Mossy Forest Land Rover Half-Day Tour, Cameron Highlands

The Mossy Forest on Gunung Brinchang

The Mossy Forest is a high-altitude cloud forest near the summit of Gunung Brinchang, at about 2,000 metres the highest point in Peninsular Malaysia that can be reached by road. Clouds drift through the trees most mornings, so every trunk and branch is wrapped in thick moss, lichens and ferns. A raised wooden boardwalk lets you walk into this green, dripping world without damaging the fragile ground, and your guide points out pitcher plants, wild orchids and rhododendrons along the way.

Is the Mossy Forest worth visiting? For most travellers it is the highlight of the Cameron Highlands: the air is cool, often 12 to 18°C, and the light through the mist is unlike anywhere else in Malaysia. The last stretch of road is narrow and rough, which is exactly why this tour uses a Land Rover. Plan on about 45 minutes to an hour on the boardwalk; parts of it may be closed for restoration at times, and your guide will show you the open sections.

The Land Rover ride through the highlands

Land Rovers have been the working vehicles of the Cameron Highlands since the estates were opened in the colonial era, carrying tea, vegetables and workers along tracks too steep for ordinary cars. Many of these sturdy 4x4s are still lovingly kept on the road, and riding in one is part of the fun of this half-day tour. The drive climbs past vegetable terraces, greenhouses and forest, with the temperature dropping as you gain height.

The final climb to Gunung Brinchang is single-lane in places, with tight bends and broken tarmac, so a high-clearance 4x4 and a driver who knows the road make the trip safe and relaxed. Your guide shares stories about the highlands, the farms and the forest as you go, and stops where the view opens up. There is no room for large luggage or strollers in the vehicle, so leave big bags at your hotel.

Sungai Palas tea plantation

Tea has been grown in the Cameron Highlands since the late 1920s, and the Sungai Palas estate north of Brinchang is the best-known place to see it. The plantation spreads over steep, rounded hills covered in neat rows of tea bushes, and from the tea centre's viewing terrace the whole valley looks like folds of green velvet. On many mornings you can watch the pickers or harvesting machines working along the slopes.

This tea plantation stop gives you time to walk to the viewpoint, browse the tea shop and sit down with a cup of highland tea and a slice of cake at your own expense. The tea centre and its factory are closed on Mondays; on those days we visit a tea house on another estate in the highlands instead, with similar views over the plantations. Allow about 45 minutes here.

A Cameron Highlands strawberry farm

The cool climate makes the Cameron Highlands Malaysia's strawberry country. Most farms grow the fruit in raised beds or hanging troughs under clear plastic shelters, which protect the plants from the heavy rain. At the farm you see how the strawberries are grown, and if you wish you can pick your own; picking is paid at the farm by weight.

Many farms also sell strawberry jam, dried fruit, ice cream and other local treats, and the area around Kea Farm and Brinchang has a busy market with highland vegetables, flowers and souvenirs. It is a cheerful last stop that children enjoy, and it rounds off the morning before we drop you back at your hotel in time for lunch. Plenty of halal restaurants are found in Tanah Rata and Brinchang for the rest of your day.