KL Forest Eco Park (Bukit Nanas)

Gazetted in 1906, this roughly nine hectare reserve is what remains of a much larger forest that once covered the ridge above what is now the city centre, and it is the oldest gazetted forest reserve in Malaysia. Short, numbered ground trails loop through genuine rainforest between the upper gate near KL Tower and the lower gate on Jalan Bukit Nanas, with silvered leaf monkeys and long-tailed macaques a common sight. The park is closed every Friday, a detail that is not well advertised and catches visitors out.

Highlights

• One of the last patches of primary rainforest inside a capital city anywhere in the region
• The 200 metre canopy walkway when it is open, with a skyline-and-jungle view together
• Silvered leaf monkeys and long-tailed macaques along the ground trails
• Traces of a defensive tunnel and stockade said to date from the 19th century Selangor Civil War

Getting there

The upper gate sits beside KL Tower and the Shangri-La hotel; the nearest stations are Bukit Nanas and Raja Chulan on the KL Monorail, though the walk from either is not clearly signposted. The lower gate on Jalan Bukit Nanas is a longer walk from Masjid Jamek LRT.

What to bring

• Mosquito repellent
• Cash for the entry fee, since cards are not accepted at the gate
• Comfortable shoes; the trails are short but can be muddy after rain
• A water bottle, though the heat and humidity are the main factor rather than distance