Guide to the Best Hiking in the Cameron Highlands

I adored hiking in the Cameron Highlands. The lush, hilly jungle hikes that spill out onto even more lush tea plantations were my version of heaven. But finding the trails wasn’t easy. That’s why I’m creating this guide.

If I didn’t have the help from local guides and other fellow travelers who already undertook the hikes, I probably wouldn’t have been able to find the trails I was looking for.

There wasn’t much information online, so I thought I’d write this guide to my favorite hiking trails in the Cameron Highlands.

If you’re planning to travel there, make sure to keep this guide handy to experience some of my favorite hikes on my trip so far!

General Tips

First, here are a few tips I have to hiking the Cameron Highlands. I found these to be helpful, and I hope they’ll help you too!

For navigation, I highly recommend you download the Maps.me app. Also, download the map for Malaysia so that you can have offline hiking maps for the Cameron Highlands. This app is great because it shows all hiking trails, so it was really helpful.

The one problem, however, is that sometimes my fellow hikers and I found the location finder wasn’t very accurate. But no worries! My guide will help you find your way.

I’d also recommend buying a physical map. I got mine from my hostel. It was only a dollar, so it cost nearly nothing and came in handy when I wanted to verify where I was going with Maps.me.

For safety reasons, I wouldn’t recommend hiking alone. And you should tell your hostel or hotel where you’re planning to hike in case you don’t make it back.

I did the Hike 4 and 6 by myself, but I didn’t hike alone again after hearing stories of people getting kidnapped in those jungles and never making it out.

But don’t let that deter you! I never felt unsafe, and especially when I found other solo travelers to do the hikes with me.

Trail 4 : Easiest Hike and Parit Waterfall

Trail 4 is the easiest hike in the area. The path is fairly well maintained, and it’s a perfect trail if you’re really pressed for time or aren’t physically capable of strenuous activity.

I will say that Parit Waterfall was extremely underwhelming. It wasn’t very big and trash littered the water it ran into. So don’t expect much from the waterfall, but the easy jungle walk around it is why this hike is recommended.

If you want more of a challenge than just Trail 4, you can also merge onto Trail 6 for some more hiking.

Here’s how you get to it from Tanah Rata.

Get onto the main road, and turn into the park near the bus station. Follow the Maps.me to Trail 4; it will be easy to follow and there will be a sign where you should turn left onto the beginning of the path.

Follow this path. You will then reach a bridge. It was closed when I was there, and if it still is, turn left from this bridge where you’ll find Trail 4. You won’t have to walk far from here to reach Parit waterfall.

From the top of the waterfall, you can choose to go right across the bridge over the waterfall, or left. It doesn’t matter which direction you choose, since it’s a short loop trail that will bring you back to Parit Waterfall either way.

Trail 10 to 6: Hike to Cameron Valley Tea

This hike isn’t easy. But it’s also not super difficult, and the end result is more than worth it. If you have time for only one hike, this is the one I’d recommend.

Trail 10 is a bit harder to find, and luckily I had a guide taking us there. And luckily, now you have me telling you!

From the main road in Tanah Rata, head towards the direction of Ringlet. You’ll see some white condos on the right. Make your way towards them and pass them.

You will reach a curve in the road and, when I was there, a construction site to the right. It does look like a big project, so you’ll probably be there while it’s still a construction site. [UPDATE: I had a friend visit early 2020 and it was still a contraction site.]

Turn right at this curve in the road and walk past white condos towards the construction. Maps.me should do a good job of guiding you.

You’ll walk up a bit of a hill to a concrete platform. From there, you’ll find a sign for Trail 10 up on the forest.

It’s farily simple from there. Follow the trail up to the top, where you’ll get a very beautiful view:

From here, follow the trail, mostly downhill from this point. You’ll eventually get your first good look of the Cameron Valley Tea plantation. When you emerge from the jungle, you’ll reach a village.

Walk through this village and you’ll reach the tea plantation. Walk through it and up to the Tea House. Here you can order tea and a cheesecake, sitting down at a table to enjoy the view.

