Parks in Kuala Lumpur

The KL Butterfly Park sits beside the Lake Gardens, next door to the KL Bird Park, and is one of the largest butterfly parks in the world. Across 80,000 square feet of landscaped garden it holds more than 5,000 butterflies along with their host plants and ferns. Terracotta paths run between containers of fruit and flower petals that bring the butterflies down to eye level.

The Kuala Lumpur City Center Park, popularly known as KLCC Park, is a 50-acre garden located close to Suria KLCC Shopping Centre. Created by the renowned Brazilian architect- Roberto Burle Marx, it has been designed to add a touch of greenery for the iconic Petronas Towers. Lake Symphony, the As Syakirin Mosque and the children’s public pool are the major attractions. The perfect balance of natural greenery along with the decorative man-made designs give the park a modern yet serene appearance.

Perdana Botanical Gardens is the old colonial Lake Gardens, laid out in the 1880s and still the largest green space in central Kuala Lumpur at around 90 hectares. The orchid and hibiscus gardens, a deer park and the lake the whole thing is named after all sit inside it. It is the one park here you could give a full morning to rather than half an hour.

Titiwangsa Lake Gardens sits north-east of the centre around a large man-made lake, with paddle boats, a jogging loop and horse riding around the edge. It is best known for the view back across the water to the skyline, which is what most people come at the end of the day for. Locals outnumber visitors here, which is rather the point.

Kepong Metropolitan Park was built on a disused tin-mining site north-west of the city, and the lake at its centre is the flooded pit. What it has now is a jogging loop, fishing spots and wide open lawns rather than formal planting. Of everything here it is the one to pick for room to do nothing in.

Bukit Jalil Recreational Park sits in the south of the city beside the national stadium complex, built around a set of themed gardens including an ASEAN garden with plantings from each member country. Its size means it rarely feels crowded even at weekends. It is a fair way from the centre, so it suits people already heading out that way.

Permaisuri Lake Gardens sits east of the centre in Cheras, built around two lakes with a long boardwalk between them. It has a herb garden, a small hill to climb for the view and a fitness circuit that fills early in the morning. This is a neighbourhood park rather than a sight, which is why it feels calmer than anything in the middle of town.