Things to do in Cameron Highlands

Cameron Highlands is a place you either love or hate. For those who love it, like me, it is an idyllic place to relax and unwind. People who like exciting, happening venues will find Cameron Highlands boring without the hectic, hustle and bustle that a city offers. The locals are mainly farmers and the entire town is asleep by 10.00 pm or earlier. Once, we took a walk at 10pm and the main road was empty of cars and all the shops are shuttered. Compare that to Kuala Lumpur where I'm from, there are still quite a few cars out on the road at the wee hours of 3.00 am and small groups of people dining and chatting at the 24-hour mamak (Indian-Muslim) eateries.

That said, there is plenty to do in Cameron Highlands. Things that you can't do in a fast-paced city. My list is in the order of my personal preference. Yours may be different.

First on my list is be a "farmer". There are farms that let the customers pluck the vegetables and fruits themselves. Ask for a basket and scissors. You're not allowed to pluck the vegetables or fruits with your bare hand for that will damage the plant or tree. 

Since I'm not a shutter-bug by nature, I did not take pictures of all the vegetables and fruits that I had plucked. There is a hybrid fruit called Cameron Highlands Apples whose pictures I took and covered in another post here. 

Cherry tomatoes

My haul

Chili peppers

There are quite a few strawberry farms where you could pick your own strawberries. But be warned that the strawberries in Cameron Highlands are not the big, sweet, juicy ones you're used to in countries with four seasons like the UK or Seoul. They're smaller in size, and some could be rather sour. Sour as in sharp, not sweet and slightly tart. I had to smother them with whipped cream before I could enjoy them.

Second on my list is eating all the scones my stomach could handle! While scones are available in Kuala Lumpur, they are the American version, dry and dense, which some Americans, by the way, called "biscuits". They're eaten on  their own or with gravy. The scones in Britain are soft and fluffy, and eaten with jam and clotted cream. You can get these at Cameronian Inn, Tanah Rata. The ones at Copthorne Hotel are the American version. 

These are the scones I like, the British version

Trivia: How you eat your scones in the UK can tell where you are from. In Cornwall, London, Bournemouth and Isle of Wight, the jam comes first, then the cream. In Devonshire, the cream comes first, then the jam. How does the Queen eat it? Jam first, then cream. How do I eat it? Same as the Queen, of course! Not because I emulated the Queen, but because I had lived in Bournemouth and London for some years.

Third on my list is to just walk aimlessly around, admiring the flora and fauna, and tea plantations. Since Cameron Highlands is cooler, between 16 degrees Celcius on rainy days and 24 degrees on bright sunny days, cooler climate flowers like roses, lilies, sunflowers and birds of paradise thrive here. 

Birds of paradise are quite a common sight in Cameron Highlands

Thunbegia Mysorensis aka Lady's Slippers

Lilies are common in Cameron Highlands too. Tiger lilies, trumpet lilies and striped barbados lilies. Below is a Striped Barbados Lily.

There is a Rose Valley at Tringkap, near Brinchang, which houses hundreds of rose species and cacti. Do drop in if you are a plant or flower enthusiast like me. On the day I visited, there was a sudden rainstorm just after I paid the entrance fee (RM5 / USD1.12). The ticket wasn't refundable so I had no choice but to step inside and get drenched. Still, it was enjoyable, especially when I saw a black rose. No photos were taken as I didn't want to risk damaging my phone.

I've tried persuading my hubby to go again through the years but he wasn't keen. He finds plants and flowers boring.

One of the tea plantations

If you like looking at things in the past, there is a Time Tunnel that you might want to visit. It's a museum in Brinchang. There are lots of memorabilia and junk to ogle over. There was one particular pinned laminated note that caught my attention'. 

It seems there was an unusual weather occurrence on a certain day in the early 1960s. A gentleman claimed that snow fell in a small area at Parit Waterfalls for forty-five minutes. It does NOT snow in Malaysia. If it did, it was an anomaly. That was why the photo and note below fascinated me enough to take a picture of it.

Related Topics:

Where To Stay in Cameron Highlands

Cameron Highlands Apples

Resources:

Cameron Highlands Travel Guide