What to pack for the highlands

Most guests arrive from the lowlands dressed for 33 degrees and are surprised by the first evening. Up here the average low is between 14.6 and 16.1 C, the average high only 21 to 23.4 C, and it rains on more days than not for much of the year. Pack for a cool, damp spring and you will be comfortable.¹

Clothes

• Layers rather than one heavy coat: T-shirts, a long-sleeved top and a fleece or warm jumper for each person.
• A proper warm layer for the evening. The station has recorded 10 C in February.
• Long trousers for walks, and something that can get muddy.
• Something to sleep in that covers arms and legs.
• Modest clothes for the temple: shoulders and knees covered.
• A spare set of dry clothes for each child, kept in the car.¹

Footwear

• Shoes with good grip for the Mossy Forest. Pahang Forestry describes it as damp, mossy and wet all year, and you walk it on a raised boardwalk.
• Trainers or walking shoes for farms and waterfalls, where paths are often wet.
• Sandals or slip-ons for the evening and the night market.
• Proper shoes for BOH's plantation walk: they ask for suitable attire and adjust the walk for the weather.^2,3

Weather gear

• A light waterproof jacket for each person. Even the driest months average 12 to 14 rain days, and October and November 24 to 25.
• A compact umbrella for the towns and the markets.
• A small towel in the day bag for wet benches and wet hands.
• Sunscreen and a cap for the drier, brighter days.¹

Documents and money

• MyKad for Malaysians, passport for everyone else. Foreign guests pay tourism tax of RM10 per room per night at registered accommodation, and the passport is the document Customs expects to see. Malaysians and permanent residents are exempt.
• Cash in small notes for markets, farm stalls and forest entry fees, as well as your cards.
• Mossy Forest entry: RM10 for Malaysian adults and RM30 for non-citizen adults, children less. Tour operator charges are separate.
• Your bus booking confirmation if you come by bus, saved offline or printed.^4,5,6,7

For the kids

• Motion-sickness medicine, taken before the climb. Unititi suggests the same for bus passengers because the road is winding.
• Snacks and water for the drive. There are few places to stop on the bends.
• A warm hat and a fleece for the evening market.
• A waterproof for each child, and a change of socks.
• Something for a rainy afternoon: cards, a book, colouring.⁷