Fraser's Hill is one of the quieter hill retreats in Malaysia. It is located in Pahang, just across the border from Selangor, along the main range. It has one thing in common with two other Malaysian hill stations, namely Maxwell Hill and Cameron Highlands. Like Maxwell Hill of Taiping, it was named after a Mat Salleh, but unlike W.E. Maxwell, it was not named after a government officer. Instead it was named after a missing person!
Scotsman Louis James Fraser, having travelled down to Australia at the height of the gold rush, arrived in Malaya at the tail end of the 19th century, hoping to prospect for gold in Ulu Tras. Gold he did not find much, but tin ore he found in rich abundance. So he brought in Chinese miners up into the hills to extract the tin and bring it down to the town of Raub. To keep them entertained, he built the prototype of Genting Highlands in the hills - a gambling den.
Similar to Jim Thompson in Cameron Highlands, Fraser one day mysteriously went missing, some time around 1910. When the British noticed that there was strangely no activity coming from Fraser, they sent C.J. Ferguson-Davie, the Bishop of Singapore, up the hills to look for him. Ferguson-Davie never found Fraser. Fraser's mining camp was deserted. However, Ferguson-Davie realised that the abandoned camp site was located in a very appealing spot for a hill retreat. The air was cool and inviting, and provided much comfort from the stickiness of the lowlands. Moreover, with World War I raging in Europe, the colonial officers were unable to return to their homeland, and yearned for a place that they can put together to resemble home.
Upon his return, Ferguson-Davie submitted a report to the government, naming the hill an ideal location to build a highland retreat. Work started in 1919 to build a road linking it to the Gap, and three years later, the new hillstation by the name of Fraser's Hill was opened.
Fraser's Hill was designed to resemble an English village, complete with dainty cottages and Tudor-style homes. It was a place to sip tea by the fireplace. By 1927, there were 9 government bungalows for the British offers, 4 houses built by the Red Cross for ex-servicemen, 3 private homes, a country club, a golf course, and a post office. The Red Cross also set up a convalescent home from injured soldiers here. This home is now converted into the luxurious Ye Olde Smokehouse.
Today, Fraser's Hill is a popular retreat from company outings. Throngs of visitors invade its public parks to enjoy the cool air, away from the bustle of the city, and away from the noisier Genting Highlands. Of late it is also becoming a popular haven for bird watchers. Over 270 species of local and migratory birds have been recorded seen here. The Malaysian Nature Society, in conjunction with the Fraser's Hill Development Corporation, organises an annual International Bird Race, where individual teams race against time to sight, identify and record the most number of birds. For those looking for a serene getaway, Fraser's Hill continues to exudes its simple charm.
Getting there
Fraser's Hill is located in the state of Pahang, and like Cameron Highlands, is approached from the west, in this case from Selangor. Visitors from north approaching on the North South Expressway (E1) should take Exit 121 at Tanjung Malim, and continue south along the Old Trunk Road (aka Highway 1) to Kuala Kubu Bahru. Visitors from Kuala Lumpur should take the Old Trunk Road north to Kuala Kubu Bahru. From Kuala Kubu Bahru, take Route 55 for 40 km, passing the Sungai Selangor Dam, until reaching the town of Gap. From there, the route has a controlled single-way traffic flow between 7am and 7pm daily. The schedule is shown below:
Uphill Traffic
(From Gap)
Downhill Traffic
(From Fraser's Hill)
7.00am - 7.40am
8.00am - 8.40am
9.00am - 9.40am
10.00am - 10.40am
11.00am - 11.40am
12.00pm - 12.40pm
1.00pm - 1.40pm
2.00pm - 2.40pm
3.00pm - 3.40pm
4.00pm - 4.40pm
5.00pm - 5.40pm
6.00pm - 6.40pm
Traffic flow is in both directions between 7pm in the evening and 7am the following morning.
Before booking a hotel room, make sure you are getting the lowest price for it. Different hotel booking websites offers the same room at different prices. If you stick with one site all the time, you could be paying more for the same room. Now why pay more?
The form below is a Research Engine. It doesn't take bookings. Instead it lets you find the hotel booking website that offers the room you want at the lowest price. You can see and compare what different sites are offering, and then click to choose the one with the best price. Do this, and you're guaranteed to save a whole lot of money on your room reservations!
If you're flying somewhere, use our Flight Checker to compare the rates from different airlines. To use it, enter where you will be flying from, where you will be flying to, your departure date and return date. Select the number of passengers, and then click search.
Our engine will return you a list of possible flights that you can take. You can compare the fare of different airlines for your trip. Click on your selected airline, and we transfer you to the airline website.
AsiaExplorers is researched and written by Timothy Tye. Reasonable care is taken to check and verify the accuracy of the content. AsiaExplorers disclaims responsibility for any inconvenience, mishap, injury or death resulting from following the tips and advice provided directly or indirectly by this website. All pages may be printed out for your own personal, non-commercial use. You may use the information on this website on your blog or website so long as you place a dofollow link back to the page in AsiaExplorers where it appears. Photographs not credited to a third party belong to Timothy Tye and may not be reused in any form unless you are first given permission. Write in to inquire if interested. Third party photographs are governed by their respective licenses. To contact Tim, write to the following email address:
