Forests and Mountains

Cameron Highlands has several forest trails for serious hiking or casual climber. Most of these trails lead up to the peak of several mountains, the difficulty depending on the terrain and weather conditions. Each path is officially tagged with a number, and this can be viewed from any of the tourist maps of Cameron Highlands available in all the town sundry shops.

Most of the trails are marked with signboards, but some of them are quite dilapidated and may even point in the wrong direction! It's handy to purchase one of those pocket maps so you can chart your way around with ease. Standard jungle trekking protocol, such as good hiking shoes, bottle of water and light clothing, apply here. For an easy hike through the forest, try the trail that winds from Parit Falls to the watch tower.

You can access this trail called Path 4 through the side of Century Pines Resort, the Forestry Department Office or Parit Falls. Along the path, there is a steep trail that leads up to a watch tower. For a tougher trek, try the jungle trail to Gunung Brinchang (2000 meters) that starts from the Water Supply Department quarters (JBA) near Brinchang Town.

From the entry point, it is approximately two hours by foot, taking you through the mossy forest before reaching the peak. Besides Gunung Brinchang, there are other mountains to climb around Tanah Rata and Ringlet. Gunung Beremban (1800 meters) can be accessed from the path to Robinson Waterfalls (via MARDI Station) or Sam Poh Tong Temple (in Brinchang).

Gunung Jasar (1670 meters) is another popular mountain for climbing activities located in Tanah Rata. Visitors can use the trails starting from Bharat Tea Plantation, Camelia Gardens (Oly Apartments) or weather station. If coming from the weather station, the trail actually leads up another mountain peak first, which is Gunung Perdah (1551 meters) before leading to Gunung Jasar. For the ultimate trek, take the trail to Gunung Irau, Cameron Highland's highest peak at 2100 meters, which starts a short distance before the peak of Gunung Brinchang, on the right side of the road.