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Just a 5-minute-walk from the Petronas Twin Towers, you can arrive at Aquaria KLCC, which is located at the Concourse level of the KL Convention Centre.

Aquaria KLCC is a project initiated, developed and wholly-owned by Aquawalk Sdn Bhd. It was officially opened on 20 August 2005. Aquaria KLCC, which occupies 60,000 square feet, was designed by the New Zealand-based Marinescape Ltd, an aquarium construction and design specialist.

It is a marvelous world-class aquarium zoo that features various kinds of weird, strange, colourful and wonderful creatures that you most probably haven’t seen before, from Malaysia and around the world.

A visit to Aquaria KLCC will make you feel that you are one with the Ocean.

It will take you through a journey of discovery as well as eco-tourism, supported by the latest technologies.

You can go there via the KLCC Park and arrive at the West Entrance. The Main Entrance is at Jalan Pinang, opposite the UOA Building.

You can also go there through a tunnel located at the West of Suria KLCC below the Twin Towers.

When you step into Aquaria, one exciting event will be waiting for you. If you arrive at 11:15am or 4:00pm, you can witness the red-bellied Piranhas tearing apart a 1-foot Tilapia fish.

Mr Azhar, the guide, will tell you that the Piranha is a freshwater meat-eating fish. It has a strong sense of smell. It can smell a single drop of blood 200 litres or 2 miles away. They don’t attack humans but if they are injured, Piranhas might attack them.

Now Mr Azhar announced that if you can guess the time the Piranhas finished eating the 1-foot Tilapia fish, you will get a little reward. The hint was it was between 1 and 3 minutes, counted by a stopwatch.

Many people, especially children, were waiting for the exciting event in anticipation.

View the video below and see the Piranhas tear apart the Tilapia fish and good luck to you guessing the time!

One fish-lover commented that they should feed the piranha fish with more tilapia fish. Haha!

Then I continued my journey deep into Aquaria. Here I highlight the most interesting creatures and things I enjoyed.

1. Touch Pool

First you will reach the touch pool, where you can touch fishes like catfish, if you dare. You can also touch the horseshoe crab. But don’t worry, they won’t harm you. Feel free to feel the slimy and scaly creatures! Children would love it!

This is the horseshoe crab, but don’t worry, it won’t bite or sting, despite its ferocious appearance. But just be careful of the spikes on its sides.

2. The Highlands

After the touch pool, you’ll arrive at the highlands. People were crowding to view the creatures there.

The Red Iguana.

The River Terrapin. Can you guess where is the head?

Look at that cute pig-nosed long-necked turtle. I guess it was smiling to the viewers. Awwwww….

The rock-like Alligator Snapping Turtle.

3. Jewels of the Jungle

After that, you will enter into the mysterious “Jewels of the Jungle” section, where small insects, frogs, spiders, snakes, and other strange jungle creatures will amaze you.

The mysteriously-lighted entrance.

Do you know what insect can survive without a head? The Forest Cockroach! It’s brain is actually scattered throughout its body. If you chop off its head, it will still be as alive as it was… until it dies of thirst after a week.

Did you know that the Bumblebee Dart Frog is one of the most toxic yet tiny (5 cm) animals on Earth?

P.S. 2 micrograms (µg) of its poison can kill as much as……………..

2,200 people!

Argentine Horned Frog a.k.a. Pacman frog. I think it is very fat but cute!

If you came to this blog, I’m sure you know what the World Wide Web is. You are about to witness a true web at its most intricate design.

Next, you’ll see the cute and adorable Coatimundi. It can rotate its nose up to 60 degrees, but the most interesting aspect to me is it likes to rest on a sling, like human babies do.

4. Flooded Forest

Now you will be entering the Flooded Forest, where mangroves grow.

This unique 5.3 metre high Flooded Forest Tube tank enchants visitors with aquatic exhibits that leisurely swim within the water column up
to the treetops.

You will also be greeted by gigantic Arapaimas, one of the largest freshwater fish in the world.

Are you afraid of teeny weeny wriggling things like… worms and worse… millipedes? Here you can come and tremble with fear by seeing, touching and holding them. Do you dare to touch them? I dare!

