Things to Do in Pahang

While Cherating is best known for its beaches, the ocean isn’t the only body of water worth exploring. The Cherating River (Sungai Cherating) meanders through mangrove forests of the region, and cruising the river has become one of the area’s most popular activities.

By day, Cherating River cruisers might spot monkeys, monitor lizards, snakes, otters, terrapins and a variety of tropical birds. By night the river looks completely different. On a nighttime river cruise, thousands of fireflies glow in the mangrove trees — a magical experience. It’s also possible to experience the river by kayak or canoe, or by learning to crab fish in its clear waters.

Nestled among the rolling green hills of the Cameron Highlands is BOH Tea Garden (BOH Tea Plantation, which encompasses a whopping 8,000 acres (3,250 hectares of tea plantations and makes it the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia. Onsite, you’ll find a tea factory and processing plant, and a tea shop that boasts some of the region’s best vistas.

Encompassing a 10-acre (4-hectare) plot of forest in the Krau Forest Reserve of Pahang, Deerland Park is home to some 30 Indonesian deer (Cervus timorences), as well as a couple other species of deer, sun bears, monkeys, snakes, peacocks and ostriches.

The deer enjoy a large enclosure where visitors can view them at close range. A wooden walkway leads up to an observation platform where visitors can watch the deer from above.

For those interested in the natural flora of the region, Deerland Park leads medicinal herb treks into the jungle, where about 40 species of herbs grow. Other activities include blowpipe lessons, bird-watching seminars, cooking classes, fishing and night walking.