Cameron Highlands

The Cameron Highlands stretch across 712 square kilometers of Pahang state, about 200 kilometers north of Kuala Lumpur. Think rolling hills covered in tea plantations, vegetable farms, and patches of montane rainforest. The region sits at elevations between 1,100 and 1,800 meters, which explains why you'll need a light jacket here when the rest of Malaysia swelters. Three main towns anchor the highlands. Ringlet sits lowest at the southern entrance, handling most of the region's flower nurseries and vegetable farms. Tanah Rata serves as the backpacker hub with budget guesthouses and tour operators. Brinchang, the largest town, caters more to Malaysian families and package tourists with its night market and strawberry farms. The geography gets interesting once you leave the towns. Gunung Brinchang rises to 2,031 meters as the region's highest accessible peak. Mossy Forest cloaks the upper elevations in thick, otherworldly vegetation. And everywhere you look, precisely manicured tea bushes create geometric patterns across the hillsides – this is Malaysia's tea capital, producing about 4 million kilograms annually.