#  >  > Travellers Tales in Thailand and Asia >  >  > Malaysia Forum >  >  Cameron Highlands -  anyone been?

## katie23

Suggestions of touristy things to do, see, etc will be very helpful.

Have seen pics of the tea plantation, strawberry farm, hiking trails... Will do a minor hike if my knee is healed by then. 

Plan is to spend a few days in KL then head up to Cameron for some countryside & mountain breeze. I've been to KL 2x so have seen the usual sights, but the BF hasn't, so will show him around. (KLCC, Batu Caves, Bukit Bintang, etc). It will be over the Xmas holidays, so I'm anticipating crowds and traffic - can't be helped, since that's  our common free time.

Looking for ideas. Thanks in advance!  :Smile:

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## BoganInParasite

The wife and I spent four days there about 18 months ago. Loved it. Can share some photos and ideas this afternoon katie. (Heading into Nan for shopping and my mega burger fix.) You'll need to have a car to get around. Have you booked accommodation yet?

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## katie23

^thanks, Bogan! No, haven't booked accoms yet. Still debating whether to spend more time in KL or Cameron.

No car either, plan to go up there by bus (3-4H, says wiki travel). Wiki travel also says there are local buses that go around the town? If not, is Grab available there? I've read a bit and it says Tanah Rata is better than Brinchang as a base? Or??

TIA

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## aging one

Love the Cameron Highlands. A bike or a car will help up there. Spend time in both towns. Brinchang is higher and smaller, but Tanah Rata has more to see and more accommodation. So not choose Daniels Lodge as a cheap place to stay. The worst mistake I have ever made in internet booking. My wife and kids are still giving me shit 10 years later.   Great steamboat dinners with tons of fresh hydroponic vegetables is very nice indeed. Plus many on the street Tandoor restaurants.  Great hiking and some cool tours of the tea plantations.. 4 nights easy and fun.

Pretty much a perfect climate.

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## katie23

^thanks for the tips, AO!

Climate would be similar to Baguio City here, I think - both high elevation.

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## Norton

> Climate would be similar to Baguio City here


Very much the same Katie. I have escaped to both during hot season.

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## happynz

If you do hire a car be extra careful on the roads. The local veggie estate workers tearing around in ancient beat up land rovers are absolute nutters on the road.

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## Dillinger

> It will be over the Xmas holidays, so I'm anticipating crowds and traffic - can't be helped, since that's our common free time


Aren't they mostly Muslims in KL?  :Smile: 

Go in the week.

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## BoganInParasite

Hi Katie, back from Nan and still weighed down by a great burger from Crossroads Nan.

The wife and I went in late January last year. The elevation and rain made it a wonderful change from the previous month spent in Singapore, Malacca and KL. We drove up from KL on the E1 and then road #59. In a bus I'd say four hours. If you get motion sick then take some precautions as #59 is very windy. We stayed at the Strawberry Park Resort Brinching. I'd say it was at the lower end of the better class of resort up there. Several blocks of nice accommodations, three restaurants, gardens, convenience store and own tours using Landrovers. It is sort of an older colonial style place. On the afternoon we arrived we had a late a la carte lunch in the all-day restaurant sitting outside on a deep balcony looking at a nearby mountain while there was torrential rain and low cloud blowing through the valley. Lovely cool air and so green up there.

Since we had a car we had no interest in the local transport options so cannot help you there. Plenty of companies will pick you up from the hotel for tours. We spend two full days but think three would be better, so a four night stay.

We visited the Boh Tea Plantation, Big Red Strawberry Park and the Cameron Highland Tea House 2. We tried and failed to find the Mossy Forest which TripAdvisor said was the number two attraction. A tour company will obviously have been luck with that.

I'll post a few photos.

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## BoganInParasite



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## BoganInParasite



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## BoganInParasite



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## BoganInParasite



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## BoganInParasite

Next few are from the Boh Tea Plantation.

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## BoganInParasite

Next several from the Big Red Strawberry Farm.

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## BoganInParasite

We didn't get to the Mossy Forest but our resort did take us for a walk through its back paddock. The guide knew a lot about the animals, plants and natural history.

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## BoganInParasite



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## Wonton

I was last there in 1985. It looks the same today. Nice

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## katie23

@Dillinger - as I'm sure you know, Malaysians are moderate Muslims.  :Smile:  I looked at BLD's Malaysia thread and they had a Xmas tree in KLCC Mall! I guess even if the country is Buddhist or Muslim, tourist $$$ trumps religion, esp in SEA.


@Bogan - Thank you very much for the tips and pics! Very nice - now I know what to expect. We even got glimpses of Mr and Mrs Bogan!  :Smile:  


Mossy forest - I've seen many of those during my recent hikes, so not too keen on that. 

I've done strawberry picking in La Trinidad, Benguet (near Baguio) many moons ago, as a teen.  Also visited a new-ish strawberry farm in my province last year. For both farms, the strawberries grew on the ground. First time I've seen them grown in pots. Cheers!

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## BoganInParasite

Bet you were disappointed the mullet hair was gone!