[Note: You will have to pay 3 RM for a wristband when entering the Tea House 1, since you’ll be walking through their private property. The beauty of walking through this tea plantation is well worth this small fee though! Just make sure you have small change for that. And of course, some extra cash for the tea and cakes!]

To get back, you can either walk back along the main road (it will take about an hour), get a Grab or taxi, or you can try to hitchhike back. I chose the latter, though I was with other people. I wouldn’t recommend hitchhiking alone.

Trail 9 to 3 to 2: Robinson Waterfalls and Temple

This is also a strenuous hike, and parts are bit harder than Trail 10. The mountain views aren’t as great as Trail 10, but the forest is much nicer- a more lush and beautiful jungle. And it’s about the journey, not the destination, right?

Trail 2 does offer a bit of a reward though. It begins at Robinson Falls, one of the more impressive waterfalls in the area. And it ends at Sam Poh Temple, a beautiful, tranquil Buddhist Temple that’s a great place to end your long hike and relax.

Here’s how you do it from Tanah Rata.

When you’re on the main road, head in the opposite direction of Trail 10’s trailhead; so head in the direction of Brinchang. This is also the same direction as Trail 4.

Turn into the road next to the bus station: Persiaran Dayang Endah. Walk along this road until you reach the Rainbow Garden Center, which will be on your right. You’ll see a bridge to your left when you turn into the street. Cross this bridge.

Then walk all the way past the Rainbow Garden Center, and eventually you’ll hit the trail. You’ll shortly reach Robinson Waterfall.

To get to Trail 3, you’ll have to backtrack a bit the way you came from the Rainbow Garden Center. In a few minutes, you’ll reach a set of concrete stairs on your right. Climb them, and to your left is the start of the trail.

Head straight along this trail. It’s pretty straight-forward from here. Keep going up until you reach the top: Gunung Berembun at 6037 ft.

The view won’t be too impressive, but keep going. You’re not here for this view. Instead, you’re here for the gorgeous jungle hike and the Small Misty Forest.

From the top, you can choose to go down Trail 3. But I’d recommend continuing onto Trail 2, as it leads to a Buddhist Temple that’s a great place to slow down your heartbeat after the hike.

Trail 2 is quite difficult though, so make sure you’re in good condition and have good shoes before conquering it.

Boh Plantation

Okay, so this isn’t really a hike, but it does involve an hour-long walk, so I’ll include it as a bonus. It was also one of the most beautiful walks I’ve ever taken, mostly along the lush green tea valleys.

To get here, you can take a local bus from Tanah Rata. They run a bit sporadically, so ask at the bus station for the schedule.

You take the bus until you reach the Butterfly Farm. Cross the main road to the small, steep road. Don’t worry; it won’t be this steep the whole time.

And it’s very straight-forward from there. Simply follow this road for about an hour and eventually you’ll hit a little village where the plantation workers and their families live. Walk through it and you’ll reach the Boh Plantaion Tea House.

This tea house was much nicer than the Cameron Valley Tea House 1 from Hike 10, so the walk is even more worth it.

You can also stop along the way to go into the fields and take some amazing pictures, like this:

To get back, you can walk back to the bus stop in front of the Butterfly Farm. You’ll know you’re at the right place because the bus stop has a roof over it, which was very handy as it rained while I waited for the bus.

You can also try to hitchhike back to the bus stop. I was lucky enough to get a nice Malaysian family to give me a ride to the bus stop. There’s only one road, so pretty much every car will driving to the bus stop, unless they’re local cars.

Alternatively, you can hire a Grab or taxi to take you to the Tea House, wait for you there and drive you back. A girl in my hostel did this, though I obviously opted for the cheapest option.

Where to Stay

I stayed at Traveller Bunker 1 for my Cameron Highlands hiking trip, and I’m so happy I did. This hostel is located just off the main road and a few minutes walking from the bus stop. As a result, you will find more restaurants around you than you have time to eat at. There were mostly Indian restaurants, and every one I visited was amazing.

The hostel itself was very well run, with organized hikes twice a week, friendly staff and several common areas to mingle with the friendly guests. There was also yoga when I was there, which was heavenly after my hikes and before my writing sessions.