Surveyed by the government geologist and explorer William Cameron[4][5] in 1885, the outpost consists of three mukims (subdistricts), namely Ringlet, Tanah Rata and Ulu Telom.

Apart from its tea estates,[8] the plateau is noted for its cool weather, orchards, nurseries, farmlands, waterfalls, rivers, lakes, wildlife, mossy forest, golf course, hotels, places of worship, bungalows, Land Rovers, museum and native inhabitants (Orang Asli).

[5][8][9] In a statement concerning his mapping expedition, Cameron mentioned he saw "a sort of vortex on the mountains, while for a (reasonably) wide area we have gentle slopes and plateau land.

"[9] When approached, Sir Hugh Low, the Resident of Perak (1887–1889), expressed the wish of developing the region into a "sanatorium, health resort and open farmland."

[10]: 18 Forty years later, the tableland was given another review when Sir George Maxwell (1871–1959) visited the locale to see if it could be turned into a resort.

After comparing it with Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka and Baguio in the Philippines,[11] he decreed that the site should be developed into a hill station.

[12] In mid-1925, an Agricultural Experiment Station was set up to confirm if cinchona, tea, coffee, fruits and vegetables could be grown at the district.

He made a reconnaissance map of the headwaters of the Telom and his exploration has established definitely that the area at the Ulu of the Bertang (Bertam?)

[18] By the mid-1930s, there was a notable improvement in the constituency: it now had a six-hole golf course,[19] several cottages, three inns, a police post, two boarding schools, a military camp, a dairy, a horse spelling ranch, nurseries, vegetable farms, tea plantations, a Government Rest House and an Agricultural Experiment Station.

Previously contested as part of Kuala Lipis, parliamentary representation for Cameron Highlands was granted in 2004.

For instance, the FELDA settlement of Sungai Koyan, which is represented by the Cameron Highlands in the federal parliament, is located in the district of Kuala Lipis.

The Cameron Highlands itself contributes two seats to the Pahang State Legislative Assembly — Tanah Rata and Jelai.

[23] Tucked up high in the Pahangese and Perakian sections of the Titiwangsa Mountains, the mountainous spine of Peninsular Malaysia, it owes its present standing to its location at a high altitude (generally between 800 metres (2,600 ft) to 1,603 metres (5,259 ft) above sea level).

Cameron Highlands is unique compared to the other hill stations in Malaysia — three river systems drain it with numerous tributaries (totaling 123).

Apart from its numerous walks,[28] the sanctuary is also known for its native inhabitants, the Orang Asli, who rely on the land for subsistence farming, hunting, and fishing.

After 1974, more land was cleared for agriculture, housing projects, power plants, logging activities, livestock farming, hotel construction, small-scale industries, human resettlement, and road building.

[29] Cameron Highlands is one of the few places in Malaysia that serves as a habitat for a wide variety of flora and fauna, as well as hosting a totally different ecosystem.

[31] The Cameron Highlands can be accessed by road via Tapah, Simpang Pulai, Gua Musang or Sungai Koyan.

[34] In 2004, a new access road was opened — Federal Route 185 — connecting Simpang Pulai (about a kilometre south of Ipoh, Perak) through the northern part of the Highlands and Gua Musang in southern Kelantan before terminating in Kampung Kuala Jenderis in Hulu Terengganu, Terengganu.

With the opening of this route, motorists from the other parts of Pahang (especially Kuantan) are now able to access the district of Cameron Highlands without having to leave the state.

As with most of western Pahang, the Cameron Highlands is not served by any KTM railway station, the closest being in Kuala Lipis and Tapah Road.

Nevertheless, several bus services connect the Highlands to the cities and towns, such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Penang and Tapah.