A little while ago Haze and I took a little weekend getaway to Fraser’s hill, the less glamorous of the highlands in Pahang after Genting, Cameron, and Bukit Tinggi.
For the lack of flashiness and modern entertainment, Fraser’s Hill has that rustic charm that if not for the cars parked on the side of the road, the place would look almost exactly alike as it was 20-30 years back.
the famous clock tower at Fraser’s hill
The hill is situated at some 1,500 meter up, with a perfect temperature of 17-25C, and the void of noise except for some bird chipping sound. It is a perfect place to recharge the soul.
It’s only a couple hours drive from KL, and a scenic one at that. Our hotel room at Puncak Inn costs around RM 120 with clean sheets, warm shower, and great location.
So now, here’s 5 things you can do at Fraser’s hill, and the great thing is, they won’t stress your wallet.
jungle trekking is a great exercise!
1. Jungle Trekking
There are a number of trails on Fraser’s hill, they are reasonably well traveled with little rest stations within the jungle too. Most trails are not more than 1-2 kilometers in length and they usually have rest stops in the trail too.
Click on map above for higher resolution
We trekked some 6.7 km in the jungle over 1.5 hours or so. It was refreshing, and of course, very tiring too. One advise though, wear anti-leech socks or bring salt, I ended up having to use a knife to peel off a couple leech on my foot at the end.
Cost – RM 0.
dining at Scott’s, Fraser’s Hill
2. Dinner at Scott
After a good shower, we walked over to Scott’s just right next door to the hotel. A Western + local food restaurant that was probably previously a house owned by some English dude who missed home too much he built a house that is completely out of place in this country.
There are a couple tables at the garden, more indoor, a bar, and sofa in front of the fireplace too. It was charming.
The food wasn’t too shabby either, but don’t expect something spectacular though. My lamb chop tasted just fine if not a little fatty, the fish and chips was decent, and we do like the orange cake they had for the night.
Cost – RM 50 or so, including drinks.
archery for only RM 8 for 10 arrows
3. Archery
After dinner we went straight to bed even though it was only 8 or 9pm, the jungle trekking, dinner, and the perfect temperature was too conducive to sleeping I guess.
The next morning we took a short drive up to the paddock. Our first activity of the day was archery. RM 8 for 10 arrows, and the idea is to not miss the target completely. I got 10 out of 10 on target, yey!
Cost – RM 16 for two.
horse back riding for only RM 5
4. Horse back riding
And since I had not ridden a horse since I was 5 (with my parents in Medan, I think), it was a perfect chance to do so again. It was slightly anti climatic to be honest, you sit on the saddle, and the dude guide the horse making a round, and that’s it.
The good part is, my balls didn’t have to suffer, and you can’t be the price of only RM 5!
Cost – RM 10 for 2 pax.
boating at Allan’s water for.. RM 6
1. Boating at Allan’s Water
Believe it or not, there is actually a lake of sort (I think a dam) at Fraser’s hill by the name of Allan’s water. You can rent one of those paddle boats for a good 10-20 minutes of pleasure boating on the water. It’s kinda like taipeng lake but minus the mosquitoes and hot sun, a semi-romantic thing to do too.
Cost – RM 6 for a boat
So there you go, a wonderful weekend getaway that costs less than RM 200 including hotel, food, and activities. Add in perhaps another RM 50-80 for transportation, it is still a bargain.
I think I want to go back to that place for a longer stay next. 😀
nice advise.. i cant remember when was the last time i went to fraser’s hill tho.. the activities seem fun – better than bukit tinggi i suppose 🙂
ken: yaa, definitely, i love the tranquility there. 😀
Hmm, if there’s semi-romantic, then I wonder what full-on romantic is like, by your definition 😉
suertes: that plus with music & champagne? hahaha
everything looks ok minus the horse riding….. that’s so 10 year old la bro… do they have horse for rental that u can take for some jungle trekking?
saikua: hahaha, brings back the memory ok!
honestly didn’t know cameron highlands has so much stuff to do. great writeup man!
kimberlycun: haha i’m sure u meant fraser’s hill.
FML
Last time I set foot in Frasers Hill is almost 12 years back. Hmm..time to make a family trip!
JD: do it! nice and relaxing. 😀
yikes! i think it’s possible i haven’t been to fraser’s hill. a three-day, two-nite weekend break here sounds nice 😀
Sean: haha that’s entirely possible, Fraser’s hill isn’t exactly the most popular destination out there.
I agree, Fraser’s Hill is awesome.
It’s not as commercialized as some of the other highlands resort (been to all of them).
I went to Fraser’s Hill late last year. We stayed at Ye Old Smokehouse which is a bit on the pricey side but nice.
Don’t forget to visit Jeriau waterfalls! It’s free too and a lot of fun. It’s somewhere on my blog but I can’t be bothered to find it now.
I prefer Fraser’s Hill, Bukit Tinggi and Cameron’s to Genting.
Huai Bin: ah, i missed the water fall, thought it’ll be too cold but will surely check that out next time.
Wow, looks like there are quite a fair bit of stuff to do at Frasers. Maybe I should plan a trip up there as well as play some golf up there.
good guide! *thumbs up* (cuz i’m so broke lately) T_T
Tey Cindy: haha don’t buy so many dresses!
wah RM8 for 10 arrows?!! cannot simply shoot leh, so expensive
eiling: that’s not expensive la, 80 sen each with the bow rental and all.
Your dinner at Scott seem very comfortable 😉
Cocoe: ya, very relaxing indeed, we even chilled at the sofa
It’s probably our attitude that made us comfortable though. Haha
Haze: hahaha probably 😀
a very nice weekend getaway indeed, and affordable to boot. Will check out see if I can go there one of my weekends XD
Isaac: haha do it
if come by group, can have a BBQ in front of silverpark resort during afternoon time. Or steamboat in the room. estimate 3 hours drive (80km/h) if from KL.
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how many days did you spend on all the activities? Would 3 days be too long?
Alex: We spent a night only, 3 days would be OK I think, relaxing
May I know when is the best time to have the jungle trekking? Based on your story above, you had your dinner after your jungle trekking. So, you had your jungle trekking in the afternoon? It must be hot, isn’t it?
Thx.
Valerie: Ideally mornings would be better, but afternoon’s okay too since you’re almost always under foliage, so sun isn’t much of a factor. However, you must make sure you get back before it gets dark.
Dear KY,
Thank you for your advice. Ehh..so, what is the trekking hill’s operating hours? Is there any specific hours to trek? Is there any rules & regulations? Thank you once again.
Regards,
Valerie
Valerie: I believe there’s no operating hours, anytime is a good time so long it’s not raining/dark.
Dear KY,
It’s me again, Valerie. May I know is there any specific time to go up the hill? What is the advisable time to go up? By personal car, is it okay?
Your prompt reply is highly appreciated as my friends & I are going up there this weekend.
Thank you so much once again.
Regards,
Val
Valerie: no specific time, but I recommend you start before noon.
Really nice budget i’d say 😀 i myself went there twice for camping and now that i know theres more than just the hike and the food there I want to go again but is going there by mountain bike safe?
JCTC: plenty of people regularly mountain bike up there!
hi, may i know which hotel or accommodation that you recommend?? 😉
Joey: I’m not too familiar actually, I think we stayed at Puncak Inn
Very nice information
Praveena: 😀