Kuala Lumpur Botanical Gardens (Perdana Botanical Gardens): is it worth going, what to see and how to get there on your own

Description and is it worth visiting

Kuala Lumpur Botanical Gardens (Perdana Botanical Gardens) is the oldest and largest city park in the Malaysian capital, established back in 1888 by British colonial official Alfred Venning. Originally called Lake Gardens, it received its current name in 2011 after a major renovation when the park was officially transformed into a full-fledged botanical garden with an emphasis on plant conservation.

Today, it is a vast area of 91.6 hectares (about 130 football fields), open for walks and recreation. It grows over 800 species of orchids, many tropical trees, including century-old specimens, and the lakes are home to Japanese koi carp, turtles, and even otters. By the way, monitor lizards and monkeys roam freely through the park — be careful and don't feed them. And don't forget to check out the enclosure with mouse deer. This is a very rare species of deer that don't grow taller than 40 centimeters.

Overall, in our opinion, this park is definitely worth a visit, so if you have at least half a day free, we advise you to stop by. It's nice to walk here, breathe fresh air, and take a break from the city bustle, but be prepared to walk a lot and for a long time. If you're short on time in Kuala Lumpur, you can safely skip the botanical garden — you won't miss anything critical.

If you decide to visit, here is a ready-made walking route around the city that includes the park and other most important tourist places. We've done it twice ourselves, so you can safely repeat it, just start no later than 10:00 AM:

1. Start your walk at Independence Square (Merdeka Square). From Chinatown, you can walk here; from other areas, take the metro to Masjid Jamek station. Besides the square itself, you can visit the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, Jamek Mosque, Central Market, and the Textile Museum.
2. Then walk along Jalan Parlimen to the entrance of the botanical gardens (about 20–30 minutes).
3. Take a walk through the park, check out the Orchid and Hibiscus Garden, relax by the lake, visit the Deer Park (free), and if you wish, go to the Bird Park or Butterfly Park (both paid).
4. Exit from the opposite side of the park and visit the free Royal Police Museum, then the National Mosque (Masjid Negara), and if you have strength left — the Islamic Arts Museum.
5. You can end the route at Pasar Seni metro station, from where it's easy to get to any part of the city.

We warn you honestly: even in a whole day, you're unlikely to have time to see everything. You'll have to walk a lot, so be sure to bring water, wear comfortable shoes, and a hat. The best time to start the walk is early morning or the second half of the day when the midday heat subsides.