No trip to Cameron Highlands is complete without a visit to a tea plantation! Especially if it is your first time coming here.
And the most famous of these is the BOH Sungai Palas tea. This is why the one-way road into the plantation is usually full of tourists.
In this guide, we’ll run through this popular plantation and its highlights. Along with other plantations that you can visit as an alternative.
Table of contents:
- Kuala Terla Tea Plantation
- BOH Sungai Palas Tea Plantation
- Bharat Tea Plantations
- Fairlie Tea Plantation
- Tea Factory Tour
- Getting To Cameron Highlands
Highlights
- Large tea estates up in Cameron Highlands are primarily owned by BOH Plantations or Bharat Group.
- The infamous jam along the one-way road to the BOH Sungai Palas estate can take 1-2 hours from the main road on public holidays and weekends during peak hours (10am to 1pm).
1. Kuala Terla Tea Plantation
At this plantation, you can have a go at riding an ATV with Cameron Adventurous ATV & Safari through the tea plantation!
It’s especially interesting (but tiring) if you’ve never tried riding an ATV before! And you get a rewarding view all the way to the top of the hill as this plantation is no less beautiful than other tea plantations, albeit smaller.
However, the ATVs are not in perfect shape. Nor are safety precautions very convincing. So, if that is not agreeable with you, you can opt for the jeep ride instead!
Or you can just take a leisurely walk through the plantation. And do a short climb to the top yourself!
Plus, there is a decent on-site café at this plantation:
Cameron Valley Tea House 3 (Kuala Terla)
Cameron Valley Tea House 3 is one of 3 tea houses owned by Bharat. Not a bad place to stop enroute to Tanah Rata as the tea house overlooks the plantation.
The tea shop here sells an assortment of locally produced tea. Their masala tea and scones are good!
There are usually not that many people here, so parking is a breeze too. Just prepare yourself for the questionable number of flies.
PS: Flies are a common sight in Cameron Highlands, especially if the weather has been hot with regular rain (which is most of the year).
Read more about Cameron Valley Tea House 3 (more photos).
- Location: 49th Mile Kuala Terla, Cameron Highlands, 39000 Tanah Rata, Pahang, Malaysia
- Opening Hours: 9 am–6 pm
- Contact: +605-498 8180
- Entrance Fees: RM4 to enter the garden
2. BOH Sungai Palas Tea Centre
True that it’s not easy to get to:
But that doesn’t stop everyone from wanting to visit this impressive plantation.
Some squeezing is necessary as the narrow road that winds into the estate does eventually reach a width that can only accommodate 1 car at a time!
There may be staff to manage the traffic which eases the stressful situation a lot.
Once you get to the estate, you can leave your car at the free and large visitor car park.
There are stairs leading up to the visitor center that hangs over the plantation. The building also houses two seating areas with a shared kitchen, a small gallery and of course, a shop for BOH tea products!
Note: If you have elderly in your group, you may want to drive straight up to the visitor center instead.
Quick tours of the tea factory by a staff member are available at regular intervals. Read more about BOH Sungai Palas Tea Plantation in this post.
Items on the menu are suitable for brunch, breakfast, or high tea. Cake flavors to try are their banana cheesecake, strawberry cheesecake or their unconventional nasi lemak cheesecake!
They also have scones as well but we recommend passing on these.
- Location: BOH Sungai Palas Tea Centre, Brinchang, 39000 Brinchang, Pahang
- Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday: 8:30am – 4:30pm; Monday: Closed (the exception is school and public holidays)
- Contact: +605-496 2096
- Entrance Fees: Free
3. Bharat Tea Plantations
Local tea brand, Cameron Valley Tea is the signature tea of Bharat Sdn. Bhd.!
Their main estate by the main road from Ringlet to Tanah Rata has not one but two tea houses!
Have a cup of their signature tea (we personally ask for less sugar) Or try their other Indian-inspired tea blends like their Masala Chai or Cardamom Tea.
Both tea houses have decks that look out over the valley and a shop where you can buy their various tea blends.
