Hiking Cameron Highlands – Malaysia
Hiking Cameron Highlands
Hiking Cameron Highlands – One of the best ways to vary your Malaysian travel itinerary! Most travelers come to Malaysia for its pristine beaches, but the laid-back coastal life can eventually get redundant after a while. I spent three weeks in Malaysia and felt that I needed a break from the beaches. I found hiking Cameron Highlands to be a great way to escape the heat and get some exercise at the same time.
Tanah Rata – Hiking Cameron Highlands
Most hikers stay in the small town of Tanah Rata because it has plenty of affordable cafes, restaurants, and accommodation options. Tanah Rata is also a great place to base yourself for hiking. Most of the hiking trails start within walking distance from town. If you’re not overly ambitious, you can get a short taxi ride to any of the trailheads. 14 different trails start around the Tanah Rata area.
Tanah Rata(Cameron Highlands) takes about 2-3 hours(USD 5) by bus from Ipoh, depending on traffic. Weekends and holidays can be jam-packed. The temperature can get down to 15C and even colder at night. You can also expect rain which will make the trails slippery, so please take your time and plan accordingly!
Trail 6 & 10 – Hiking Cameron Highlands
The recent rain storms closed down trail 1, so I decided to mix trail 6 and trail 10 as suggested by my guesthouse. You can complete this hike in about 3 hours. However, my excursion lasted over 4 hours because I stopped to take pictures, and I had lunch at the Cameron Valley Tea House. The portion of trail 10 that I hiked was pretty straightforward and easy to follow. However, the first portion of trail 6 was somewhat grown over.
If you decided to do this hike I recommend wearing suitable footwear and bring long pants to protect your legs from thorny plants. If you’re not a fan of spider webs, you may want to find a walking stick so that you can clear the path as you walk forward. Also, take care coming down the first part of trail six as you can quickly lose your footing if you are rushing. The path can get slippery if it is wet from the rain. Several elastic ropes are there for hikers to use for stability.
The best way to not get lost on these trails is to download the local map onto a GPS app from your phone. I’m not sure about Google Maps, but Maps.me has all of the trails marked on their GPS app. I used this app for my hike. The following picture is from Maps.me.
Trail 10 Portion – Hiking Cameron Highlands
The first part of the hike(trail 10)climbs up towards Gunung Jasar Mountain. This portion of the path is shaded from the trees and is easy to follow. Once you reach the top, you will see some signs showing where both trail 6 and trail 10 lead. I went left and started on the trail 6.
Trail 6 Portion – Hiking Cameron Highlands
Some parts of trail 6 can be a little challenging, so you may want to allow for some extra time so that you don’t need to rush.
There will be plenty of opportunities to take beautiful photos along this trail as well. Don’t forget to factor in some extra time for taking pictures.
Eventually, you make your way past all of the farms and come down a hill to a village. I followed that trail 6 path on my GPS, and it took me through the Cameron Valley. The scenery here was stunning! There are tea hills everywhere.
Cameron Valley Tea House – Hiking Cameron Highlands
The path I took, led me up to the Cameron Valley Tea House. Apparently, this is a private park that cost to enter if you come in from the Tea House entrance. However, if you are hiking out, there is no cost.
From the tea house, I walked along the main road back to town. There were a few bus stops along the way, so I imagine you can catch a bus back if you are tired of walking. Although you will be walking along a busy road, you can still get some great views of the Cameron Valley. You will see a lot of cars stopped on the side road taking pictures of the impressive scenery.
If you are going to visit the Cameron Highlands to do some hiking, it’s best to get the most recent hiking information from your hostel, hotel, or guesthouse. Most places have maps and the latest news regarding the trails. There are also some great day excursions you can do around the area. You can find this article and other travel information on my website; Travel Can Be Cheap.
If you would like more information on what to do in Malaysia, you can visit Tourism Malaysia. If you would like to share your hiking experience with our readers, or if you have any questions on – Hiking Cameron Highlands, then please leave something in the comment section below.
Thank-you for visiting my website today, I hope you enjoyed reading – Hiking Cameron Highlands. Have a great hike!
Tyler England
