What to do in the Cameron Highlands with kids: The Top 8 things
With rolling green hills (that are not palm oil plantations), a cool and sometimes chilly breeze, and strawberry farms with scones, this odd little pocket of little England in the middle of the Malaysian Cameron highlands is a welcome, and interesting detour on your journey through Malaysia with kids.
As you head up the winding roads to Tanah Rata from Kuala Lumpur, (make sure to take travel sickness pills- a family travel essential), you will feel the temperature drop and the sweat on your back begin to dry off (gross, I know, but true!).
Kuala Lumpur is a city that has something for everyone, but honestly, it’s not our favourite South East Asia destination. The traffic and the heat can be suffocating but luckily heading to the Cameron Highlands with kids is a great plan to escape the city.
Top things to do in the Cameron Highlands with kids
We spent 4 days exploring the highlands. It’s was a slightly odd few days, Jak had just recovered from Dengue in Cambodia so wasn’t his strongest, I’m pretty sure I got covid and the following two weeks we all got sick in Ipoh. But despite this, we managed to explore the Cameron Highlands with kids.
Tea Plantations tour (Boh Group and Bharat Group)
The most noticeable thing about the Cameron Highlands, is the endless green hills, mostly filled with tea. No visit to the Cameron Highlands is complete without a visit to a tea plantation.
The Boh Tea Plantation offers a tour, with a hillside cafe with great views over the fields. You can tour the factory to see how tea is made which is a great learning opportunity for the kids. BOH is one of the biggest tea producers in Malaysia and has been producing since the 1920’s and they make a pretty decent cup of tea
The Bharat tea plantation is easier to access and offers similar experiences although will likely be quieter than the more popular Boh tour.
Our kids loved making their way through the fields and the cake reward was a good deal sweetener too.
Mossy Forest Walk
We love forests, and jungles and generally trees. The mossy forest is one of the oldest forests in Malaysia and is known as a cloud forest; because of the cooler weather, the trees ‘birth’ clouds.
The damp, constant moisture creates the ideal environment for moss to grow on EVERYTHING.
Obviously because of this, the path is often wet and slippy. It’s not a difficult walk, with raised platforms and some informational signs, and takes around an hour depending on your kids willingness.
Pick your own Strawberries!
There are loads and loads of strawberry picking farms to choose from. The most popular is the Big Red Strawberry field.
Alternatively, we headed the the smaller Raaju’s Hill Strawberry Farm for a morning of strawberry picking! It’s free to visit the farm.
Make sure you try the ice cream.
Butterfly Bliss
Cameron Highland Butterfly Farm: You won’t need long to explore these small gardens but it’s a nice little trip with bugs, insects and small animals too.
Weekend Night Market! (Friday and Saturday)
Here is the place to sample all the fried food you can imagine. With brightly coloured drinks, cheap sparkly souvenirs and all the snacks you could possibly imagine, it’s a kids dream! This doesn’t compare to the markets you get in other cities but is a nice local affair.
Try and walk there as the traffic can get busy and it’s difficult to find a taxi.
Jungle Trekking & Waterfalls
We are massive fans of a jungle hike from our days of living in Brunei. The Cameron Highlands have been used by Malaysian miltary for training exercises and there are lots of marked numbered trails.
However, the maintenance of the trails is a different matter, especially if hiking with kids,
Depending on the ages of your children’s, you can choose the length and gradient to suit you! You will need walking shoes or decent trainers to deal with terrain and slippery moss.
Trail 10 is one of the most commonly hiked trails, and has connections to other, slightly more difficult trails.
Trail 4 is also recommended for smaller kids needing a flatter walk.
Trail 9 leads to the underwhelming Robinson Waterfall, do not expect to go for a dip!
Here is a map of the Cameron Highland hiking route although, we used Alltrails to help plan our route, and despite all feeling like death warmed up, we really enjoyed the hike.
Malaysian cooking class
A popular activity in the Cameron Highlands, it’s not something we came across in many other areas of Malaysia (except Penang), so this might be the place to get to grips with your Nasi Lemak.
ESCAPE Cameron Highlands: Ski Park
We didn’t get to experience this as it wasn’t open yet but if you are taking a trip to the Cameron Highlands with kids, this has to be on your itinerary!
We visited their ESCAPE park in Penang and it was definitely one of our highlights.
Top travel tips for visiting the Cameron Highlands
The Cameron Highlands are a popular destination especially at the weekend or on public holidays.
If travelling by bus to Ipoh, Penang or back to KL, make sure to book your leaving journey asap. Buses are limited and can fill up quickly.
It can get a lot colder here than in other parts of Malaysia
Being between 2-5000ft above sea level, the ‘highlands’ almost has its own micro climate. It’s much cooler here than other parts of Malaysia and became a great destinations for growing all kinds of fruits, vegetables and obviously…Tea.
