Taman Tugu

The Malaysian National Monument is an important landmark in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia that was built to honor the country's struggles for independence.

The KL National Monument is a sculpture and memorial that was built in remembrance of the soldiers who lost their lives fighting for the independence of Malaysia during World War II and the Malayan Emergency, a guerilla insurgency in the 1940s-60s.

The monument was designed by Felix de Weldon, who also designed the Iwo Jima Memorial in the United States. The monument consists of seven bronze statues, representing soldiers from different branches of the Malaysian armed forces.

I was browsing things to do in KL, and I discovered Taman Tago, a 66-acre natural conservation area and green lung in the heart of the city. The park is adjacent to the national monument, so I went to check it out.

It turns out that there are some really good hiking trails at Taman Tagu! Some of them go for up to 5km, but I was not really prepared for a hike. I decided to take a walk on a 1km loop trail.

Amazingly, it immediately felt like I had left the city behind and had stepped into the deepest jungle. It was quiet, except for the sounds of birds and insects, and it felt extremely peaceful. It didn't take me too long to walk the trail, but it ended up being slower going than I expected, because the paths were muddy and a little bit slippery from the recent rain.

The park is new - I believe it only opened in 2019. It's certainly not something I had heard of before or had seen on any of my previous visits to Malaysia's capital.

The land at Taman Tagu was originally planned to be developed into an amusement park, but after citizen community engagement and the efforts of the Malaysian Nature Society, it was decided to make a conservation area and nature preserve instead - a much better use of land in my opinion!

You can read more about Taman Tagu on their website: About Taman Tugu

The park is home to a rich collection of flora, with new trees being added all the time for conservation research.

Besides the trails, the park hosts numerous ecological activities. When I was there, some international schools were on a field trip to the on-site plant nursery to learn about conservation, and I noticed that the park hosts a free plant giveaway on the weekends for people who want to try to raise plants at home.

This might not be the most iconic thing to do in KL (I still have never been up the Petronas Towers!), but I think it's amazing that the government has decided to create this nature preserve right in the middle of the busy city. It's a testament to the importance of nature and the biodiversity of Malaysia, and will be a wonderful gift to future generations of residents.