Cameron Highlands Malaysia is the smallest district in Pahang, Malaysia , which is located in the north-western corner of the Pahanh. One of the most popular hill resort in Malaysia , this CAMERON  highland paradise still retains much of the charm of an English village. Although massive development in the last decade has changed the landscape of the highlands, it remains a popular destination for those who wanting to to escape the hot weather of the lowlands.

Being a primarily agricultural domain, you will find an abundance of vegetables and fruits farms dotted all over the highlands. Cameron Highland Malaysia  is also the leading producer of flowers and tea in Malaysia. Be prepared for a lovely sight of tea plantations and beautiful flowers you won’t see flourishing elsewhere in Malaysia.

Located on the Titiwangsa Range at about 1500 metres above sea-level, the temperature here can drop to 16 ˚C or lower at certain times. The weather here remains at the lower 20′s most of the time.

Cameron Highlands is made up of 4 main townships followed by smaller settlements at different elevations. The first town from the south is Ringlet, followed by Tanah Rata, Brinchang, Kea Farm, Tringkap, Kuala Terla and Kampung Raja.

Ringlet
If you’re taking the old road via Tapah, this is the first town you will reach after after the 1 hour drive through the rainforest. Located at an elevation of 1,200 metres above sea-level, Ringlet is one of the main agricultural hub for the highlands. There is nothing much to do here for the typical tourist besides stopping for fuel as this is one of of the towns with petrol stations. Bertam Valley which is located about 5km away is one of the main flower and vegetable producers in Cameron Highlands. The nearest hotel is the LakeHouse which is less then 5 minutes drive from here.

Tanah Rata
Further up is Tanah Rata which is about 12 km’s (20 minutes drive) from Ringlet. This is the administrative capital of Cameron Highlands where all the government offices, hospital and the district police station is located. The main bus station is also located here and this is where you would be able to get your transportation needs within and out of the highlands sorted out. Most of the chalets and guest houses are located here in and around Tanah Rata, Almost all the jungle trekking and waterfall trails starts around Tanah Rata

Local tours and transfers can be obtained from the various tour operators in town. Money changers and internet cafe’s can also be found here. Tanah Rata would be a nice place to enjoy the highlands, especially during the weekdays. It is much more quieter compared to Brinchang where most of the big hotels and restaurants are located.

Brinchang
Next is Brinchang which is about 4 km’s (10 minutes drive) from Tanah Rata. This is where you will find most of the tourist hotels and restaurants. The night market which is open every Saturday night and on holidays, features all kinds of vegetables, flowers, fruits and other products of the highlands. This place can get really crowded during the weekends and holiday season. Traffic jams and parking problems can be a nightmare during this time. Next to Ringlet, this is the only other town with petrol stations so keep your fuel tank in check.

Kea Farm, Tringkap, Kuala Terla & Kampung Raja
Beyond Brinchang, the road leads to all the way to Blue Valley. Most of the tourist spots are located around this route. This is where you will find the markets, vegetable farms, flower gardens, bee gardens and butterfly gardens. The road also branches out to the Sungai Palas tea plantation from here where you can visit the factory or have a cup of tea while enjoying the breathtaking view of the plantation.

If you continue on the main road heading north, it will be downhill from Kea Farm onwards. You will see vegetables farms all the way from here to Tringkap and beyond. Tringkap is a small farming community where you can find stalls along the road selling local produce. Fifteen minutes away is Kuala Terla, another small farming community. Kampung Raja is the last town on the map. Since the opening of the Simpang Pulai road, this town has become the gateway to the highlands from the north. From here, you can head west to Ipoh or east to Gua Musang in Kelantan.

Cameron Highlands was named after William Cameron, a British government surveyor who stumbled across a plateau in 1885 during a mapping expedition on the Titiwangsa Range. Failing to mark his discovery on the map, the location of the plateau was a finally confirmed by subsequent expeditions after which Sir Hugh Low suggested that this would be an ideal location for a retreat and farmland. A narrow path to the highlands was then cut through the dense jungles of the highlands.

Nothing much happened after that until 1925 when Sir George Maxwell visited the highlands and decided to develop it as a hill station. A development committee was then formed which functioned until 1931. Cameron Highlands was a haven for the British who were station in Malaya as it provided relief from the hot and humid tropical climate of the lowlands.Once the road was constructed, wealthy residents and British government officials started building retreats on the slopes of the highlands. Later some settled here permanently and a business community developed. Farming was the main activity here at that time. In 1929, John Archibald Russell, who was the son of a British administrative officer started a tea plantation which is now the famous Boh Tea Plantation.

The highlands developed successfully until the outbreak of World War II where the Japanese invasion in 1941 forced the British troops and civilians out of the highlands. The Japanese continued to administer the area since they saw the highlands farms as a vital food source for their troops. When the Japanese troops retreated from Malaya in 1945, the British gradually returned to the highlands until the independence of Malaya from the British in 1957.

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