How to Go

Getting to Cameron Highlands

Cameron Highlands may be accessed by three major roads. Decades ago, the windy road from Tapah was the only way of getting there, and it was prone to landslides and other dangers. Today, due to the modern development of Cameron Highlands for tourists, an additional two roads have been built, approaching Cameron Highlands from the north while the old road has undergone much renovation and repair works. Knowing your way up is essential, if you get lost, you might ruin your holiday!

There is no air strip for planes to land on or a railway track up the mountains into Cameron Highlands . Visitors will either have to drive their own vehicles or take public transport such as taxis and buses. A ride up by bus is inexpensive, and can be taken from cities such as Penang, Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur . However, the major complain is the way some of the bus drivers drive wildly careening along the windy road and even the shape of some of the coaches, which looks like they haven't been serviced for 100 years.

Taking an executive coach up is highly recommended for stability. On the other hand, you can take a taxi but will set you back about three to four times more than a bus ticket. The best option is to drive your own car or rent one, so you can explore the different spots in Cameron Highlands at your leisure. At the moment, there are three main ways to reach the Cameron Highlands; the old traditional Tapah Road, the new Simpang Pulai exit from Ipoh and the highway from Gua Musang. A fourth road is currently being constructed which will enable people to access Ringlet in Cameron Highlands from Kuala Lipis, Pahang.

Tapah Road
This was the original road leading up to the Cameron Highlands and is still very much in use today. Generally, those coming from the south of Peninsular Malaysia, such as Kuala Lumpur and Johor as well as Singapore will use this road as it is the nearest. Tapah is a small town that's located at the base of the mountain range and can be reached by the old trunk road from Rawang or the PLUS highway from Kuala Lumpur . The road will lead up to the first township of Cameron Highlands , which is Ringlet.

From Tapah, a narrow and straight road connects it to the way up Cameron Highlands , and once approaching the forest, it begins to fork and bend in turns. This old road also offers some breath-taking scenery as it cuts directly across virgin rainforests and spans around 35 km. Visitors using this road can also marvel Aborigine (Orang Asli) villages at the sides or stop by the many bamboo huts opened by them to purchase harvest from the jungle, such as ferns, plants, orchids and drift wood.

Shady and quiet, the only thing breaking the peaceful atmosphere is the cacophony of jungle wildlife, but that is itself a pleasant sound. Visitors will pass by some awesome mountain ranges on the right as they navigate their way around the twisty bends. For best effect, open up the windows and enjoy the cool, refreshing air as the road steadily ascends up the mountains. The road, although maintained well, still suffers from mild pot holes at some points, especially near the top. Landslides occur infrequently, but they still do happen during times of heavy rainfall. Because the road is densely forested at each side and curves sharply around steep bends, you can't see far ahead and honking should be done at risky corners to alert incoming traffic. In a nut shell, moderately-paced driving is advised, especially during heavy rainfall or mist at night.

Simpang Pulai
The road from Simpang Pulai, a small town near Ipoh city is a relatively new road up to Cameron Highlands . It approaches Cameron Highlands from the north side of Peninsular Malaysia and passes through some lesser-known towns such as Tringkap and Kampung Raja near the top before reaching Brinchang. Most travellers from Penang and Ipoh will use this road that is well-paved but cuts across secondary forests that have all been previously logged.

This means that the scenery isn't as amazing as going through the Tapah Road , and the trees are much less dense with a strong flavour of bamboo and similar vegetation. The road up can also get really bright and hot, due to the lack of tall trees but this road offers the convenience of enabling you to see what's mostly ahead. Using this road is actually longer than the Tapah road because it coves over 50 km in total distance to reach Brinchang, the first main township of Cameron Highlands. While well-paved and the roads even, it still does get very bendy and twisty at times so careful driving is advised. Along the way, you can see some Orang Asli villages that have adapted to living in the surrounding secondary forest, which is far less bountiful.

Gua Musang
The road from Gua Musang is the latest road and is impractical to use except for those coming from the North Eastern side of Peninsular Malaysia such as Kelantan and Terengganu state. The road cuts through a mix of secondary and primary forest and offers some picturesque scenery and it faces the range of valleys and plains at the side. While well-paved and hardly used, the road can get really steep especially nearing the T-junction from which you turn left to head into Cameron Highlands.