5. The Coast

At the coast, where the land meets the sea, you can find lion fish, bamboo sharks, and other creatures that live there.

These are the eggs of the Bamboo Shark. If you look closely, you can see the yellow egg yolk and the red embryo moving.

After hatching, it will grow up like this:

Here is a human replica of the coastal areas. You can see corals and creatures from the coast.

6. Oceanarium (The climax of the journey)

Here, you will reach the climax of your journey, which is the main attraction of Aquaria KLCC, the thrilling 90-metre underwater tunnel with a moving walkway, a view only previously accessible to divers. It is the longest underwater tunnel in Malaysia.

Here you will find Sand Tiger Sharks, a Giant Blotched Fantail Ray, Giant Groupers, Turtles, Humphead Wrasses, Blacktip Reef Sharks, Guitarfish and many more!

The tunnel will really amaze you!

The ferocious-looking Sand Tiger Shark is one of the most famous exhibits in Aquaria KLCC.

Just look at those teeth!

The biggest exhibit in Aquaria is the Giant Blotched Fantail Ray

The curved panels have a de-magnifying effect of about 30% visually, so the creatures are actually 30% bigger than seen!

A Leopard/Honeycomb Stingray.

Then I saw a guitarfish, a type of ray. Its underside looks like a smiling human face! Awwww!

Some people tried to touch the creatures because they were so one with the ocean that they forgot they couldn’t.

Another visitor trying to touch the leopard stingray.

This smiling guitarfish stayed on top of the tunnel for quite a long time. Maybe it wants to say ‘hi’ to all of the visitors below.

Actually, that guitarfish looks like this on top.

A Humphead Wrasse.

A Blacktip Reef Shark.

One of the many rays in the aquarium.

This leopard-like eel is very beautiful!

What were these little fishes doing on the Sand Tiger Shark,

and the Giant Grouper?

Small fishes in the ocean are extremely useful to these huge fishes, because they help to eat off the parasites on the big fishes’ bodies and maintain their health.

Here is a video of the underwater tunnel and its fishes. View it for your enjoyment.

After you come out from the tunnel, you can take a rest. At this resting place, there are some products and services that will help you bring back your memories of your visit to Aquaria.

You can 1) Wax your hand,

2) Do a non-permanent body art tattoo,

3) Get a professional cartoon portrait of yourself by Mr. Aloy (10 minutes),

4) Get your name engraved on a grain of rice, which will be put into a pendant on a necklace (3 minutes for the whole process).

Fyna will do it for you.

You can see how she uses the finest-tipped pen to write a name on a grain of rice in seconds.

After your rest, you can continue the journey. Next stop is the Aqua Theatre, which is connected to the huge aquarium at the tunnel.

Here, you can see view the spectacular ocean reef and its inhabitants through a large acrylic window at the Aqua Theatre.

You can see the Giant Grouper here, one of the stars in Aquaria. His breathing is like talking to you. Really cute!

If you can’t find the turtles swimming in the underwater tunnel, you can see that the turtles like to swim around the Aqua Theatre the most. Perhaps they to like entertain the audiences!

A little girl was amazed to see this friendly turtle. Its size is bigger than hers.

This turtle is waving ‘Hi!’ to the audience!

You can also witness daily fish feedings as well as death-defying diving sessions with the sharks at the Aqua Theatre (at 12pm and 3pm)!

Here is a video of a daring diver feeding a Sand Tiger Shark (35 seconds).

During the Christmas season (ended on 27 December 2009), instead of the normal divers, the Scuba Santa will come and feed the fishes. This is one of the most exciting events that you couldn’t miss, especially your children.

If you missed it, you can still witness the normal divers feed the fishes daily, or you can come back next year to say hi to the Scuba Santa, or you can view it on a big screen next to the Aqua Theatre. The video is below. Enjoy!

7. Weird and Wonderful

This section showcases some of the weird and wonderful creatures from the ocean.

Does this look like a rock to you?

Well, actually, it is a stonefish, if you look more closely. It’s camouflage is really effective among the rocks in the sea.

