Watch the tea plantations while enjoying a cup of tea in a cafe overlooking the valley in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia.
Cameron Highlands is a popular retreat in Malaysia because of its moderate weather. With temperatures between 25 degrees Celsius during the day and 18 at night, this area offers a nice break from the 30+ temperatures the rest of the country often has. This makes the highlands a very good place for growing fruit, vegetables and of course tea.
There are two big tea plantations in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia.
Boh Tea Plantation
While the plantation itself looks more like wild bushes on irregular hills with trees, the real highlight here is the cafe overlooking the tea plantation. And with that I mean the view of the cafe from the outside with the tea fields in the background. I’m not saying the panoramic view from the cafe while you’re enjoying a cup of tea should be dismissed but rather that the building was very well designed to fit the landscape.
At the tea plantation you can visit the processing factory and learn more about the tea making process. Boh Tea is the largest producer of tea in Malaysia. The company was founded by Archibald Russell, who, though born in England, spent most of his life in Malaysia.
Location: GC88+9F Brinchang, Pahang, Malaysia
Opening hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 9:00 – 16:30.
Bharat Tea Plantation
This is the most beautiful tea plantation I have seen so far. If you can, plan your visit around sunset because the tea fields are simply stunning with the shadows thrown over them by the setting sun.
Bharat is the second largest tea producer in the Cameron Highlands. They have their roots in Malaysia and after initially being a tea supplier for other brands they now grow their own brand called ‘Cameron Valley’. From the outdoor cafe you have a fantastic view of the plantation in this highland valley. This tea is less inspired by the British and takes its inspiration from Sri Lanka and South India. Think of Chai tea.
You can go on a Plantation Walk to watch the tea picking process from up close.
Location: 15-16, Jalan Besar, Cameron Highlands, Pahang, 39000 Tanah Rata, Malaysia
Opening hours: Monday – Thursday: 8:30 – 18:00; Friday – Sunday: 8:00 – 19:00.
Buying tea in Malaysia
The teas I tried in Malaysia taste very much like English Breakfast teas, which is not very surprising as the Boh Tea plantation was created by a British person.
Most teas they sell are blends. As a tea lover I just had to buy all different loose tea leaf boxes on offer at the Boh Plantation. Plus a black tea blend with passion fruit. None of these are ‘light’ teas and because of that I mainly drink them on colder and rainy days.
One of the biggest differences with tea I bought in China, South Korea and Japan is that you need to keep track of the brewing time: if you leave the leaves in the water too long the tea starts to get stronger and bitter. With tea from the other countries the taste hardly changes, even if you leave it in all day.
Other farms in the Cameron Highlands
Ee Feng Gu Bee Farm
A small garden with honey bees. In the shop you can buy wild honey from the mountains and from the farm itself. They taste very good.
Location: GC55+GF Brinchang, Pahang, Malaysia
Cameron Highland Butterfly Farm
A greenhouse with beautiful butterflies, at least when I visited in January 2017. The reviews on Google Maps seem to be quite negative right now though.
Location: GC54+2X Brinchang, Pahang, Malaysia
Big Red Strawberry Farm
Go strawberry picking and eat fresh strawberries.
Location: F9WP+6M Brinchang, Pahang, Malaysia
Where to stay in the Cameron Highlands
How to get to the Cameron Highlands
You can drive to the Cameron Highlands in about 3 hours from Kuala Lumpur.Â
If you don’t have a car then you can also choose to join a day tour via Klook from Kuala Lumpur or Penang. On this day tour you will visit both tea plantations and a waterfall, honey bee farm, butterfly park, cactus garden, strawberry farm and Aborigines village. You do have to get up early!
