Franz ElizShah Alam is where you’ll find the family-friendly park National Botanical Gardens, also known as ‘Taman Pertanian Bukit Cahaya’. It’s a popular attraction among the locals, where they can be seen cycling, walking, or jogging, typically during the weekend.
It’s also common to see primary and secondary school students at the park for school trips during the weekend. Since there’s a university nearby, many university students also frequently go there.
Seeing foreign tourists at the park isn’t common. However, I visited the park with my foreign friends a few years ago, and they enjoyed it. To date, I’ve already been to the National Botanical Gardens a couple of times. Keep reading as I discuss the park in more detail and share my experience at the park.
Getting There
The park is open to the public from Monday through Sunday, from 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. Depending on your location, there are several ways to get there.
If you’re travelling from Shah Alam and have a bicycle, you can do what the locals do – cycle!
Suppose you’re travelling from outside of Shah Alam. You could take a taxi or the train (KTM) or drive your own car. If you take the train, stop at the Shah Alam or Padang Jawa train station. From KL Sentral, the journey may take more than an hour. Then take a taxi (or Grab) to the park.
If you’re driving, use Waze to help you get to your destination. Depending on traffic, it may take about 30 minutes to get there from Kuala Lumpur.
Exploring the Park
The park’s entrance fee was only RM3 when I last visited. The price is likely still the same. What’s with the cheap ticket, you might ask? Well, the park isn’t a very touristy place. Most of the visitors are local people, and as mentioned earlier, it’s not common to see foreign tourists there.
Even though the weekend isn’t always the best time to visit the park (as it can get crowded and noisy), there’s plenty of space for everyone for social distancing and some quiet time.
The Park Is Well-Maintained
The National Botanical Gardens provides facilities like public toilets, car parks, rest stops, a mosque, and many others for the convenience of all visitors. A free shuttle bus and bicycle rentals are also available, allowing visitors to get around the park easily.
Note that the park is paved, so walking is pleasant even on rainy days. Since trees are everywhere, there’s plenty of shade available; visitors can avoid direct sunlight as much as possible. P.S. There are big tree houses at the park, too.
Enjoy the Park’s Various Fun Outdoor Activities
The park offers all age-friendly activities, including an educational tour that introduces visitors to various flora and fauna. The programme runs for about two hours, depending on the age group. Other activities available at the park are fly fishing, abseiling, cycling, kayaking, flying fox, and swimming.
Stop by the 4-Season House
There is a 4-season house at the park. Bear in mind that each season changes once every 3 months. There’s an entrance fee of RM3 for people aged 12 years and above. Children below 12 years of age are charged RM1 instead. Typically, people take between 15 and 30 minutes there.
Below are the different seasons displayed at the 4-season house:
- Winter: December–February
- Spring: March to May
- Summer: June to August
- Autumn: September to November
The seasonal cycle displayed at this attraction is based on the northern hemisphere.
Visit Kampung Idaman
My friends and I also stumbled upon ‘Kampung Idaman’, which translates to Dream Village in English. We saw traditional houses of all the states in Malaysia, except those from Sabah and Sarawak. These houses act like chalets, and their rates are more than RM100 per night.
See Plants and Animals
The National Botanical Gardens has various beautiful plants. There are also animals, such as birds, deer, and more. However, I wasn’t a fan of seeing some of them kept in small spaces.
The park’s deer had more space than the other animals, though. Of course, a bigger space would be ideal.
Overall Experience
The park is a nice spot for people to spend their weekends. It’s one of the best places close to KL where people can get in touch with nature. For a more relaxing experience, I recommend visiting the park on weekdays, if possible.
Although the park gets many visitors on weekends, there are still plenty of quiet places to sit, relax, and enjoy some moments of silence.
Would I Visit the Shah Alam Botanical Park Again?
I would visit the Shah Alam Botanical Park again if I had the chance. My visits were great. Considering the low ticket price, why not? It’s a lovely place to unwind, enjoy a picnic, or do fun outdoor activities with friends and families.