> @Bogan - Thank you very much for the tips and pics! Very nice - now I know what to expect. We even got glimpses of Mr and Mrs Bogan!

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## Norton

> La Trinidad, Benguet


Went there in the 60s. Some mighty fine smoke grown there.  :Wink:

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## katie23

@Norton - I wouldn't know, especially back in the day. I was a very good Catholic girl.  :Wink:  

@Bogan - yep, was surprised to see the mullet gone. I was kinda expecting you to sing, I come from a land down under!  :Very Happy:

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## panama hat

> @Dillinger - as I'm sure you know, Malaysians are moderate Muslims.  I looked at BLD's Malaysia thread and they had a Xmas tree in KLCC Mall! I guess even if the country is Buddhist or Muslim, tourist $$$ trumps religion, esp in SEA.


Malaysia is a relatively secular country with Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, Animists, Sikh, Hindu etc...  The three main celebrated religious public holidays are for Islam, Christianity and Hinduism

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## happynz

...what about Chinese New Year? That's always good for a couple days off from work.

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## cyrille

> Malaysia is a relatively secular country with Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, Animists, Sikh, Hindu etc... The three main celebrated religious public holidays are for Islam, Christianity and Hinduism


Hardly secularism.  :Very Happy:

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## docmartin

> @Norton - I wouldn't know, especially back in the day. I was a very good Catholic girl.


times have changed



disclaimer - image may have been photoshopped

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## katie23

^heh... I'm still Catholic and a girl, so 2/3 ain't bad  :Very Happy: 

@happynz - I don't know if you're referring to me, re: Chinese New Year? CNY isn't a big deal in PI, only 1 day holiday. But I have several days off at the end of the year (forced leave) and flights to KL have been booked.

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## Bettyboo

Those photos look really nice.

When are you going Katie? If you time it right you might be able to meet up with Dilly, he's often around that neck of the woods.

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## katie23

^I don't know if I'd like to meet up with Dilly. I'll be with the BF and I don't know if it's a good idea for them to meet! 555  (BF knows about TD. He's seen some of my travel threads and he just laughed at some comments).  Also, BF and I have agreed that we'd like to spend less time in KL and more time in Cameron - less city, more countryside. I think Dill is more of a city person.  :Smile:

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## Norton

> I think Dill is more of a city person


He is a good catholic boy but is often in need of an emergency confessional booth.

Never far from here in KL central.   :Smile:

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## Dillinger

> I don't know if I'd like to meet up with Dilly. I'll be with the BF and I don't know if it's a good idea for them to meet! 555 (BF knows about TD. He's seen some of my travel threads and he just laughed at some comments). Also, BF and I have agreed that we'd like to spend less time in KL and more time in Cameron - less city, more countryside. I think Dill is more of a city person


I'll be over there in the New Year. I'll have you know I'm back in better  shape than  I was  on the prior hiking thread.below, 

https://teakdoor.com/malaysia-forum/1...rtle-beach.htm

love walking now, did a little trek last week, walk 8-10kms on weekdays and would love to come do a trek with you. My wife's kinda of into it now too. 

I much prefer the Countryside to the City nowadays and will go see those Cameron Highlands in the new year. 

If we do meet, maybe tell your boyfriend I'm Davis Knowlton or Norton or Tomcat? I can pull off the  Yank acccent  :Smile: 

Come on... My street cred can't be compared to Luigi, Looper or Bettyboo?  :Smile: 

BTW... How long are these treks you are doing?

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## panama hat

> I'll be over there in the New Year.


For how long?

We've done the ten peaks in the last few years - brilliant.  

The best hike, however, was Mount Kinabalu . . . three times with the girls and one Christmas . . . simply an amazing place.  fter which you go back to Kota Kinabalu and have some of the best food in the region

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## Dillinger

^ for a week.

Thanks for that. Gonna look into that now

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## Dillinger

2 day ascent, hiring a guide, sleeping in a hostel... , climbing in the dark.... Think I'll give that another year PH :Smile: 




> . The feeling that you are hanging off the side of a mountain with only your own bare hands to hold you is somewhat terrifying.


https://notesofnomads.com/mt-kinabalu-climb/

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## Dillinger

This is more my cup of tea... 

https://thesmartlocal.com/read/hiking-trails-kl/

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## katie23

@PH - a hike/FB friend of mine has trekked Kinabalu early this year - I've seen his pics. He's now training for a Kilimanjaro trek in late September. He said the Kinabalu trail is fairly easy and I could handle it. He's a gym buff and is usually in the lead pack during my tough hikes, while I'm in team sweeper. Haha. Budget for Kinabalu, accdg to him, was reasonable. It's in my "maybe" bucket list - got some priorities in terms of $$ and my knee is still recovering from being banged up from my last hike.

@Dill - PM sent!  :Very Happy:  I've also seen that list of trails around KL. Might do a minor hike only - don't know if my knee will be 100% by December.

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## PlanK

I went to Cameron a few years back in search of the giant stinky flower.  You need to join a group with a guide.  Only downside is the Euros who turn up for the trek in jeans & sandals complaining about the mud.

Climbed Kinabalu last year.  Groups had people of all ages and most made it up okay.

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