How to Go

Cameron Highlands is located at Pahang, near the borders of Perak state. Most visitors drive up with their own vehicles, but budget travellers may take the bus from Kuala Lumpur, Penang or Singapore, all which offer luxury or economy coaches running daily trips. Alternatively, you can take a bus up from Tapah and Ipoh towns using the Kurnia Bistari or Regal buses, but be warned that these two companies use rather dilapidated coaches and ocassionally reckless drivers. There is no airport in Cameron Highlands; the closest is at Ipoh, from where you can take a bus or taxi up. Finally, a shuttle mini van service also runs from Chinatown in KL and Taman Negara (Kuala Tembeling).

From Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, there are three main ways to reach the Cameron Highlands that starts from the North-South Highway. The most popular route is to exit at Tapah town, then follow a narrow trunk road that cuts through a lush mountain range for about 40km (an hour's duration; drive is slow as road is windy) up to Ringlet, the first town of Camerons. From Johor Bahru, it's a 500km (five to six hours) journey while those starting from Kuala Lumpur only travel 140km (one-and-a-half hours) to reach Tapah. Simpang Pulai is the second most popular entryway, but this is used most by travellers coming from northern destinations such as Ipoh and Penang. Some travellers prefer using this route, as it has purportedly greater visibility and less windy roads.

Using the Simpang Pulai route adds an extra 30km to the North-South Highway journey, then the actual road itself leads up for 50km to Kampung Raja, the northernmost town of Cameron Highlands. Finally, a recent highway has been built that starts from Sungai Koyan village to Ringlet town, about 40 minutes away from either Raub and Kuala Lipis towns (both can be accessed via the Karak Highway with an hour's drive). This is the most secluded route, with few cars travelling on it at a distance of roughly 250km to Kuala Lumpur through Raub.

Visitors from Penang and Ipoh will use the Simpang Pulai highway explained above. From Penang, the journey along the North-South Expressway takes less than two hours (145km) to reach the Simpang Pulai exit after Ipoh. Those coming from Ipoh have it easy, with only a 20km road distance to cover to reach the entryway. The 50km journey also takes about an hour to Kampung Raja, due to windy road conditions. From Kampung Raja, it's about 20km to reach Brinchang town, passing through Tringkap and Kuala Terla along the way, and an extra 4km to Tanah Rata. Travellers from the east coast states, such as Kelantan and Terengganu, will use the highway that starts from Gua Musang; a 90km journey to Kampung Raja, passing Lojing Highlands along the way.

In Cameron Highlands, the Regal buses ply daily routes from Ringlet to Brinchang using the main road, consequently passing by most major tourist attractions along the way. However, the schedules are rather haphazard, though technically, they are supposed to run on an hourly basis. The bus station at the heart of Tanah Rata town is the main transportation hub in Cameron Highlands. Visitors travelling by bus are mostly dropped off here if coming from outstation destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Ipoh. At the bus terminal, visitors can find many taxis clustered together, offering flat rates for rides to prominent places rather than a meter. Alternatively, you can just about hail any passing taxi you find along the main road.