Fancy a run? Here are some of our recommendations for the best running parks in and around Kuala Lumpur, from the newly upgraded Lake Garden, to the popular KLCC park and the tropical rainforest of FRIM.
Perdana Botanical Garden, one of the oldest green belts in KL, features a running trail that loops around a large lake. The 92-hectares garden is a beautifully maintained sprawling park that also features a large pavilion, children’s playgrounds, and a terrain that is both flat and hilly. Runners can also hit the surrounding road tracks outside the Lake Garden loop that connect several sections of the larger garden, ie. the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park and the Butterfly Park, for a more challenging run – starting at one end near the National Mosque and ending at the Taman Tugu Negara.
The KLCC park, considered amongst the finest works undertaken by the famous Brazilian garden maestro Roberto Burle Marx, spreads over 20 hectares of lush, green spaces at the heart of KL’s golden triangle. Featuring 1,900 indigenous trees and 66 species of palm trees, the park also boasts a 1.3km jogging track, covered with EPDM, a synthetic rubberised material to ensure runners’ comfort and safety. The tropical oasis also features a large wading pool, and can get crowded with the after-work crowd in the evenings.
Taman Tasik Titiwangsa, with its huge lake, provides gorgeous view of sunrise and sunset jogging. The trail is fairly flat and moderate, and level of difficulties depends on speed as opposed to terrain. This old, popular park can get very crowded on weekends, however, as it also offers recreational activities such as boating and horse riding.
For those wanting a more challenging route, the Bukit Gasing trail in Petaling Jaya is hugely popular with runners and hikers. Not strictly a park, this old rubber plantation just off the Federal Highway has been turned into a forest reserve, with quite impressive flaura and fauna range. Trail runners, casual hikers and families on a stroll keep the 100 hectares place lively during evenings and weekends. Bukit Gasing’s highest peak reaches 160 metres, and offers multiple trails, from medium to challenging climb. Go here to learn more.
Another forest reserve, Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) in Kepong, provides visitors with a taste tropical rainforests that still envelope large tracts of the country. FRIM features several trails with different levels of difficulties, with some narrow and uphill routes being popular among the more adventurous runners. The forest reserve also boasts a 150 meter canopy walkway, suspended between trees at approximately 30 meter above ground level.
