A Tower in a Jungle in a City Provides Awesome Views of Malaysia"s Capital
A Tower in a Jungle in a City Provides Awesome Views of Malaysia's Capital
The preserved jungle around Bukit Nanas in central Kuala Lumpur sports an outgrowth that towers over all other city structures but one: the 1,380-foot Menara Kuala Lumpur (KL Tower) that stands on the crest of a hill, its circular crown containing a revolving restaurant and an observation deck with 360-degree views of Malaysia's capital.
Designed as a telecommunications and broadcasting tower, the KL Tower was intended to fulfill a secondary role as a Kuala Lumpur icon.
Together with the Petronas Towers, the KL Tower serves as visual shorthand for the Malaysian capital's prosperity and vision for the future. (Read about other things to do in Kuala Lumpur.)
Architecture of the KL Tower
The KL Tower consists of a two-level ground-floor arcade, a cylindrical 22-level tower shaft, a six-storey circular tower head, and a 282-foot-high antenna mast crowning the lot. The tower rests on the summit of Bukit Nanas, a jungle-covered hill overlooking central Kuala Lumpur.
The ground floor arcade contains the ticketing counter, a promenade of shops and restaurants, and an impressive main lobby.
Malaysia's modern structures were designed with overt Islamic influences, and the KL Tower is no exception: the lobby is topped with a glass structure arranged in a traditional Islamic design that is supposed to evoke the sky and sun in Persian lore. From the lobby, four high-speed elevators lead up the shaft to the tower head.
Islamic themes are also apparent on the tower exterior, with vertical ribs running up the shaft that branch out into intricate patterns at the bottom of the tower head.
The tower head contains a 250-seat revolving restaurant, the Restoran Berputar Seri Angkasa, and two levels of observation decks - one air-conditioned inner deck below the restaurant, and an upper deck open to the sky.
Ascending the KL Tower
KL Tower's view from 900 feet up is the highest one you can get from within Kuala Lumpur, and the only one that looks out from all angles (from the Petronas Twin Towers skybridge, you can only look out of two sides).
Visitors must pay an entrance fee at the ground-floor ticket office before ascending. At the time I visited, entrance cost MYR 49 for access to the air-conditioned viewing deck, and MYR 99 for the open-air viewing deck at the roof of the tower head.
From here, ushers in traditional Malay dress will lead you to one of the high-speed elevators that shoot nonstop to the top. It takes less than 3 minutes to reach the viewing deck.
View from the Top of the KL Tower
The air-conditioned viewing deck is a circular corridor with a glass wall on one side and the tower pillar on the other. The inner wall is lined with souvenir stalls, posters, and a large glass chart of the world's tallest communication towers (it depicts KL Tower in fourth place, though new developments since have put it in seventh).
At certain points next to the glass wall overlooking the city stand viewing binoculars (free to use) and diagrams above them pointing out what buildings can be viewed from that vantage point.
You can also request an audio-video guide to provide information on the view.
Ground-Level Attractions
Once you descend back down to earth, you can explore the ground-floor promenade at your leisure, or venture further out into the other attractions on the KL Tower grounds:
F1 Simulator that ties into the Formula One Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix at Sepang near the airport - visitors can try their hand at driving an F1 racecar on one of several simulators. How long before you crash and burn?
KL Tower Animal Zone that shows off a few exotic animals, most of them native to Malaysia.
You can also hire a pony ride on the tower grounds.
1Malaysia Cultural Village is a row of replicated kampung houses from all over Malaysia: stilt houses from Sabah and tiled houses from Penang alike. The cultural village also hosts traditional performances on occasion. This is also the last attraction you can visit before exiting out to the shuttle terminal heading back to the city.
The tower stands within a 9.37 hectare forest reserve surrounding the hill (Bukit Nanas) that holds the tower platform. This bit of jungle is the last fragment of the original growth that once covered Kuala Lumpur. Today the trees within Bukit Nanas - giant tropical tree species that have since been decimated throughout the rest of the region - shelter primates like the long-tailed macaque and the silvered langur; sinuous snakes; and birds.
The park was closed at the time I visited, though I did see one reminder of the park's venerable status standing right next to the KL Tower - a century-old "jelutong" (Dyera costolata) that was preserved for posterity.
Thanks to the KL Tower's location at the city center, you can easily get there by public transportation. (Find out more about transportation in KL.)
Two rail stations stop near the tower's location, though you'll need to walk some way afterward. Those going by the Kelana Jaya Line LRT should disembark at the Dang Wangi Station (location on Google Maps), while those taking the KL monorail should disembark at the Bukit Nanas station (location on Google Maps).
From either station, it will take you between 12-15 minutes' walk to get to KL Tower's Jl. Puncak entrance. (Read about Kuala Lumpur Trains.)
Kuala Lumpur's Free Go KL City Bus also stops on Jalan Raja Chulan, about 5-8 minutes walk from the KL Tower entrance. (Go KL bus stop on Jl. Raja Chulan - location on Google Maps)
After getting off, you'll need to walk to the KL Tower entrance on Jl. Puncak. The way up is rather steep - fortunately, a shuttle van waits at the entrance to transport visitors to the KL Tower, then back to the entrance; waiting time at either end should be no longer than 15 minutes. (KL Tower entrance on Jl. Puncak - location on Google Maps)
If riding a taxi to the KL Tower, you'll be allowed to take the cab all the way to the tower entrance. Once you leave, you can queue at the taxi counter for your return trip.
