KL to Bukit Tinggi is about 55 km and around an hour by car on the Karak Highway, which makes the French-themed Colmar Tropicale the closest cool-air escape from the city. It's a half day, not a full one: an hour each way and three or four hours up top. In a rental, add 50 km a day to the 120 km included and you're covered.
This is Bukit Tinggi in Bentong district, Pahang, on the road from KL towards the east coast. It isn't Bukittinggi in Sumatra. You'll also see the area called Berjaya Hills, after the resort that runs Colmar Tropicale and the gardens around it.
The drive up
Leave KL heading east on the Karak Highway. It's tolled and cashless, so have a Touch 'n Go card or tag ready. From most of Kuala Lumpur the whole drive is about an hour; from Petaling Jaya, give it a bit longer.
The highway climbs into the hills and runs past the Genting turn-offs. Karak is also the main road to Genting and the east coast, so it's at its worst at the start and end of long weekends and festive holidays. A weekday, or leaving by 9 am on a weekend, keeps it easy.
A few kilometres after the Janda Baik exit, watch for the Bukit Tinggi turn-off. From there the resort road climbs about 10 km to around 800 m. It's well paved, with some sharp bends, and the temperature drops as you go.
Up top
Colmar Tropicale sits at about 790 m. It's a village of half-timbered, French-style buildings modelled on Colmar in Alsace, with touches from the villages around it. Most of the buildings are hotel rooms, with restaurants and shops among them. Walk it at 10 am, before the day-trippers arrive, when the light is softer for photos.
Higher up, at about 1,000 m, the Japanese Village has a Japanese garden and a tea house. It's the coolest part of the visit, and a good stop at around 11.30 before lunch back in the village. The Botanical Garden is the quieter option if you'd rather walk among plants than shops.
A shuttle inside the resort links the village with the gardens. Opening hours and any entry charges are set by the resort and change from time to time, so check its official website before you go instead of trusting an old figure.
Leave at about 2.30 pm and you're back in the city by mid-afternoon. For a full day, add the Botanical Garden and a slow lunch, or carry on to Genting; our guide to driving up the Genting road covers that climb.
A car for the photos
A French village in the Malaysian hills is a photo stop, and the car can be in the picture. The Mitsuoka Rock Star, a retro-styled convertible, is RM 1,900 a day and looks right against half-timbered walls. It has two seats, so it's a car for a couple, and on a short, easy drive like this you don't give up much comfort. The rest of the roof-down cars are on the convertible list.
Colmar Tropicale is a private resort. Personal snapshots are one thing; for a paid or commercial shoot, ask the resort for permission first. Renting a car for a photoshoot in KL covers planning a shoot around a car.
A cool, pretty village an hour from town also suits a proposal. Our guide to planning a marriage proposal with a car has ideas, and classic-look cars for rent in KL puts the Rock Star next to the 300SL.
Mileage
Every Grandpride rental includes 120 km a day, with +50 km, +100 km or unlimited as options.
| Plan | Roughly | Package |
|---|---|---|
| Colmar Tropicale from central KL and back | About 130 km, with the resort road | +50 km a day |
| From Petaling Jaya and back, with the Japanese Village | 140 to 160 km | +50 km a day |
| Bukit Tinggi and Genting on the same day | More, with two climbs | +100 km a day |
The +50 package gives you 170 km for the day, enough for Bukit Tinggi with a detour. Beyond your package, each kilometre is billed at that car's rate, shown when you book. Only the person named on the booking may drive, and the fuel gauge should read the same at return as at collection.
Or be driven
A Grandpride chauffeur is booked by the hour, 3 to 23 hours, and a half day at Bukit Tinggi usually takes five or six. The car waits at the resort while you walk, and nobody has to think about the drive back after lunch. For an occasion, the long-wheelbase Mercedes-Benz S-Class with chauffeur is RM 300 an hour. Online bookings need at least two days' notice, and Book a chauffeur gives the full price. If Genting is on the list too, a private car from KL to Genting Highlands explains the flat fare.
Bukit Tinggi kira-kira 55 km dari Kuala Lumpur melalui Lebuhraya Karak, lebih kurang sejam memandu.
