This story about The Sheep Sanctuary in Cameron Highlands is written by one of our contributors, Fieka. Some parts of the article may have been edited for length and clarity.
During the recent Long Weekend in conjunction with Malaysia's Independence Day, my family and I went on a 4D3N staycation at Cameron Highlands.
Cameron Highlands, situated in Pahang is well-known for its cooling weather, beautiful tea valleys, and scrumptious-sweet strawberry farms.
However, during our recent visit, we accidentally stumbled upon a hidden gem - The Sheep Sanctuary.
P.S. Check out the 10 best things to do in Cameron Highlands here!
Credit: The Sheep Sanctuary on Facebook
The Sheep Sanctuary is located right in the middle of the busy Kea Farm market. There is a huge signage at the entrance with a cartoon sheep on it, chances of you missing them are next to none.
To visit The Sheep Sanctuary, you would need to pay an entrance fee of RM8 for adult and RM4 for children ages 4 - 12 years old. The entrance fee also includes a small box of food for you to feed the sheep.
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Once you have purchased the tickets, you need to go down a steep slope behind the counter, and down further by stairs to reach the Land of the Sheep. Please bear in mind to wear comfortable shoes as the road can get quite slippery when wet, and the route downhill is definitely not disabled or stroller-friendly.
My sister and I were not expecting much when we bought tickets for ourselves. We thought the area would be dirty, smelly and probably be greeted by skinny-malnourished, sick-looking sheep. We only decided to visit the sanctuary to help boost the domestic economy and the business after MCO.
Boy, we were wrong. The sheep were fluffy and white, cute and cuddly. Similar to the sheep we see in pictures and videos of those in New Zealand. Yes, they were white! At the entrance gate itself, about 5 fluffy sheep greeted us, and we could see more sheep further down the slope.
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You are free to pat and feed the sheep with the pellets provided, either on your palm or on the floor (I was too scared to feed them off my palm, so I put them on the floor).
Credit: The Sheep Sanctuary on Facebook
I was quite surprised by how well-kept the entire area was, there was literally no litter and sheep droppings at sight. If anyone has been to any petting zoo, you would know what I'm talking about about the animal droppings being everywhere. The sheep's fur was also well-groomed, and I believe the caretaker or sheep-keeper truly takes care of each and every little furball.
My sister, the famous scaredy-cat in our family, couldn't muster enough courage to enter the pen, and resorted to hogging the gate, and being my official photographer. But even she agreed that the entire experience was exciting and exceeded our expectations.
After spending about half an hour playing with the sheep, we decided to say goodbye to the cute little beings.
On the way out, don't forget to stop by the cafe for some Strawberry Ice Cream. The ice cream is made out of pure strawberries and is Muslim-friendly.
The Sheep Sanctuary is definitely on my list of recommended places to go if you ever find yourself in Cameron Highlands. Bring your kids to play with the sheep, and you might also unleash your inner child, who knows! I know I did.
My advice is to come to here early in the morning and park your car at the Kea Farm open carpark opposite The Sheep Sanctuary. Parking rate is RM3 flat rate per day. The whole area is a bustling market where you can buy strawberries, vegetables and even street food, such as Brocolli Tempura, Deep Fried Mushrooms and Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries.
To get here, you can use Waze and find The Sheep Sanctuary or Kea Farm. The location is right beside the junction to Raaju's Hill Strawberry Farm on the left side and Copthorne Hotel on the right, if you're coming from Tanah Rata.
The sheep are waiting for you!
The Sheep Sanctuary
Opening hours: Mon; 9.30AM-5.30PM, Tue-Sun; 9AM-5.30PM
Address: No 187, Kea Farm, Brinchang, Pahang 39100
P.S. Have you been travelling around Malaysia? Want to share your tips and stories to help Muslims travel better? Email us at [email protected] or send us a DM on Instagram.