KL to Cameron Highlands by car is about 200 to 210 km, three and a half to four hours, and the only real decision is the last hour: climb from Tapah or from Simpang Pulai. Take a comfortable SUV, book unlimited mileage, and give it two nights. A day trip is possible, but that's seven or eight hours of driving for a few hours at the top.
Day one: up
Leave KL early, especially on a weekend, so you're up the hill by late morning, ahead of the day-trippers. Both routes start on the North–South Expressway heading north.
| Via Tapah | Via Simpang Pulai | |
|---|---|---|
| Leave the expressway at | Tapah (Exit 132) | Simpang Pulai (Exit 137), just before Ipoh |
| The climb | Route 59, the older road | Route 185, then the road through Kampung Raja |
| First town | Ringlet, then Tanah Rata | Kampung Raja, then Tringkap, Kea Farm and Brinchang |
| The road | Narrow, steep and winding, with blind corners and lorries | Wider and gentler, though it narrows in places |
| Time from KL | About three and a half hours | About four hours |
| Best for | Confident drivers staying in Tanah Rata | Less experienced drivers, anyone prone to car sickness, stays in Brinchang or Kea Farm |
If you're not sure, take Simpang Pulai. The Tapah road is shorter but you'll meet slow lorries on blind bends and need patience before you overtake. Simpang Pulai is the easier drive; its descent towards Ipoh just needs care after rain. With a mixed group, use Simpang Pulai both ways. If you want to see both, go up one and down the other.
Jalan mana lebih baik ke Cameron Highlands dengan kereta, Tapah atau Simpang Pulai? Tapah lebih pendek tetapi sempit dan banyak selekoh. Simpang Pulai lebih mudah dipandu, walaupun kira-kira setengah jam lebih lama.
Fill the tank at Tapah or before Simpang Pulai. There are few petrol stations in the highlands and you don't want to look for one on the hill. Mist can thicken at any time of day; if it comes down, slow right down and put the fog lights on.
Pack a jacket. The mean temperature up there is around 18°C, and nights at the higher settlements can drop to about 9°C.
Day two: at the top
Most people split their time between Tanah Rata, the administrative town, and Brinchang. The tea estates are why many come, the BOH Sungei Palas estate among them, and the trail to the mossy forest starts there; the mossy forest near Mount Brinchang is about fifteen minutes' drive from the plantation. Then there are farms, nurseries and jungle trails from Tanah Rata, some of them several hours long.
Distances at the top are short. Traffic is what takes the time. The roughly seven-kilometre stretch from Tanah Rata through Brinchang to Kea Farm is the bottleneck: Brinchang's main road is narrow, parking is short, and on long weekends and school holidays a twenty-minute drive can take hours. Park once and walk in Tanah Rata or Brinchang rather than driving shop to shop, and come midweek outside the school holidays if you can.
Day three: down, or onwards
Back the way you came, or the other road for a change. From Simpang Pulai you're minutes from Ipoh, so it's easy to stop for lunch on the way home; see KL to Ipoh by car. Carrying on north instead? KL to Penang by car picks up the route.
The car
An hour of bends is where the car matters, for the driver and for whoever's in the back. A comfortable SUV is the one to take: the high seat shows you more of the road ahead and a soft ride is kinder on bends. The Volvo XC90 is RM 1,700 a day and a Range Rover Sport from RM 2,000. On a budget, the Proton X70 at RM 800 a day handles the climb and is less trouble in tight car parks. A bigger family should look at our 7-seater car rental guide, and luxury SUV rental in Kuala Lumpur compares the rest of the SUVs in the fleet.
Leave the supercar at home for this one. A long, low car is hard work on narrow bends, crowded town roads and steep car-park ramps; Genting or the coast suit it better, and driving up the Genting road covers that climb closer to KL.
Mileage
Every Grandpride rental includes 120 km a day, with +50 km, +100 km or unlimited on top. Size it to your busiest day, not the average:
| Day | Roughly | Covered by |
|---|---|---|
| KL to Cameron, plus settling in | 210 to 230 km | Only unlimited covers it with certainty |
| A day exploring at the top | 20 to 40 km | The included 120 km |
| Cameron back to KL | 210 to 230 km | Only unlimited covers it with certainty |
The up and down days sit at or past the +100 package's 220 km, so unlimited is the simple answer, and it costs less per kilometre than paying for the extra afterwards. Only the named renter may drive, so one person does both long days. The car goes back with the fuel level it left with.
If nobody wants to drive the hill, a Grandpride chauffeur can take you up. One-way trips are priced on distance, with the full price shown before you reserve; book the drive up and the drive down as two trips, at least two days ahead if you book online.
