The Highlands were discovered on a British colonial expedition in 1885 by the surveyor William Cameron. It was soon realised that the cooler climate and the fertility of the steep mountainous slopes were ideal for growing tea, a highly valued commodity at the time. As the region grew it also became a desirable colonial retreat again due to the cooler climate. To this day it is still, endearingly, known to some as the “little corner of England in Asia”.

The Cameron Highlands remain as one of Malaysia’s prime tourist attractions and is still home to many tea plantations and is the countries largest tea producing region. Many of these tea plantations run tours of the facilities and offer an interesting insight into the tea production and a history of the area.

The region also offers an extensive range of trekking and jungle walks most of which are no longer than an hour or so stroll but some are a lot more tough going.

It was also here in 1967 that the famed American Thai silk entrepreneur, Jim Thompson disappeared in mysterious circumstances.