heavily by this point, so we relaxed at the hostel until dinnertime. We then went to a hot pot restaurant next door which was just okay. We didn’t stay for too long since we had an early morning the next day.

Day 2 – A Sunrise Tour

We had to wake up around 5:30 AM for a sunrise tour that we had booked through our hostel. Our guide met us downstairs at 5:55 AM and then showed us into our Land Rovers for the trip. We drove to a viewpoint and waited around an hour to watch the sun rise over the mountains and surrounding tea plantations. The view was beautiful, but I was freezing despite my warm clothes.

A beautiful sunrise spot

Next we drove to the Mossy Forest. I understood why bikes were off-limits on this road; thankfully our trucks could handle the rocky, rough terrain. The forest was really pretty, and the guide taught us a lot about the foliage. Unfortunately I was still very cold, however. Finally we headed to Boh Tea Plantation where we ordered tea and some scones. I was relieved to finally warm up after trying some of the local flavors. After our breakfast, we joined a short plantation tour where we learned how the tea is processed.

The Mossy Forest

Boh Tea Plantation

From there, our guides drove us to another strawberry farm on the way back to the hostel. We had a short visit at the farm, where I tried the strawberry juice and made friends with a local dog. Soon we were dropped off at the hostel where we got some much-needed rest. After spending some time relaxing, we went to The Lord’s Cafe for scones and more tea.

I spent the rest of the afternoon socializing at the hostel until dinnertime, where some of us went to a nearby Malay/Indian restaurant. I had no idea what to order and settled on the “nasi goreng pattaya,” which was fried rice wrapped in a fried egg. It was surprisingly really good! We spent the evening at the restaurant and then at some local bars watching the Euro soccer tournament. Overall, I had a relaxing time exploring the Cameron Highlands region and enjoyed the scenery, the tea, and the cooler weather.

Downtown Tanah Rata