CAMERON HIGHLANDS

 

Overview

At the northwest of the state of Pahang and 200km from Kuala Lumpur is Cameron Highlands. Occupying an area of 712 sq km, and hosting heights varying from 1,070 metres to 2,031 metres, Cameron Highlands is located close to the Perak border.

Located some 90km from Ipoh, in Perak, the highlands was discovered by Sir William Cameron in 1885 and consists of three districts – Ringlet, Tanah Rata and Ulu Telom – and eight sub-districts, namely Ringlet, Tanah Rata, Brinchang, Bertam Valley, Kea Farm, Tringkap, Kuala Terla and Kampung Raja.

Cameron Highlands is a popular tourist attraction, especially with an annual temperature in the lows of 18°C. It is a perfect escape for Malaysians who want to escape the humid and tropical weather in the peninsula as temperatures at Cameron Highlands seldom rise above 25°C during the day.

Most of its population are entrepreneurs, those who work in the service industry, farmers and their employees. Tea estates are vast in the retreat and plateaus are noted for its orchards, nurseries, farmlands, waterfalls and rivers, lakes, golf course, hotels and bungalows, museum and the indigenous people, the Orang Asli settlements.

History has it that an Agricultural Experiment Station was set up in mid-1925 to confirm if tea, coffee, fruits and vegetables could be grown and upon confirmation that tea could be grown, the British had enough motivation to develop the area. This quickly led into road access and then other development including a golf course, cottages, inns, boarding schools and a horse spelling ranch by the mid-1930s.

Development went through a pause during the Japanese Occupation between 1942 and 1945. But Cameron Highlands went through a transformation after the Japanese pulled out before seeing another pause in the years of the Malayan Emergency which lasted between 1948 and 1960. However, since then, it has seen constant change.

Access into Cameron Highlands are through Tapah and Simpang Pulai which are Perak interchanges on the North South Expressway; Gua Musang from Kelantan and Sungai Koyan from Pahang. Bus services into Cameron Highlands from outstation are most notably available from Kuala Lumpur and there are taxi services to get around the highlands.

 

Places of Attraction

Housing more than 700 species of plants, Cameron Highlands' landscape changes with ascent on the mountain. There are vegetable farms, fruit farms and flower nurseries. The smallest constituency in Pahang is also marked as a shelter for many animals, birds, reptiles and insects. These include the mountain peacock-pheasant, Malayan whistling-thrush and the Sumatran serow which are listed in the 2004 International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.

Tea plantations are a ubiquitous sight here. Among them, the Boh Sungei Palas Tea Estate stands out as it offers a sublime tea-themed experience with its cafes, tea factory and store nestled among the cantilevering tea bushes — as far as the eye can see.

There are many historical buildings of Camerons including a few bungalows, the All Souls' Church, the former Tanglin Boarding School which is now a holiday chalet, and the Chefoo School which was closed in June 2001 and is now known as the Methodist Centennial Chefoo Centre. The Cameron Highlands Golf Club underwent improvements and is now called Kelab Golf Sultan Ahmad Shah Cameron Highlands.

Ye Olde Smokehouse Inn was reportedly built in 1939 after its namesake in Mildenhall, England. It overlooks the golf course and is still popular for its tea and scones offerings.