Orchid Gardens, Kuala lumpur

...regaining your sanity is the Orchid Garden in KL Lake Gardens.

KL Lake Gardens (or Taman Tasik Perdana) lie up a hill looking out over the city. There may well be a bus service up there but the two times I've been I have taken taxis. And even that can be a problem - getting up there is relatively easy but getting back can be a struggle. The gardens aren't on the standard KL taxi driver's prowling route so you can struggle to find a ...
...it's not. The KL orchid gardens have more than 2000 different species of orchid - including more than 800 that are native to Malaysia.

Getting in
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Once your taxi driver works out where to drop you - not always the right place but don't worry it'll be in the right area more or less - you stroll up a sloping driveway to the gardens. It could be a bit of a tough push for someone in a wheelchair or with restricted ... more

KL is a great city and there's a lot of different things to do but sometimes you can get a bit overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle and feel the need to escape. That might seem like a tall order in such a full-on high-octane city but my tip for regaining your sanity is the Orchid Garden in KL Lake Gardens.

KL Lake Gardens (or Taman Tasik Perdana) lie up a hill looking out over the city. There may well be a bus service up there but the two times I've been I have taken taxis. And even that can be a problem - getting up there is relatively easy but getting back can be a struggle. The gardens aren't on the standard KL taxi driver's prowling route so you can struggle to find a cab when you are ready to head back to town and may have to wait for someone else to come up and grab their driver for the return journey. Consider asking the driver who took you up there to come back for you later - give him a time or take his mobile number and call him 20 mins before you need him - drivers in KL are very accommodating. I think we paid around £5 for the ride each way - it won't break the bank.

If this all sounds like a bit too much trouble take my word for it, it's not. The KL orchid gardens have more than 2000 different species of orchid - including more than 800 that are native to Malaysia.

Getting in
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Once your taxi driver works out where to drop you - not always the right place but don't worry it'll be in the right area more or less - you stroll up a sloping driveway to the gardens. It could be a bit of a tough push for someone in a wheelchair or with restricted mobility. There's a little booth half way up to take your money but there was nobody there last time I went so we just strolled on in. In fact, I think they may have stopped charging entrance fees.

The gardens are surprisingly low-key. Not a lot of information so you won't feel guilty about not reading lots of labels and writing down lots of names. You just wander around, through the open gardens and the pergolas, sit down, watch the birds and butterflies, take a few photos and forget that just minutes away the streets are filled with noisy car horns and aggression. Arrive at the right time and they may have the sprinklers on in the pergolas - soak it up! It's good enough for the orchids and you'll dry off very quickly.

I was last in KL in September 2005 and when I visited the gardens in the afternoon there were no more than 3 or 4 other people up there. It was paradise.

The gardens close at 6 pm

Need retail therapy?
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There is an orchid market where you can buy plants or - if you are planning on bringing them back to the UK - you can buy a conical flask full of seedlings that you plant up when you get home. Allegedly these are UK customs compliant. No hard sell - just people who love orchids and are happy to talk about them.

What else can you do?
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Also on the Lake Gardens site you will find the bird park and the butterfly park. The butterflies are spectacular so make sure you have your camera and any macro lenses with you - entrance is 4 ringitt. The bird park is also a raucous but fun place to visit. Allegedly it's the largest in South East Asia but whilst it's good, it's not as outstanding as the Singapore bird park so if you are doing a trip to Malaysia and Singapore, hold out for the S'pore park instead. I don't think there's an entrance fee for the bird park.
Other attractions in the park include a small Hibiscus Garden, close to the orchids and a deer park which costs just 1 ringitt.

Note - the deer park and butterfly park close at 5 pm - i.e. an hour earlier than the orchids so you may need to see these before the orchids if you are going to be pressed for time.

IMPORTANT
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I was just checking a couple of facts with one of the local tourist sites and read that the Orchid Gardens are currently closed in preparation for a big garden festival in July this year. They should re-open at the end of May 2006 but I suggest you get local advice before you trek up there.
 

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