Malaysian Tea Plantations of the Cameron Highlands

While traveling through the Cameron Highlands, we had the opportunity to venture through many of the tea plantations of Malaysia and in this area, the Boh Tea Plantation and Cameron Valley are said to be the largest in all of Malaysia.

Amazingly, these are all handpicked daily by the workers with nothing more than some shears and a basket. Machines do too much damage to the tea leaves…

For anyone that has never visited one, imagine small hedge bushes, made up of tea leaves of course, but planted in rows in what seems like a maze. And here in the Cameron Highlands, they are cut right into the rolling hills of this cool weathered area in Northern Malaysia. Its quite a sight to see when you’re turning corners on the road as you drive through the area. It truly reminded me of the terraced hills of Vietnam and South China in the way the crop seemed stacked upon itself as it stepped up the landscape.

While there, we were fortunate enough to actually visit one of these amazing plantations and we ended up spending an afternoon at the Boh Tea Plantation. As the largest in all of Malaysia in combined acreage, the Boh plantation was a sight to see. This was of course my first time visiting a tea plantation and for someone who knew nothing of tea and what went into process, it was definitely a learning experience. I’m sure I’m not the only newbie out there!

There was a group of us there and we got the full tour which took us through the entire process, from the tea gardens, to the factory floor where tea is separated and processed, to having a cup of tea at the end. Having been unfamiliar with all of this, I’d of never imagined there was so much involved in making a cup of tea… Apparently though, tea is much like that of wine and the conditions that go into making it play a large role in the final product. And in this area sitting high above sea level, conditions are ideal here in the Cameron Highlands due to the amount of rainfall they receive, moderate temperatures and the amount of sunshine they get everyday.

Our ‘unofficial’ tour guide… who is about to get into trouble…

After going through a full tour of the area and factory, we had learned that the Boh tea plantation had been founded back in 1929 and it was once nothing more than a steep jungle area that was later developed using nothing more than one steamroller, some workers and a pack of mules. When you’re actually here and see the size of this place, this is quite hard to imagine at over 600 acres! There seems to be valleys upon valleys of stepped slopes as far as you can see.

The final cup of tea we tried at the end of this tea plantation tour…

So after making it through the factory process, I not only had a new appreciation for tea (maybe you will too after reading this?) but we also had the chance to try the tea. And as you could imagine, you end up in the tea shop at the conclusion of the tour should you want to buy some. But as an added bonus, you could enjoy your tea in a small sitting area type restaurant that actually was elevated and situated on the side of one of the rolling hills. From there, you had an amazing vantage point that had you standing high above the tea plantation overlooking the workers and rows upon rows of tea bushes. For the official site for you future visitors and curious folk that want to learn more, follow the link for the Boh Tea Plantation.

The overlook we had that afternoon while trying out this famous tea…

And should you have a planned trip to Malaysia, be sure to add the Cameron Highlands to your list and don’t miss the opportunity to visit the Boh Tea Plantation.