The good thing about Kuala Lumpur is the fact that the city is surrounded by forests, hills, and possible hikes and forest treks, something I wish I had near Ho Chi Minh and as easy to access as this Kula Lumpur forest trek.
Bukit Kiara Forest
The city has a good train network so getting to Kuala Lumpur forest isn’t a hard task. After some research, I found a spot not that far from a metro station that seemed like a pleasant place to go for a walk. There is a place called Bukit Kiara Forest and to go there I used the metro and my legs solely.
I went by metro until the station Dr Ismail and from there, I walked and walked all day long. I ended up very tired but the quiet forest trek was worth it. It takes an easy walk to go from the metro station to the beginning of this Kuala Lumpur forest trail, among a normal neighborhood. The area is quiet and pleasant for a walk.
I didn’t know that Bukit Kiara was so popular among hikers. There were lots of people trekking in the forest here. Pretty thick forest, not just some trees. There were also some people selling drinks right before the trails.
Bukit Kiara trails
There are so many trails here Oh My! You can spend all day trekking along this Kuala Lumpur forest and escaping the hustle of the city. I walked all day in the forest and I took food with me and water, you will find nothing within the forest so take enough supplies if you plan to walk all day like me. The best option to not lose direction is to follow the map on the app “Maps.me”. I already talked about this app before. On it, you will see trails in the jungle that don’t show on Google Maps.
Kuala Lumpur Viewpoint
I followed “Maps.me” until a point named Kuala Lumpur Viewpoint. Almost the furthest I could go. It was a pretty long walk but it is rewarding to be surrounded by jungle sounds and views. From this viewpoint, I could see Kuala Lumpur’s skyscrapers in the distance, including the Petronas towers. It was nice to have a view and rest for a while. The forest trek was pretty tranquil, greeting many others who were trekking along.
There are some bicycle trails here too and many were in the jungle on their bikes. WOW quite adventurous because the paths are very rocky. Looked scary to see them passing by so fast on their bikes while shouting so people would get out of the way. There was also adrenaline shouts haha. I wouldn’t bring a bicycle there lol.
I also saw another very unusual scene. A monkey lying on the jungle floor with convulsions. He was twisting from side to side hopeless, looking almost dead. It was quite a scary scene and painful to watch. He would spasm for a while and then lie still, so creepy… I wonder what happened to that monkey. I didn’t get near it as I was afraid of what might have happened. Was he bitten by a snake? I have no clue, but its crew left him behind to die. Sad to watch. Nothing else worth mentioning happened besides the fact that it rained a lot.
Yes, once again I find myself in the Malaysian jungle under the rain. It is dangerous because the floor gets too slippery and muddy making things harder, plus, my glasses are useless under this weather as my view is blocked by raindrops. It is challenging walking in the jungle like this. Fortunately, I had a raincoat with me so I didn’t get that wet.
I have done a hike in Kuala Lumpur to Bukit Tabur. Read HERE!
Kiara Waterfall
Once I could, I found the proper street where walking is not dangerous anymore. After that viewpoint, my destiny was Kiara Waterfall. I had no idea what was this waterfall like, but I met several people along the way who told me it was small. Yes, many people asked me where I was heading and they seemed worried about me walking there alone haha. I heard a “ be careful” several times. And saw their worried expressions. Haaa don’t worry guys, you have no idea where have I walked already in Southeast Asia and how I have done several mountain trails under the rain.
Kiara waterfall was indeed not worth a visit on purpose. But I was not far so why not. I thought the waterfall was next to the street, but not really. It is not visible from the street. I had to go down through the slippery muddy floor again to try to find it. At some point, I thought if it was worth it… But it isn’t that far from the proper street anyway.
It is small, yes, but it is a waterfall and a different view from the one I had all day during this Kuala Lumpur forest trek so I was happy to see it. It is surrounded by thick vegetation and has a little pool under it. Not a place to swim tho.
From Kiara waterfall, I followed the main street to get to Dr. Ismail station. Even though it is a proper street, it is very quiet and pleasant for a walk. I think this is a good spot for people stuck in the city and living there as a weekend city escape. If you are a visitor willing to walk in the forest instead of the city then I think this is a good option to be in contact with nature’s green shades.
