Afternoon Tea at Sungei Palas

Picture perfect Sungei Palas tea house and plantation

A visit to Cameron Highlands will not be complete if you do not visit the tea plantation. There are two brands of tea produced in Cameron Highlands, namely; Boh and Cameron Valley.

The icon of Boh Tea: Mr. Boh

Boh has two tea houses in Sungei Palas and Fairlie while Cameron Valley has three tea houses; two located between Ringlet and Tanah Rata and one located between Tringkap and Kampung Raja. All these tea houses have the magnificent view of the tea plantations. So far, I have been to only three of the tea houses: one in Sungei Palas, one located between Ringlet and Tanah Rata and another one located between Tringkap and Kampung Raja. If you are interested to walk among the tea bushes, I would suggest you to go to Cameron Valley tea houses because they are easier to climb. Most people who visit Sungei Palas do not venture into its tea plantation although it looks accessible. Maybe the reason is because it is located on a hill slope.

Wild flowers growing along the path up to the tea house

The road to Sungei Palas tea house and plantation is located after Equatorial Hotel and Butterfly Garden (if you are coming from Tanah Rata). There is a big signboard indicating the small road up the hill. It is quite challenging and the road is rather narrow. At some point, I would say only a car can pass through. Drivers driving up here need to be considerate and give way to the vehicles on the opposite lane. We had experienced before a school bus was coming from the other way! Gosh! Luckily, we managed to maneuver our small car through (phew!) 

The entrance of the tea house

Enjoy the tea bush walk (from the car park below the tea house)

However, the picturesque view of the tea plantation is worth enduring the journey up. If you would like to walk among the tea bushes, then you can park your car below the tea house. There is also a smaller parking area near to the tea house.

The entrance to the tea factory

First, when you are here, try to enquire for the tea factory tour. It is free of charge. Go to the back of the tea house (after the souvenir shop) to register yourself. Unfortunately, I still have not been on this tour because of  going there too late. So make sure you are early maybe before 3 p.m. They are closed on Monday.

A glimpse of the tea processing equipment

Too late... tea processing has completed, therefore workers are not seen here.

Next, you can order your choice of tea at the counter and also enjoy some snacks like cakes or scones. Then, just relax, sip your tea and enjoy the panoramic view of the tea plantation. To be honest, the place is a little noisy on weekend due to the crowd. Their teh tarik (literal translation is "pulled tea") with less sugar is  good but the blueberry scone with cream was just average.

Enjoy your afternoon tea here

Panoramic view of the plantation from the tea house

Tea and blueberry scone with cream

There is also a souvenir shop located in the tea house. After sipping your cup of tea, now you can buy and take them home. Other souvenirs sold there are like postcards, T-shirts and special design umbrellas. Well, the last two times we were there, it did rain...So, that explains why they are selling umbrellas as souvenirs.

Souvenir shop lined up with packets of tea

Overall, this is a good place for afternoon tea and snacks while enjoying the fresh air up in the tea hill.

Metal furnace door