Getting to Cameron Highlands

Teratak Pakis sits on the road between Tanah Rata and Brinchang, so whichever way you come up, you pass one of the two towns just before you reach us. The last stretch is the part to plan for: every road into Cameron Highlands is a hill road, and the traffic in the towns can be heavier than anything you met on the expressway.

The two main roads

From Kuala Lumpur and the south, leave the North-South Expressway (E1) at Tapah, exit 132, and take FT59, the old road up through Ringlet. From Tapah to Tanah Rata is about 59 km, and nearly all of it is bends. It is the shortest way from the Klang Valley.^1,2,3

From Ipoh, Penang and the north, leave the E1 at Simpang Pulai, exit 137, and take the road up to Kampung Raja. It comes into the highlands from the north, through Kea Farm and Brinchang, and reaches us from the Brinchang side. From Kuala Lumpur this way is about 60 km longer.^4,5,2

There is also a road from Gua Musang in Kelantan (FT185, via Lojing) and one from Raub and Kuala Lipis through Sungai Koyan, which meets the Tapah road at Ringlet.^6,7

By bus

Unititi Express, which has counters in Tanah Rata and Brinchang, runs from Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) in Kuala Lumpur to the Tanah Rata bus terminal, Terminal Freesia. Fares start from RM35.00, departures run from around 8.15 am to 4.30 pm, and the trip takes around 4 to 4.5 hours, longer at weekends and on public holidays. TBS is linked to Bandar Tasik Selatan station, so you can get there by LRT, KTM or KLIA Transit.¹⁰

From Penang, Unititi leaves from Komtar, Sungai Nibong and Penang Sentral, with fares from RM40.00 and departures from around 8.00 am to 1.15 pm. The district council also lists Kinta Express for Ipoh and Kurnia Bistari Express for Kuala Lumpur and Butterworth, on an undated page, so check with them before you rely on a time.^11,12

Terminal Freesia is in Tanah Rata, about 3.4 km from us by road. The district council says taxis can be hired at the bus station.^2,12

Tips for the winding road

• Drive the hill section in daylight if you can. FT59 is narrow and full of bends, and the Works Ministry has been fitting guardrails, signs and solar blinkers at 45 spots on the Tapah road after a fatal crash in April 2026.
• Anyone who gets carsick: take something before the climb, not halfway up. Unititi suggests the same for bus passengers, or a seat near the front.
• Fill up and use the toilet before you leave the expressway; there is little room to stop on the bends.
• Vegetable lorries use the Tapah road regularly. Give them room on the corners.
• Plan to arrive mid-afternoon. Check-in is from 2 pm, and arriving before dark makes the last stretch much easier.^3,13,10

Check before you go

Heavy rain brings landslips to the roads up here, usually cleared within hours but sometimes for longer. These are the recent ones we know of:

• 25 Oct 2024: a landslip closed KM43 of the Simpang Pulai road in both directions; police sent drivers via Tapah.
• 6 Jan 2025: a landslide at Kampung Raja, near the Blue Valley junction, blocked the Simpang Pulai road before dawn. It reopened at noon; the detours were Tapah or Sungai Koyan.
• 3 Dec 2025: a landslide closed the Gua Musang to Lojing road near Pos Blau. A temporary diversion opened on 21 May 2026.
• 17 Jul 2026: a landslide half-blocked the Tapah road near Batu 25, about 7 km from Ringlet, for about two hours.
• 11 Sep 2026: a landslide closed part of Jalan Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah in Tanah Rata for a time, and flash floods hit Golden Hill in Brinchang.^{14,15,16,7,17,18,19}

Road works: FT59 through Brinchang is being widened from two lanes to four, with a one-way loop at Kea Farm, due in February 2028. Expect some narrowing near the Brinchang roundabout until then.²⁰