The Cameron Highlands (CH) is located at approximately 1,600m in the mountains of central Malaysia, and is a popular tourist location not only due to its beautiful landscapes but also because of its cooler temperatures. After having spent the past weeks in very hot climates, we were ready to cool down!

Even though we initially intended to spend only 2 days, we ended up staying 5 instead. The wonderful climate was worth it. We even had to wear a light sweater in the evening, and we also had our fair share of daily rain showers which were quite relaxing, especially when taking a siesta in the afternoon.

Hiking through the jungle to find the famous rafflesia flower was quite an adventure. The rafflesia flower is known to be the world’s largest flower, measuring up to 1m in width at its largest. We got to see one that was 60cm wide, beautifully red-fuchsia colored, and very impressive! This flower is also quite rare with a short life-span. Despite taking several years for the seed to mature, once it blooms it only stays open about 1 week before the rafflesia dies.

As the trails are pretty well marked in CH, we also went hiking to the second highest peak in the area. On this hike we enjoyed some of the famous “mossy forest”, which are basically trees and roots completely covered in moss, somehow feeling like we were in the movie, “Lord of The Rings”. The view from the peak also gave a good perspective of the surrounding area.

The main attraction in CH, and definitely some of the most beautiful landscape we’ve ever seen, are the tea plantations. CH has some of the world’s largest tea plantations, and their deep green colored box-like formations throughout the hills and mountains are very impressive. Renting a motorbike allowed us to be more independent and enjoy a ride through the immense tea plantations of Cameron Valley as well as the more famous Boh plantation. Of course we did not leave without trying some delicious tea!

After soaking up the cool weather and lovely atmosphere in CH, as well as enjoying some great Indian and Chinese food, we were ready to move onto our next destination in Malaysia: a painteresque town deep in the south, belonging to UNESCO World Heritage.