Lake Gardens, or Taman Tasik Perdana, is a large recreational park in the city center near Chinatown and the old colonial center. It was established in 1888 after plans of Alfred Venning, the British State Treasurer, when Kuala Lumpur was only a few years old and became the center of administration of British colonial Malaya. A few colonial villas can still be found in the park such as the Carcosa Seri Negara - now a hotel - which used to be the official residence of the British government representive Frank Swettenham. The area of the park was a tin mine before .

view from National Planetarium towards Bangsar

Hibiscus Garden

The park is quite extensive and beautifully landscaped in a hilly countryside. There are numerous attractions to pull in visitors, especially the Bird Park - according to his own statement to the World’s Largest Free-flight Walk-in Aviary. Another attraction are:
Tugu Negara - National Monument, a monument that commemorates those who died in Malaysia’s wars
National Planetarium, a space science exhibition with a telescope and observation tower
Islamic Arts Museum
Police Museum
Butterfly Park
Hibiscus Garden
Orchid Garden
National Mosque (Masjid Negara)

the free-flight aviary of the bird park with the National Mosque, Islamic Arts Museum and the National Planetarium in the background (from left to right)

When you go to the Lake Gardens remember to bring enough water, because you will have travel some distance on foot. Due to the ever-hot and humid climate in Kuala Lumpur, it is recommended to visit the park early in the morning when it’s not so hot. The only place to buy food and drinks in the Gardens is at the Bird Park.

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How to get to Lake Gardens:

The park can be reached in 5 minutes by foot from Merdeka Square, the old colonial center of Kuala Lumpur. The nearest LRT stations are Pasar Seni (5min away) and Masjid Jamek (a 10-15min). The more interesting route is from Masjid Jamek LRT along Jalan Tun Perak station (below the elevated LRT track), past Masjid Jamek (the oldest mosque in Kuala Lumpur) to the next intersection. There you turn left onto Jalan Raja and Mederka Square with its colonial buildings. After another 5 minutes you will get to the National Mosque and thus the entrance of the park.

The Lake Gardens is also served by the KL Hop-On Hop-Off bus with 3 stations:
14 - Lake Garden (from here it’s not far to the National Monument on the other side of Jalan Parlimen)
15 - Bird Park (also near to Butterfly Park)
16 - National Mosque (also near to Islamic Arts Museum)

Heritage Park Tram
There is also a hop-on hop-off type of electric tram within Tun Abdul Razak Heritage Park.
The tram also leaves from KL City Gallery at Merdeka Square towards to the Lake Gardens.
more information here