KL Tower Contact Details
2 Jalan Puncak off Jalan P Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Location on Google Maps)
Phone: +603 2020 5445
Site: menarakl.com.my
Operating Hours: 9am to 10pm daily
The preserved jungle around Bukit Nanas in central Kuala Lumpur sports an outgrowth that towers over all other city structures but one: the 1,380-foot Menara Kuala Lumpur (KL Tower) that stands on the crest of a hill, its circular crown containing a revolving restaurant and an observation deck with 360-degree views of Malaysia's capital.
Designed as a telecommunications and broadcasting tower, the KL Tower was intended to fulfill a secondary role as a Kuala Lumpur icon.
Together with the Petronas Towers, the KL Tower serves as visual shorthand for the Malaysian capital's prosperity and vision for the future. (Read about other things to do in Kuala Lumpur.)
Architecture of the KL Tower
The KL Tower consists of a two-level ground-floor arcade, a cylindrical 22-level tower shaft, a six-storey circular tower head, and a 282-foot-high antenna mast crowning the lot. The tower rests on the summit of Bukit Nanas, a jungle-covered hill overlooking central Kuala Lumpur.
The ground floor arcade contains the ticketing counter, a promenade of shops and restaurants, and an impressive main lobby.
Malaysia's modern structures were designed with overt Islamic influences, and the KL Tower is no exception: the lobby is topped with a glass structure arranged in a traditional Islamic design that is supposed to evoke the sky and sun in Persian lore. From the lobby, four high-speed elevators lead up the shaft to the tower head.
Islamic themes are also apparent on the tower exterior, with vertical ribs running up the shaft that branch out into intricate patterns at the bottom of the tower head.
The tower head contains a 250-seat revolving restaurant, the Restoran Berputar Seri Angkasa, and two levels of observation decks - one air-conditioned inner deck below the restaurant, and an upper deck open to the sky.
Ascending the KL Tower
KL Tower's view from 900 feet up is the highest one you can get from within Kuala Lumpur, and the only one that looks out from all angles (from the Petronas Twin Towers skybridge, you can only look out of two sides).
Visitors must pay an entrance fee at the ground-floor ticket office before ascending. At the time I visited, entrance cost MYR 49 for access to the air-conditioned viewing deck, and MYR 99 for the open-air viewing deck at the roof of the tower head.
From here, ushers in traditional Malay dress will lead you to one of the high-speed elevators that shoot nonstop to the top. It takes less than 3 minutes to reach the viewing deck.
View from the Top of the KL Tower
The air-conditioned viewing deck is a circular corridor with a glass wall on one side and the tower pillar on the other. The inner wall is lined with souvenir stalls, posters, and a large glass chart of the world's tallest communication towers (it depicts KL Tower in fourth place, though new developments since have put it in seventh).
At certain points next to the glass wall overlooking the city stand viewing binoculars (free to use) and diagrams above them pointing out what buildings can be viewed from that vantage point.
You can also request an audio-video guide to provide information on the view.
Ground-Level Attractions
Once you descend back down to earth, you can explore the ground-floor promenade at your leisure, or venture further out into the other attractions on the KL Tower grounds:
F1 Simulator that ties into the Formula One Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix at Sepang near the airport - visitors can try their hand at driving an F1 racecar on one of several simulators. How long before you crash and burn?
KL Tower Animal Zone that shows off a few exotic animals, most of them native to Malaysia.
You can also hire a pony ride on the tower grounds.
1Malaysia Cultural Village is a row of replicated kampung houses from all over Malaysia: stilt houses from Sabah and tiled houses from Penang alike. The cultural village also hosts traditional performances on occasion. This is also the last attraction you can visit before exiting out to the shuttle terminal heading back to the city.
The tower stands within a 9.37 hectare forest reserve surrounding the hill (Bukit Nanas) that holds the tower platform. This bit of jungle is the last fragment of the original growth that once covered Kuala Lumpur. Today the trees within Bukit Nanas - giant tropical tree species that have since been decimated throughout the rest of the region - shelter primates like the long-tailed macaque and the silvered langur; sinuous snakes; and birds.
The park was closed at the time I visited, though I did see one reminder of the park's venerable status standing right next to the KL Tower - a century-old "jelutong" (Dyera costolata) that was preserved for posterity.
Thanks to the KL Tower's location at the city center, you can easily get there by public transportation. (Find out more about transportation in KL.)
Two rail stations stop near the tower's location, though you'll need to walk some way afterward. Those going by the Kelana Jaya Line LRT should disembark at the Dang Wangi Station (location on Google Maps), while those taking the KL monorail should disembark at the Bukit Nanas station (location on Google Maps).
From either station, it will take you between 12-15 minutes' walk to get to KL Tower's Jl. Puncak entrance. (Read about Kuala Lumpur Trains.)
Kuala Lumpur's Free Go KL City Bus also stops on Jalan Raja Chulan, about 5-8 minutes walk from the KL Tower entrance. (Go KL bus stop on Jl. Raja Chulan - location on Google Maps)
After getting off, you'll need to walk to the KL Tower entrance on Jl. Puncak. The way up is rather steep - fortunately, a shuttle van waits at the entrance to transport visitors to the KL Tower, then back to the entrance; waiting time at either end should be no longer than 15 minutes. (KL Tower entrance on Jl. Puncak - location on Google Maps)
If riding a taxi to the KL Tower, you'll be allowed to take the cab all the way to the tower entrance. Once you leave, you can queue at the taxi counter for your return trip.
KL Tower Contact Details
2 Jalan Puncak off Jalan P Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Location on Google Maps)
Phone: +603 2020 5445
Site: menarakl.com.my
Operating Hours: 9am to 10pm daily
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