In May 2025, my friend Pek Foong invited me for a walk in the Lake Gardens, a visit to the Tun Razak Memorial, and a drink in the Royal Lake Club. It was a nice outing, resulting in a blog post: KL Lake Gardens. During that walk, I didn’t see any lake, so a few days ago I came back with my friend Paul for another walk. Here is a Google Earth screenshot, with our walk marked in green.

I took the MRT to Museum Negara, where I met Paul. I have visited the National Museum only once, decades ago. I must go again soon.

It’s a short walk, using a tunnel under a busy highway, to reach the entrance of the Lake Gardens. The official name is now Kuala Lumpur Botanical Garden.

Here is the lake. It is not a former mining pond, like the Taiping Lake Gardens; it was created in the 1880s by damming a small river. The park was officially opened in 1889, and the lake was named Sydney Lake, in honor of Lady Sydney Swettenham, a strong supporter.

The park is close to the center of Kuala Lumpur and well-maintained, although the paddleboat section was closed.

Signboards indicate the various attractions.

Trees have information boards. There were not many flowers during our visit.

A decorative building is a nice place to rest.

Another attractive building made of bamboo.

Peaceful and scenic.

The lake is located in a valley, and stairs lead to the higher parts of the gardens.

There is a deer park.

The Tun Razak Memorial is located just outside the Botanical Garden.

It is really a beautiful garden.

Halfway, we took a rest for coffee and biscuits. An exotic visitor was interested in the crumbs. It looked like a pitta, but it is a Splendid Starling, that has escaped from the nearby Bird Park. Its habitat is East Africa. Not shy at all, a nice surprise.

Attractive bridges are very suitable for taking pictures.

Walking back, we had a good view of the Merdeka 118 skyscraper, the world’s second-tallest building.

We will come back another time.