Cameron Highland Essentials

Planning a trip to Cameron Highlands? Sure you do! Cameron Highlands with its cool Malaysian highlands weather is one of the best places to go if you want to beat the hot Malaysia weather! Coupled with its virgin jungles and montane forest, plus the soothing green tea plantation, what more do you want?

Of course in order to plan for your travel to Cameron Highlands, you want to be prepared so that you could make the best holiday vacation getaway!


Cameron Highlands Weather

This is the draw for going to Cameron Highlands. The cool climate of Cameron Highlands makes it conducive for the many activities without breaking out into heavy perspiration. If I got the chance I might just retire here! The Cameron Highlands has an average cool weather during day time of 25°C with nightly average of 12°C. So bring along your warm clothing, break out your comfy sweaters, sexy boots for the ladies, sporty jackets and what's not to keep you warm which you hardly ever use in the warm weather lowlands. For the hot blooded amongst you, you can still wear Bermuda shorts, hot pants and minis during the day! You might say is not that cold till you are shivering, that is!


When to go for Cameron Highlands holiday vacation

You can visit Cameron Highlands anytime of the year! However some periods are better than others. Generally year end tend to be wet due to the North-East monsoon blowing in. However tropical Malaysia weather is notoriously difficult to predict. Off peak season is the best when accommodation prices are cheaper, and you don't have to rub shoulder to shoulder with the crowds. But then again, it depends on your available schedule, not withstanding you may have to coincide with your school going children holiday term break and match with weekend holidays. But such periods are best avoided if you can.


Restaurants and Eateries

Eat out or eat in? Up to you. Depending on your type of accommodation, you may want to cook up some steamboat meal (but have to put in the effort to cook and clean but saves on paying extra) or eat out. Plenty of choices from Chinese Restaurants, Indian Restaurants, Malay stalls and Western dishes. Take your pick!


Amenities

Forgot to bring your toothbrush? No worries! There are plenty of convenience stores and "kedai runcit" around. Prices are reasonable unlike Genting Highlands where the prices are hiked up. Here in Cameron Highlands the prices are similar to the lowlands. Not so much different. You can get most items like eggs, bread, mineral water, soft drinks, juices, yogurts, etc. Even slippers and sandals if you forget to bring along for taking a shower and you want to avoid walking barefooted on the bathroom cold tiled floor!


Transportation

You can drive or you can take public transport. Driving on your own is the best, as you can cover most sights on your own timing without worrying too much about fares or missing a ride. Of course if you didn't bring along your own vehicle, public transport available includes public buses and taxies. Be warned! Public buses do not run on time and taxi fares are can be expensive and the taxi service is not that great (having sat in one, he didn't even drop me off in front of my accommodation because he felt inconvenient, sheesh! Just a little bit further in only mah!)


Petrol Station

If you drive, you may need to fill 'er up! Fret not; there are petrol stations (namely Shell and Petronas) in Ringlet and Brinchang. No price hikes here, petrol price in Cameron Highlands is the same as everywhere else in Malaysia.


Banks in Cameron Highlands

Uh, uh... Run out of cash from all that spending, eating and visiting tourist attractions? No worries! There are plenty of banks in Cameron Highlands. Which one you like? There is HSBC, BSN, CIMB, Public Bank, EON Bank, RHB, etc spread out in the various towns in Cameron Highlands. If you are not so much of a miser, just pay that extra RM1 for using MEPS to withdraw your well needed cash. Heck, no point to drive to the correct town to withdraw your cash, your petrol usage would become more than that! For those of you who aren't local, there is always Cirrus, all the local bank ATM supports that system. This Cirrus bank service isn't cheap, so plan your monetary needs properly, ok? Oh, sorry for those who use Citibank, OCBC and Standard Chartered Bank. There aren't any of them around. The only foreign bank here is Hongkong and Shanghai Bank aka HSBC.


Travel and Tours Company

Don't know how to move around? Don't know how to figure out the Cameron Highlands Map (oh, c'mon, this place isn't so hard to navigate! One thing for sure, your Gamin GPS system won't work here!). Don't want to use public transportation? Then look around for the many travel and tour companies in Cameron Highlands. Prices are rather competitive and they can help you cover the various Cameron Highlands sights and attractions quickly. In addition, if you are adventurous enough you may want to try some of their adventure trail offerings.


Accommodations, Apartments, Bungalows, Hotels and Homestays

And last but not least, the most important of all, you need a place to recharge after whole day enjoying yourself travelling around Cameron Highlands. So check out the hotels, accommodation, apartments, bungalows and homestays and find one that suits your budget and luxury.


Enjoy!

And finally, do enjoy your stay, have some patience and don't let the mad crowd spoil your holiday in Cameron Highlands. Be smart and come around off peak season if you can!