Different tea flavors you can get:
- Earl Grey
- Herbal
- Strawberry
- Black
- Lemon
- Cinnamon
- Flower
Food they serve:
- Croissants and other pastries
- Brownies
- Mango cheesecake
- Scones
- Carrot cake
- Nasi lemak
Cameron Valley Tea House 1
From Cameron Valley Tea House 1, visitors can take a stroll down to a small park and waterfall in the valley.
There are not as many seats to go around at this open-air cafe as with Cameron Valley Tea House 2. But because of this, the dining atmosphere is quieter.
Read more about Cameron Valley Tea House 1 (more photos).
- Location: 34, Mile Cameron Highlands, Tanah Rata, 39000 Cameron Highlands, Pahang
- Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday: 9am to 6pm; Friday to Sunday: 8am to 7pm
- Contact: +605-4851454
- Entrance Fees: If you want to explore the estate, it costs RM4/ person to walk while the buggy costs RM12/ person.
Cameron Valley Tea House 2
There’s no doubt that the second tea house is bigger to comfortably fit more visitors! It can be noisy here though but the food is better here in our opinion.
Visitors will also appreciate the larger parking lot.
Read more about Cameron Valley Tea House 2 (more photos).
- Location: 34.5, Mile Cameron Highlands, Tanah Rata, 39000 Cameron Highlands, Pahang
- Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday: 8:30am to 6pm; Friday to Sunday: 8am to 7pm
- Contact: +605-4915100
4. BOH Habu Tea Plantation (Or Fairlie Tea Plantation)
The Fairlie Tea Plantation (or BOH Habu Tea Estate) is lesser-known estate owned by BOH.
But this plantation in Habu has scenic views too. Not exactly like the Sungai Palas estate, but still very green and with fewer crowds. The latter is a big plus point for us.
Plus, there is a short hike (~10 minutes) to a hilltop viewpoint if you don’t mind the lack of maintenance for the trails.
Simple refreshments and tea are available at their small on-site café. You can also get tours of the tea factory at this plantation.
- Location: BOH Road Habu, 39200 Ringlet, Pahang
- Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday: 9am – 4:30pm; Monday: Closed (except for school and public holidays).
- Contact: +605-493 1324
- Entrance Fees: Free
Read more: Mossy Forest of Cameron Highlands – Don’t Miss This Scenic Hiking Spot in Malaysia!
Tea Factory Tour
Fancy getting a tour of a tea factory? There are only two tea plantations that currently offer factory tours. And these are both managed by BOH.
Free educational tours usually begin at 8:45am and occur every 30 minutes after. You don’t need to make any reservations beforehand to join the tours.
The only thing to note is that the tours may not be available on the day you go depending on factory operation.
We joined this tour recently and didn’t find it very interesting. The factory is dimly lit so you cannot see much of the process close. And the explanations are only surface level.
The tours only take about 10 minutes to complete! A staff will give a brief introduction into how tea is collected and processed at the plantation and factory.
The tours at Fairlie and Sungai Palas are not that much different. And neither gives you the opportunity to view the full process from beginning to end.
Getting To Cameron Highlands From Ipoh
Prepare yourself for the windy road and possible traffic jam up to Cameron Highlands.
Locals will take any excuse (e.g. public holiday, hot weather, school holiday, etc) to come here for the weekends!
With moderate traffic, it can take 2 hours from Ipoh to Cameron Highlands.
Which means it’s possible to make a day trip to Cameron Highlands from Ipoh. Hotels in Cameron Highlands do tend to be pricier anyways!
Private Tours To Cameron Highlands From Ipoh
If you don’t plan to drive up there yourself, you can always take a private tour service (RayTheTour) from Ipoh up to Cameron Highlands!
Tours include:
- Private transport up to and around Cameron Highlands
- Comfortable vehicle with ample seating and luggage space depending on your group size
- Local tour guides who are experienced with the traffic conditions
- Pick up service from anywhere in Ipoh, and drop-off back in Ipoh (on the same day)
Leave us a message on WhatsApp to book or inquire about our customizable private tours!
Conclusion
Anyone who goes up to Cameron Highlands for the first time will be sure to include at least one tea plantation into their plans!
And since everyone has the same one on their mind (Sungai Palas BOH Tea Estate), it’s not a bad idea to plan a back-up. Or you can wake up really early or reschedule your dates to avoid the crowds!
Other posts you might like: Interesting Places In Cameron Highlands