The Nautilus, has a true external shell. The form of the shell itself has fascinated naturalists, mathematicians and physicists for years. The spirally coiled, chambered shell is perfectly proportioned mathematically!

Hi friends, do you know what fish has no brain, no blood, no eye and no nervous system?

The wobbly and jelly-like Moon Jellyfish! Which actually isn’t a fish.

Jellyfish has been around for more than 650 million years which means that they outdate both dinosaurs and sharks

8. Discovery Zone

Now you will be arriving at the Discovery Zone. You can learn about Potbellied Seahorses. They have large swollen bellies.

I’m sure you haven’t seen these marvelous shrimps.

Anemone Shrimp. Doesn’t it look like the Anemone coral?

Harlequin Shrimp. Cleverly disguised as a coral, because it lives in coral reefs.

Camel-back Shrimp.

Besides frogs and toads, what other amphibians do you know?

This is a mudskipper, an amphibious fish, which can breathe oxygen through its lungs, and can crawl with its two pectoral fins. In fact, it can crawl faster than it can swim. Remember the fact that it is a fish!

Have you come across a black-coloured rambutan-like creature? Here it is! The Sea Urchin! But don’t imagine that it is a unique rambutan and eat it. Some are poisonous and can harm you!

You will be learning about endangered species, such as (from top to bottom) the Ocean Sunfish, the Angler Fish, the Barracuda and the Dugong.

The Discovery Zone also showcases the aquarium life support system, which duplicates parts of nature’s life support system.

Then you can take the escalator up to the Atlantis Gift Shop, where you can buy souvenirs. You can find a variety of exclusive aquaria merchandise ranging from fun and colourful apparel, toys, accessories and many more!

Hi friends. Today, I would like to share with you another one of the city’s iconic towers, the Kuala Lumpur Tower/KL Tower/Menara KL.

You will see it jutting into the skyline from just about anywhere in the city. But it actually stands atop Bukit Nanas (or Pineapple Hill), a rainforest reserve right at the middle of the city.

The KL Tower/Menara Kuala Lumpur, the tallest telecommunications tower in South East Asia and the sixth tallest in the world is a majestic tower rising to the height of 421 meters.

The beginning of the construction process started on 1 October 1989 and was officially launched by the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia, YAB Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, on 1 October 1996. The whole process took 7 years.

KL Tower is the testimony of the realization of the vision of Malaysia.

The view from the base of the tower.

Also, KL Tower is the only tower in the world that is located within a 3 million-year-old rainforest.

Don’t miss out the 110-year-old Jelutong Tree at the base of the tower.

When constructing the KL Tower, the builders took special care to construct a retaining wall around this 110-year-old jelutong tree (Dyera costulata) to avoid harming it at the cost of RM430,000.
 
This is a testimony to how Malaysia works in building this beautiful tower and also working with the environment.

Now, the KL Tower Animal Zone is built around it.

You can see its base from inside the Animal Zone.
 
The ticket to visit the KL Tower observation platform for an adult is RM38, while the ticket for a child is RM28. Each ticket would also entitle you to 3 new attractions at the base of the tower.

Enjoy them before or after you go up to the observation platform. The 3 attractions are:

1. Pony Ride
   
2. F1 Simulator
   Children (10-12 years), teenagers, and adults will enjoy it!
    
3. and the KL Tower Animal Zone
   It features birds, snakes, reptiles, spiders, monkeys, raccoons, turtles, tortoises, and others.
   
   A giant iguana. You might want to see how big it is!
   
   An alligator snapping turtle.
   
   Why is it opening its mouth?
   
   Oh! It is because it is letting small fishes eat up the parasites in its mouth. Isn’t it like us brushing our teeth?
   
   An albino pigtailed macaque at the zoo, one of the rarest primate species in the world. She is the loving mother to two other pigtailed macaques (aged 1 and 7). She breastfeeds her younger child while the older one finds bugs on her body to eat.
   
   A white-eared marmoset. Its face looks like a human!
   
   It is fun to play with the monkeys when you are protected by the glass.
   
   A reticulated python can grow up to 32 feet, like the picture below.
   
   An albino American bullfrog.
   
   His sweet smiling face welcomes you! Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww!
   
