interesting places in malaysia

Annotations:

• Seeing a butterfly in the open is a rare sight these days. Get a change to see many different species of butterflies which used to be a common sight in the highlands many years ago. A walk through an enclosed area where each species of butterfly is happily floating around in a lush, plant-filled garden is the highlight. There are two butterfly farms in Cameron Highlands and the are both located around the Kea Farm area.

Annotations:

• Opened in 2013, Lavender Garden which is Cameron Highland’s newest attraction is located just before Tringkap town when travelling from Simpang Pulai. s a floral themed park with cemented terraced hill slopes where ascending row upon row of flowers are grown, offering a dazzle of colours for visitors to admire and photograph. The lavender itself isn’t as plentiful as one may expect with artificial lavender scent permeating the air at the entrance but live lavender plants can be seen planted in a large plot at the centre of this park.There are also many types of flowers grown here such as gerberas, camellias, roses, peonies and yellow daisies. An apiary and a small gift shop selling lavender products are among the other offerings while potted lavender plants are sold for RM15 each.  Visitors can also self-pick daisies for RM2 per stalk or 6 for RM10. There is a gift shop selling lavender products and a cafe offering good strawberry milk shake, and Lavender ice cream for RM5.50

Annotations:

• Where there are flowers, there are bees, so the saying goes and this cannot be more apt here in Cameron Highlands. Being the largest producer of temperate cut flowers in South East Asia, it makes good sense to rear bees for the honey. In Cameron Highlands, there are apiaries in Habu, Brinchang and Kea Farm where honey, bee pollen and royal jelly, is collected and bottled to be sold as local produce in markets and specialty shops. The bee farms here are open to visitors who can visit the apiaries and buy bee products or enjoy some refreshments at in-house cafes while enjoying the surrounding views. The popular Bee Farms are : -Ee Feng Gu Honey Bee Farm (near the Kea Farm area) -Highland Honey Bee Farm (along the road to the Boh Tea Plantation) -Cameron Tringkap Bee Farm (Tringkap)

Annotations:

• The climate in Cameron Highlands is excellent for year-round strawberry production and this has encouraged many farmers to cultivate this fruit. In fact, strawberry production is such a big business here, the people of Cameron Highlands have associated themselves very closely with this fruit. Hotels are named after strawberries, clothes come in strawberry prints, there are strawberry toys, strawberry souvenirs, even pillows, strawberry farm visits, strawberry jam, ice cream and a whole range of Malaysian food fushioned with this berry. Most strawberry farms are concentrated at Tanah Rata, Brinchang and Kea Farm. During higher production season from May till August, many of these farms offer strawberry picking by hand to attract visitors. Visitors wishing to indulge in this activity are charged between RM50 to RM60 a kg of fruit plucked. Three of the most popular strawberry farms where visitors can do interactive visits are Big Red Strawberry Farm in Brinchang, Kasimani’s Farm close to the Golf Course and Raju Hill Strawberry Farm near Kea Farm

Annotations:

• No trip to Cameron Highlands is complete without a trip to the tea plantations. This is one of the main attraction that’s got to be in your “must see” list. You can visit the factories to learn about the tea making process and you can also sit down and enjoy a cup of tea at the cafe. The view overlooking the plantations is beautiful and perfect for the picture album.

1. Boh Tea Plantations

   Annotations:

   • BOH Plantations Sdn Bhd is the leading tea grower in Malaysia with four tea gardens – Boh, Sungei Palas and Fairlie situated in Cameron Highlands; and Bukit Cheeding in Selangor – constituting a total land area of 1200 hectares. With a production capacity approaching 3000kgs per hectare, the Company produces 4 million kgs of tea annually which translates to about 5.5 million cups per day. This represents about 70% of all tea produced in Malaysia.
2. Sungai Palas Tea Estate

   Annotations:

   • This is another tea plantation owned by Boh and it is located further up north from the mail plantation. A definite must on the list of things to do in Cameron Highlands is a visit to the new Sungei Palas Tea Centre. Recently opened by BOH Plantations at the Sungei Palas tea garden, it is just above Brinchang, in the very heart of the Cameron Highlands tea country. Located on a hilltop, amidst rows of tea bushes and close to Gunung Brinchang, it offers the best possible introduction to Malaysian teas in a truly spectacular setting.
3. Cameron Valley Tea Plantation (Bharat Tea Plantation)

   Annotations:

   • Tourists heading towards Tanah Rata from the old Tapah-Cameron Highlands road will not miss the beautiful Bharat Tea Plantation which covers a whole range of undulating hill slopes. Located only 5km before Tanah Rata, Bharat which was established in 1933  is the second largest tea producer in Cameron Highlands. This tea growing company also has a tea estate in Tringkap town further down along the main Cameron Highlands road where its  signature brand ‘Cameron Valley’ tea is produced.However,  its primary Bharat tea estate is the one most visited by tourists as its located just along the main road near Tanah Rata. This particular plantation has two tea houses situated several hundred metres apart, both serving good fresh tea, a variety of cakes, scones and strawberry jam, as well as English biscuits. Both tea houses sell souvenirs too and receive a good number of visitors during weekends and holidays.  But the older one that first greets tourists from the lowland is where one can take a path  that leads down the tea estate for visitors to explore the tea plantation. The second tea house, however, has a much larger car park to cater for tourist arriving by cars during the peak season and both centers offer impressive views of the valley. Bharat Tea is open daily; from 9am to as late as 6pm on busy days.

Annotations:

• The amazing nature Cameron Highlands is bestowed with is indeed the main reason for its touristic appeal and top in its natural attraction list must surely be its Mossy Forest. Depending on its location, this forest may also be called Cloud Forest, Elfin Forest, or Upper Montane Forest with all displaying similar characteristics and vegetation that can only be found in a constantly cool, windy, wet, and misty environment. In Malaysia, the Mossy Forest occupies the ridge and valleys at elevations above 1,800 metres where it is constantly shrouded by mist and lower clouds with temperatures ranging between 10 to 18 degrees Celsius. The Mossy Forest of Cameron Highlands is located at the ridge of the 2032 metre-high Mount Brinchang, the highest mountain in Cameron Highlands. Here, the view of the hills and valleys below and the plains at the distance are magnificent and sunrises and sunsets are amazing. For those who dare venture at night, the sight of the stars and Milky Way above on clear days and the lights of Ipoh city far below, are exhilarating sights. Distance views apart, the forest here is simply enthralling with a thick layer of soft  spongy moss draping every tree and the ground as well. The trees here are also stunted, rarely above 10 metres tall and mostly of the laurel family with rhododendrons which are showy when in bloom, tiny orchids, pitcher plants and other epiphytes, thriving in this environment. The Mossy Forest of Brinchang is actually one of the easiest spots in world to access a mossy forest with a tarred road reaching right to the peak of the ridge here. There are daily guided tours to the mossy forest organised by various tour operators in Cameron Highlands who will take tourists through the forests using a 400 metre long wooden walkway which was specially built through the forest for a very up, close and personal view of this natural wonder.

Annotations:

• Time Tunnel Gallery – The Local Museum If you want to explore the real Cameron Highlands, then a visit to the Time Tunnel Gallery is a must for you. Take a peek into Cameron Highland’s past through the old photographs and stories that many people do not know about. A lot of the photos depicting the past are from personal collections of the locals who’s been here since the pre-war days. You can also see some of the familiar items from the yesteryears. For those who grew up in the 40′s to 80′s, this will be a walk back in memory lane