After having spent quite a bit of time in cities lately, a bit of nature was my first priority upon getting back to Malaysia.

Just a few hours away from KL, hiking in the Cameron Highlands offered nature to ease my travel-weary soul. Trails surround the main town of the Highlands, winding up mountains and down ravines through woods filled with small animals, monkeys, and birds.

My favorite moment in the area was on a back-trail, as I walked along just thinking about thinking. Suddenly a crash in the trees just off the trail caught my notice, and I looked up in time to see a troop of monkeys flying overhead. I stood watching until they were obscured by the treetops, and the comparative quiet of the birds and bugs returned.

Unlike so many of the concrete “trails” I’ve seen in the past few months, most of the Cameron Highlands’ network is legit hiking through the forest. Several times I was forced up what might be described less as a trail, and more like a conveniently-placed root staircase. Taxing, but fulfilling all the same.

Of course, all of those hiking trails have to go to somewhere.  More often than not, it seems my path ended at a tea estate terraced up the hills and down to a single road in and out of the valley full of tea leaves.

Not only do these make for a nice change from hiking in the dense jungle, but the on-site tea houses also make a great place to sit and wait out the afternoon rains. Especially for parents traveling Malaysia with kids, this seems like a great chance to combine experiencing the region’s nature and culture in a laid-back setting even if the more adventurous jungle hikes of the Highlands are a little too ambitious.