How To Spend 24 Hours In Cameron Highlands Malaysia

Picture green vistas with the faint aroma of tea hanging in the air. Add mountains, forests and a cool climate and you have Malaysia’s highlands. Culture Trip explains how to get the most out of 24 hours in Cameron Highlands to visit tea plantations, pick strawberries and eat steamboat.

Tea plantations, strawberry farms and refreshing temperatures are three characteristics of Malaysia’s highlands. Culture Trip explains how to have an action-packed 24 hours in Cameron Highlands including drinking high tea and picking fresh strawberries.

Morning

Activity: Visit Southeast Asia’s largest tea plantation

Most travellers stay near either Tanah Rata or Brinchang. Click here for the best hotels in Cameron Highlands. Grab a light breakfast at Uncle Chow Kopitiam in Tanah Rata (we recommend local-style kueh teow soup).

The morning of our 24 hours in Cameron Highlands itinerary involves a trip to BOH Tea. The sprawling 8,000-acre plantation first opened in 1929 when Cameron Highlands was part of British Malaya. Producing more than four million kilograms of tea annually, it’s the largest plantation in Southeast Asia. Take a 20-minute taxi from Tanah Rata along 14 kilometres (8.7 miles) of twisting mountain roads. Marvel at the lines of tea rising up the terraces. Stroll through the plants and savour the air thick with the aroma of tea. Culture Trip recommends joining the factory tour and discovering the process from cultivation to arriving in your cup of tea.

Pro tip: Most visitors spend approximately two hours at BOH Tea Plantation. Order a pot of tea and sip away with views of their never-ending green vistas.

Imagine this view while drinking a cup of tea

Afternoon

Activity: Celebrate religious diversity and step back in time

Take a taxi from BOH Tea Plantation to You Hoo in Brinchang, one of the oldest restaurants in Cameron Highlands. Indulge in a Chinese lunch (we recommend hotplate tofu) before exploring the town’s religious diversity. Walk up the hill to the yellow and red Sam Poh, the largest Buddhist Temple in Cameron Highlands. Check out the nearby incense-filled Hindu Sri Tehndayuthapany Swamy and elegant Kayangan Brinchang Mosque.

Continue north along the main road for approximately one kilometre (0.6 miles) to Time Tunnel. The memorabilia museum features more than 4,000 collectables spanning eight themed galleries. Black and white photographs decorate some of the displays. Others resemble scenes from Malaysia’s yesteryear including an old-fashioned barbershop and kitchen. This is our favourite museum and a must on any 24 hours in Cameron Highlands itinerary for the Instagram photos alone.

Pro tip: The afternoon involves a lot of walking. Wear suitable shoes and bring an umbrella – the weather can change on the turn of a dime.

Evening

Activity: Cacti and strawberry picking

In the early evening, check out Cactus Point and Strawberry Farm Kea. Both are within walking distance of Time Tunnel.

Cactus Point houses hundreds of cacti, both big and small, in all shapes and varieties. The nursery provides a free opportunity to see rare cacti and learn about their fascinating biology. Continue along the main road through Cameron Highland’s agricultural heart. Vendors sell fresh fruit and vegetables as well as handicraft and souvenirs along both sides of the road. If you’re a fan of strawberries, head to Raju’s Hill Strawberry Farm. Cameron Highlands is the only place in Malaysia where strawberries grow. And Raju’s Hill allows visitors to pick their own. The farm shuts at 6:30pm, so aim to arrive before 5pm.

Pro tip: Families with small children might want to visit the nearby Butterfly Farm instead. Hundreds of colourful butterflies flutter in the open as creepy crawlies lurk inside tanks.

Night

Activity: Steamy steamboat in the fresh mountain air

For dinner, Culture Trip recommends OK Tuck in Brinchang for a hot steamboat. Steamboats come with a soup base and a mix of both meat and vegetable sides which are boiled inside the broth. Expect approximately RM50 ($12.20 USD) for a meal suitable for two people. Nothing can quite beat a hot steamboat on a chilly night. We strongly recommend this culinary treat for all travellers with 24 hours in Cameron Highlands.

Pro tip: If you’re looking for nightlife, check out backpacker-friendly Jungle Bar. Or head to Rosette Café to have a mid-range Western-style meal with bottled beer.

Nothing beats a hot steamboat on a chilly evening

Or order western-style food at Rosette Cafe

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.