Tiger Tales

DAY TRIP

Cameron Highlands

Escape Kuala Lumpur for a cool respite in the rolling hills of the Cameron Highlands, says Helena Iveson

In the colonial era, the British headed for the highlands in droves, to holiday, drink tea and plant strawberries to remind them of home. That time may be long past, but plenty of visitors still make the 200km journey north from Kuala Lumpur.

WHAT TO DO

Enjoy a visit to the BOH Tea Centre. Visitors tour a factory run by Malaysia’s largest tea company, to see how the popular beverage is made. The highlight is having a cuppa in the café that juts out from a hillside. The lush tea fields stretch on an on, with pickers collecting the leaves by hand. About 5km from the plantation is the beautiful Mossy Forest on Mount Brinchang, the highlands’ tallest peak. Extending to an altitude of 2,032m, the haunting forest is often shrouded in clouds and the Lord of the Rings-style landscape is brimming with uprooted trees, moss and ferns. A newly-built boardwalk means that you don’t have to squish through the mud on the forest floor.

WHERE TO SPEND

After sipping tea and nibbling on strawberries, have them permeate your skin at Spa Village, the award-winning facility at the Cameron Highlands Resort. Treatments start with a tea bath, complete with Bose headphones to help drown out the world. The marquee Strawberry Escapade includes a rub down using a refreshing scrub made from fresh strawberries, yoghurt and oatmeal followed by a blissful massage.

WHERE TO STAY

The Cameron Highlands Resort is the region’s premier address, offering mock Tudor elegance. Or if you’re on a budget, try Fathers Guest House where visitors can stay in WWII-era Nissen huts.

HOW TO GET THERE

From Kuala Lumpur, hire a car and drive north on the E1. After about two hours you will reach the Simpang Pulai Interchange (Exit 137). From here, the Camerons are another hour away. There are also frequent buses from KL’s Puduraya Bus Terminal.

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3 GUNUNG MARUD, SARAWAK, MALAYSIA
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FIND IT:

BOH Tea Centre, Jln Gunung Brinchang, tel: +60 (0)5 496 2096, www.boh.com.my

Cameron Highlands Resort, Main Rd, Tanah Rata, tel: +60 (0)5 491 1100, www.cameronhighlandsresort.com

Fathers Guest House, Lot 25, Tanah Rata, tel: +60 (0)12 588 5454, www.fathers.cameronhighlands.com