Bukit Kiara – Green Lung of Kuala Lumpur

Bukit Kiara is a small set of hills just west of Kuala Lumpur, is one of the few remaining wooded areas in the city area and has been quoted as being the “green lung of Kuala Lumpur”.

Bukit Kiara is an affluent suburb of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The area is in proximity to the suburbs of Bukit Damansara, TTDI, Mont Kiara, Sri Hartamas and Bangsar. Bukit Kiara has many jungle trails through its characteristic hills. Despite rapid housing and commercial development in the area, the area is still known as an enigmatic and exclusive area of Kuala Lumpur. The Securities Commission Malaysia headquarters, the National Science Centre and the Educational Technology Division (Bahagian Teknologi Pendidikan) are located here.

Upcoming developments on several tracts of land in Bukit Kiara has met with protests from several non-governmental organizations (NGOs), citing the area’s “green lung” status as a factor.

 

Recreational  Park

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Bukit Kiara is well equipped for recreational purposes as the area is home to Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Resort, Selangor Club, Sime Darby Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club and Bukit Kiara Sports Complex. Private facilities for members include a swimming pool, spa, gym, indoor and outdoor tennis, basketball, and badminton courts, a bowling alley, horse riding and polo facilities, restaurants, golf, fishing and billiard rooms.

At the base of the hills on the west side in Taman Tun an area of recreational park has been laid out and is commonly used by walkers and joggers.

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Rubber Tree Tapping

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Throughout the numerous jungle trails through the hills you can still see rubber trees being tapped. This area used to be primarily a rubber tree plantation although now this is being continued on a very much smaller scale.
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Great Wall of Bukit Kiara

In 2010 there was outrage from many of the trekkers and bikers of Bukit Kiara when a 3.5m high perimeter fencing project spanning 4.7km in Bukit Kiara was kicked off to demarcate the last remaining green lung in Kuala Lumpur from private owners on what was originally a rubber plantation of 647ha.

The news came as a shock to Friends of Bukit Kiara (FoBK), who have been pushing for the removal of the fence because of the damage it was causing to the environment.

It stands as a grim reminder of the abuse and degradation to the environment where swarthes of flora and fauna were callously cleared, the famed 30km trail painstakingly crafted by The Trail Association Of Kuala Lumpur & Selangor (TRAKS) fragmented with pollution to a pristine downhill stream.

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Flora & Fauna

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The wooded jungle of Bukit Kiara is still a haven for wildlife and you can see a wide variety of plants and animals in this tropical ecosystem.
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Mountain Biking

For mountain bikers within the confines of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, Bukit Kiara’s routes and technical trails are just about the best in the area. The trail roads stretch 15 kilometers but these trails are diminishing. Owned and maintained by Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur, many segments of Kiara’s lush greenery have been compromised for development, mostly attributed to the manifestation of Vision 2020. Many of such cases include the deforestation of previous trails such as “Dogs”, “Banana Ridge” and “The Creek” for what Malaysians now know as the Penchala Tunnel.
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Trekking, Walking & Jogging

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The numerous small trails that encircle Bukit Kiara offer the trekker, walker or jogger a large variety of options for exercising and at the weekend this area can get busy although generally most of the casual weekend walkers stick to the large concrete road that runs up the hill rather than venturing into the small and sometimes rather steep jungle trails.

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These hill trails offer a quick and easy get away from the confines of normal city life, a chance to exercise in a natural and healthy environment and a great introduction to the tropical jungle ecosystem.

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Passionate Photographer …. Lost in Asia

Stuart Taylor of HighlanderImages Photography has been making images for over 25 years and can offer a diverse range of photo imaging services with a focus on Asia and a documentary/photojournalistic style. These services include planning and executing a photo shoot on location but importantly all the post-processing and image preparation needed for the specific finished media format required by the customer. Stuart’s experience and knowledge in all of these aspects makes HighlanderImages Photography a one-stop-shop for a comprehensive and professional image production service.

Stuart can be available for a variety individual assignments or projects and he specialises in areas such as photojournalism, commercial, architectural, real estate, industrial, interior design, corporate, urbex, adventure, wilderness and travel photography. Stuart can also offer some innovative and advanced techniques such as HDR (High Dynamic Range) and Panoramic Photography.

Final image products can be delivered as high resolution images, prints, books, multimedia slideshows, videos and DVDs. Images from this website can be purchased as prints in a variety of sizes and media, as gift items or as digital downloads.

E-Mail : staylor@highlanderimages.com
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One thought on “Bukit Kiara – Green Lung of Kuala Lumpur”

  1. Looks really lovely. I haven’t been to this place, strange that fence in a jungle. Nice with the rubber tapping, I remember visiting rubber plantations when I was small in Malaysia.

    Reply

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