When I say it gets cooler, I mean it can actually feel cold. The air is damp too, actually, its typical british weather, so you would think we would be prepared. Nope! It was cold…probably being sick didn’t help.
How long do I need in the Cameron Highlands?
Exploring the Cameron Highlands with kids won’t take up a huge amount of time. There is plenty to do in a few days, I’d say a week maximum.
Where should I stay in the Cameron Highlands?
There are several different population centers in the Cameron Highlands, but most people who visit decide to stay in the areas surrounding either Tanah Rata or Brinchang. Both areas have a ton of lodgings available, from budget-friendly guesthouses to some seriously fancy stays.
We stayed at the Avillion Hotel. The hotel is in Tanah Rata and easily walkable from the bus station. There’s a children’s playground, good breakfast and a range of great places to eat nearby.
Whilst small, you don’t want to me too far out. There are limited taxi options so only head further out if you plan to walk everywhere or not leave the hotel.
Where and what to eat in the Cameron Highlands?
In Tanah Rata there are a huge number of places to eat from local Malaysian cuisine, Indian Tandoori, Chinese restaurants to more Western options.
We enjoyed Jasmine Cafe, Amsterdam Cafe and Mossy Forest Cafe.
The Cameron Highlands in one of the most popular places to get steamboat dinners in Malaysia, with a lot of farm to table options. Food is cooked at the table in a hotpot. This is available in a lot of the restaurants here so worth a try!
How do I get to the Cameron Highlands?
Take the Bus
We hopped on a coach for 4.5 hours from KL up to Tanah Rata each way through Bus Ticket Online.
You can purchase coach tickets in person from the main bus station Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) but it’s much easier to book online in advance.
The coaches are comfortable, spacious and have good AC. But the journey is super windy and if you are a nervous passenger, close the curtains!
Is it worth visiting the Cameron Highlands with kids?
If you have the time, then yes, it’s a great stopping off point between KL and Ipoh or Penang or even if you are heading to the East coast of Malaysia. It’s a bit different!
When to visit the Cameron Highlands?
The dry season, spanning from February to April and July to August are ideal is often considered the best time to visit Cameron Highlands. During these months, you can expect less rainfall and clearer skies
Should you visit the Cameron Highlands with kids?
The cool weather of the Cameron Highlands make it a welcome break for families travelling around Malaysia. The Cameron Highlands gives little respite from the heat, a cup of tea with scones and jam are good for mum…sorry everyone!
Our favourite family travel planning tools
- Booking.com – The best all-around accommodation booking site with the widest selection of budget accommodation. It’s easy to filter and sort into price and availability.
- Skyscanner– This is by far our favourite flight search engine. They are able to search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites often miss.
- Kiwi– We use Kiwi for our destination inspiration, and to help find those routes which are a little cheaper. It has a very flexible search option for finding flights.
- GetYourGuide– Get Your Guide is the place to go for tours and excursions offered all around the world including everything from walking tours, to street-food tours, cooking classes, desert safari’s and more!
- SafetyWing – A great travel insurance option that offers load of flexibility.
- Genki – Travel insurance tailored for longterm travel and nomads (including those who have already left home).
- ESim– We always set up an esim for arrival into a country to help navigate our way around.
- Discover Cars– Our go to for rentals, internationally. We always find the best deals here
- 12go– Our go to for booking buses, trains, coaches and boats
- TravelSpend– Helps us to keep track of our budget
Meet the author
Lisa is the founder of our family travel blog- Boston Tribe Travels. She has lived and travelled abroad for the last 15 years, visited more than 30 countries and has dragged the kids and husband around for most of it. As a worldschooling family who have travelled full time and taken a gap year they are now based in Bali.
From living in Brunei, Borneo for 5 years to backpacking South America, Asia and Europe, Lisa shares a wealth of family travel experience to show more families they can travel and learn together.
Our favourite family travel planning tools
- Booking.com – The best all-around accommodation booking site with the widest selection of budget accommodation. It’s easy to filter and sort into price and availability.
- Skyscanner– This is by far our favourite flight search engine. They are able to search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites often miss.
- Kiwi– We use Kiwi for our destination inspiration, and to help find those routes which are a little cheaper. It has a very flexible search option for finding flights.
- GetYourGuide– Get Your Guide is the place to go for tours and excursions offered all around the world including everything from walking tours, to street-food tours, cooking classes, desert safari’s and more!
- SafetyWing – A great travel insurance option that offers load of flexibility.
- Genki – Travel insurance tailored for longterm travel and nomads (including those who have already left home).
- ESim– We always set up an esim for arrival into a country to help navigate our way around.
- Discover Cars– Our go to for rentals, internationally. We always find the best deals here
- 12go– Our go to for booking buses, trains, coaches and boats
- TravelSpend– Helps us to keep track of our budget
