While planning a short trip to Indonesia and Malaysia, I decided it would be easy to add in a quick trip to FRIM Selangor on one of our transits through KLIA2 airport. At the time it was still tentative and looking unlikely to be added to the list, but of course like many of the nominated sites in 2025 it was of course added - making the stopover a must!

We've previously visited Kuala Lumpur multiple times, hence just deciding to visit only this site. At first I looked into public transport, including the speedy KLIA Express train, but the quickest and cheapest option (for 2 people) is a Grab taxi. It was about a 70 minute taxi ride each direction from KLIA2 with a little traffic on a Saturday, for the cheap price of 80-90 MYR each way (16-18 EUR).

While advance registration for the walks within the forest is necessary, no booking is required to visit Kepong Botanic Gardens and the Forest Skywalk. Just be warned both are closed on Fridays and the limited hours for the Forest Skywalk, including a long lunch break. Entry is 5 MYR to the botanic gardens and 40 MYR for the Forest Skywalk, for foreigners, plus an extra 10 MYR for the taller tower along the Skywalk.

The Forest Skywalk offers impressive views of the trees below and the adjacent protected section of the park. (Briefly opened to the public during COVID, but shut again after visitors interfered in experiments, such as by taking seedlings.) The 50m high tower has great views of the botanic gardens with its lake and even the KL skyline and is a worthwhile addition. It's a little wobbly up the top, but the structure is quite new and I trusted it despite my occasional fear of heights.

In the gardens, I recommend following the short Razak Walk through the forest, in between the entrance and the Skywalk. There is also a nice cafe with icy cold drinks - a necessity for the Malaysian heat! - plus hot drinks and food.

It's hard to know whether this is a worthwhile WHS. It's not that interesting as far as forests go. Although it is impressive how well the forest has regenerated - it looks the same as mature rainforest to my eyes.

Our stopover was quite a long one (10hr), offering plenty of time for a relaxed visit and an arrival back to the airport well before required. But it's an easy site to visit even on shorter stopovers. I would allow a minimum of 4.5hr for the entire visit, including a taxi both ways. A good reason to plan a stopover in KL on a future trip!