Cameron Highlands 4D3N Trip Review - August 2017

After our Genting Highlands trip last year, my boyfriend and I yearned for more adventures away from Singapore. Recently it was getting stressful at work, so we thought it would be good if we took some time off to relax. What better place to go after Genting than Cameron? It was a last minute plan (less than 2 weeks before our trip) but it managed to work out fine.

Discovered in 1885 by William Cameron, the area is about 1524m above sea level with temperatures ranging from 15-25 degree Celsius. Temperatures did not rise above 20 degree Celsius in the past, but due to recent deforestations and global warming, having 20+ degrees there has become a norm. Cameron Highlands is famous for their BOH Tea plantations.


Bookings (To Cameron) 

For accommodation, we booked a 4D3N stay at Century Pines Resort via Traveloka mobile app for SGD182.16. The prices were high probably because we booked less than 2 weeks before our trip.

 (Hint: When you book via mobile app, it's usually a few dollars cheaper than booking via their website. Traveloka has a lower rate as compared to Agoda as the price reflected is the final price, whereas Agoda will add in taxes at the confirmation page.)

We booked our bus ride up from Konsortium via easybook.com for the price of SGD46 each, inclusive of insurance. We changed to a minibus at Brinchang area before continuing our journey to Tanah Rata. It took about 9 hours to reach Tanah Rata from Golden Mile Tower (Singapore), so it is recommended to catch a night bus from SG to Cameron.


Tanah Rata

Pretty hibiscus shrubs along the road
Tanah Rata town center has a refreshing view compared to what we have in Singapore. Flowers were blooming without special care from humans in the cool weather. There was greenery everywhere. The residents there are friendly and helpful, and there were many tourists and cats around.



Roti Tissue near 7-11. Best taste, best price.
Some of the stores that line the street of the Bus Terminal include Marry Brown fast food restaurant, a few Indian Roti Canai (also known as Roti Prata to Singaporeans) restorans, a Chinese ZiChar restoran, a few cafes that serve cakes and western culinary, and some convenience stores that you can purchase drinks and snacks from. Not to mention a double storey Starbucks with free wifi.
Roti Canai near Tanah Rata Bus Terminal


Further down, nearer to Restoran Bunga Suria, there is a 24/7 7-11 convenience store that you may purchase drinks and snacks from in the middle of the night.

It is also good to note that a police station and clinic are diagonally opposite the Bus Terminal, and a hospital is about 150meters away. Pretty neat if something bad happens, huh.
Awesome maggie goreng near Bus Terminal

On some evenings, you might even be able to catch a pretty sunset near the Chapel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Otherwise, you can also catch it from the streets if you can't make it up the Chapel in time. It is about 7.15pm when the sunset starts to turn beautiful.
Chapel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, atop a hill.

Sunset on our second evening.

Sunset on our third (and last) evening.

Hotel

We stayed in Century Pines Resort for all 4 days. I'd say the experience in the hotel is okay in general, it's just a little dated. Check-in is strictly 3 pm onwards and a deposit of RM200 has to be paid during check-in. Make sure you bring enough cash for hotel deposits! Also, if you are caught having more guests than declared during booking, you will be fined a certain amount per extra guest.

It had a bathtub that does not allow baths (only standing shower), and the heater has to be turned on 30 minutes before your shower, else there will only be cold water to freeze you to death. The ventilation didn't seem to be working and you cannot connect to the free WiFi even though there are at least 2 routers in the corridor.

Some things that I'm happy about was that they provided 2 pairs of slippers for us, we were given complimentary daily buffet breakfast coupons, and there was a water dispenser in the corridor.

They have a gym, Thera P Spa, Sauna, bath, waxing, massage services available at a price.

The buffet breakfast provided was decent, I love their coco-crunch with milk, french toast, spring rolls, mashed potato, and hash browns. It can be quite chilly in the mornings with the temperature down to around 15-18 degrees, so bring along a jacket or windbreaker if you plan to have your breakfast outside.



Getting Around - Motorbike/Scooter Rental Rates

Titiwangsa Tours & Travel
4 hours RM35
8 hours RM50
Deposit RM100

CS Travel
4 hours RM40
Deposit RM150

 These are the rental rates from 2 tour companies in Tanah Rata. Personally, I would recommend renting the scooters from CS Travel as the scooters are more sturdy and well maintained. It could get us both around easily.

The motorbikes from Titiwangsa Travels were not as well maintained and bounced a lot whenever we went over small bumps on the road. It will be able to travel up steep slopes only if one person is on it.

For those of us who are hygiene conscious, you may want to bring along a bandana or some cloth to cover your hair as the helmets provided are probably not cleaned often. Be sure to note down their office numbers in case the motorbike/scooter breaks down.

Tourists are not allowed to bike up certain places such as Mossy Forest due to the dangerous maneuverings and steep slopes. Do sign up for the tour or rent a car to access those places. Otherwise, motorbikes are convenient for accessing most tourist spots and it is easier to park along the road.

Toilets

There are no visible toilets around Tanah Rata except for at the Bus Terminal where you have to pay RM0.50. You can try your luck at some of the restorans along the road if you are dining there. There is definitely a toilet available at Starbucks but it wouldn't be nice to enter just for their toilets eh?

As with most toilets in Malaysia, do bring along your own tissue packs as toilet papers are not provided in public toilets.


Tours Available from Titiwangsa Tours & Travel



  1. Leisure Tour [RM25/Adult, RM20/Child]
    • House of potted plants
    • Market Square
    • Strawberry Centre
    • Honey Bee Centre
    • Sam Poh Temple
    • Rose Centre
    • Butterfly Souvenir House and Garden
  2. Nature Discovery Tour [RM60/Adult, RM50/Child]
    • Viewing Tower
    • Tea Plantation
    • Mossy Forest
    • BOH Tea Factory
  3. Agro Delight Tour [RM65/Adult, RM55/Child]
    • Exotic Cactus Farm
    • Strawberry Farm
    • Flower Nursery
    • Water-cress Farm
    • Open terraces for conventional farming
    • Organic Farming
    • Lettuce Delight
  4. Sunrise Spectacular [RM65/Adult, RM55/Child]
  5. Moonlight Rendezvous in the Forest [RM75/pax]
  6. Amazing Rafflesia
For more information and/or updates, do visit the "Our Tours" section in the Titiwangsa website: http://titiwangsatours.com/.



Nature Discovery Tour

This was the only tour that we took as we wanted more time for free and easy. It is best to take the tours on the 2nd day onwards as most tours start early in the morning. The minibus picked us up from our hotel at about 9.30am sharp.

Viewing Tower (Highest Point of Cameron)
This attraction has been closed off from tourists due to vandalism.

Tea Plantation
The slopes were so steep, it made us wonder how on earth the tea could be harvested by humans.


Mossy Forest
It was pretty sad for us as there was no fog around to make the place look more mysterious :(



BOH Tea Factory
Here, there is finally a toilet stop, along with a short BOH Tea factory tour on how the tea leaves are processed. There is also a tea souvenir shop where you can buy their tea leaves/tea bags/tea powder. 

No worries if you are unsure of which tea to purchase, you may head off to the cafe and try the tea sold there! This place is also great for a relaxing afternoon tea. Cakes are sold at the cafe, though I'm not too sure whether they are good.
View from the Boh Tea Cafe


Taman Agroteknologi Mardi Cameron Highlands


The Taman Agroteknologi Mardi Cameron Highlands is about 15 minutes' walk from the Tanah Rata Bus Terminal, near the hospital. There are many pretty flowers and scenery that you can take here albeit some vandalisms. Entry fee for this place is 5RM per adult.

I was very amused by this place as there aren't many farms in Singapore. We spent about 1.5 hours here.
















Parit Falls

If you are up for some trekking/hiking, Parit Falls is about less than 5 minute's bike away from Tanah Rata. It should be safe if you follow the pathways...





There was a particular flight of steps (below image) that we went up that led to nowhere. The path after the steps was an old one that doesn't seem to be used anymore. Being the adventurous couple, we followed the steep path up the mountain and finally turned back when the path was totally blocked by tree trunks near the top. 

Sorry, no further pictures were taken as I was worried about missing a step and rolling down, and the possibility of the top of the mountain is a thieves' hideout.


If you have followed the proper path all the way, you will reach a campsite, and there are loads of farms nearby i.e. strawberry farms where you can grab a freshly made strawberry milkshake!


Robinson Falls

Robinson Falls is one of the nature trails that adventurous travelers can explore. It is located very near the hospital. However, recently tourists have been advised against exploring Robinson Falls as there have been cases of robbery at the area. Explore at your own risk.


Cameron Square, Nova Highlands Resort and Ee Feng Gu Bee Farm

It took about 15 minutes to reach Cameron Square from Tanah Rata via motorbike. It is a mini shopping mall that has quite a bit of empty spaces. Anyone who wants their Old Town White Coffee fix can come by, it's hard to miss! Another shop worth mentioning is the Watsons pharmacy store, where there were sales going on (perfect for a Watsons fan like me). Get your sunblock here if you've forgotten it!

The Nova Highlands Resort is right beside Cameron Square. It's a pity we didn't get to stay here, it looked quite pretty in pictures.

We also visited the Ee Feng Gu Bee Farm further down. It's a very small bee farm with a souvenir shop and another shop selling different types of honey and honey sticks. Didn't take a picture here as I was afraid one careless moment might end in me being stung.


Returning to SG from Cameron Highlands

On our return trip, we made our way to KL Sentral by bus, then changed to KLIA Ekspres to catch our flight at KLIA2.
Unititi Express from Titiwangsa Tours & Travels

VIP Coach from CS Travels

KLIA Ekspres cost us a total of RM110 for 2 tickets and the journey from KL Sentral to KLIA2 was about 35 minutes.

There is a shopping mall, NU Sentral, at KL Sentral where you can do some last minute shopping or catch a movie before heading to the airport.



We had thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Cameron Highlands and thank the helpful residents there for their hospitality. The cool weather and greenery soothed our tired souls and gave us a sense of relaxation during our stay there. Can't wait to be back!

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