   A colourful Eastern Roselle, is an intelligent creature which can be trained to whistle a wide repertoire of tunes and may even learn to speak a few words or phrases.
   
   You can also be taken a photo with Larry, a Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, rested on your shoulder or head.

   This KL Tower Animal Zone really encourages people to get close to nature and its animals.

You can also ride the thrilling flying fox. It is 50 feet above the ground and about 450 feet long. Ride it if you dare! You can buy the flying fox tickets to enjoy an adventurous ride.

A lady getting ready for the ride.

Take off! WOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Enjoying the thrilling ride. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

From Wednesday to Sunday at 11 am and 3:30 pm, there are 1-hour cultural shows.

Gamelan performance.
 
A traditional and cultural dance performance.
 
A dance performance at the amphitheatre.
 
There is a mini theatre for visitors to watch the documentary of the construction of the KL Tower.

Watching the video will touch your heart that the vision of Malaysia has been materialized through the KL Tower.

After that, you shall go into the main lobby to take the lift up to the observation platform. When you enter the main lobby, you cannot miss the sparkling seven-layer diamond-like dome on the ceiling, and also the other 3 domes at the other 3 entrances to the lobby.

These domes are actually designed in the form of Muqarnas, by Iranian craftsmen. This is indeed a magnificent work of art.

Observation Platform

Now you can finally go up to the KL Tower’s observation platform 276 meters above ground level to enjoy the panoramic view of the city! The view is really awesome!

The spectacular view of the Petronas Twin Towers on an afternoon.
 
Inside the observation platform.
 
Here is the display of the comparison of the telecommunications towers in the world. KL Tower was the 4th.
 

High-rise buildings are abundant in Kuala Lumpur.
 
Residential and low-rise areas in Kuala Lumpur. Can you spot the Istana Budaya and Batu Caves?

Here they are!

The Batu Caves is about 50 kilometres away from the KL Tower. It is a very famous Thaipusam spot in Malaysia.
 
Can you see the building with a unique blue rooftop? That is the Istana Budaya which is the National Theatre of Malaysia. It’s name literally translates to “Palace of Culture”. It plays host to local and international musical productions.

Can you see the huge lake beside it? It is the serene Tasik Titiwangsa park. The lake is where you can go canoeing, kayaking and aqua biking.

Apart from the high-rise buildings, greeneries are bountiful in Kuala Lumpur.
   
You also can see the (1) Independence Square, (2) its tallest (100 metre) flagpole in Malaysia, (3) the Royal Selangor Club, and (4) the clock tower of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building
  
In the view below, you can find a lot of famous places in Kuala Lumpur.

1. Dayabumi Building
2. National Mosque
3. Kuala Lumpur Railway Station
4. Islamic Arts Museum
5. Islamic Centre
6. KL Bird Park
7. National Planetarium
8. National Museum
9. KL Sentral

If you looked through the powerful binoculars at the KL Tower observation platform,

you could see the National Planetarium’s blue dome and its observation tower. Behind it is the National Museum.
 
Can you guess which park in KL this is?
 
It is actually the KLCC park.
 
From the KL Tower, you can actually see the clouds pouring out rain at Petaling Jaya. Truly amazing!

After the sky has cleared up, you can see the Telekom Malaysia Headquarters clearly. It is a unique sail-shaped 6-star intelligent building in Petaling Jaya.
             
Whenever you come to the KL Tower observation platform, it will give you different feelings. In the morning, afternoon or night, rainy, sunny or cloudy, the different spectacular views will invoke different feelings.

The most special feeling is in the evening, when you can watch the sunset at its most majestic display.

“When you come to the tower, don’t miss the sunset at the tower. You’re gonna fall in love with the city and you will fall in love with anyone that you bring with you. So make sure you bring the right person to fall in love.”

Datuk Zulkifli Mohamad, CEO of the Kuala Lumpur Tower.

What a intelligent CEO with a great sense of humour and creativity!

While witnessing the city darken, you can see some beautiful sunsets all over the city – North, South, East, West.
 
The Petronas Twin Towers on a rainy and foggy evening. Do you feel like the mist is around you?

The Petronas Twin Towers illuminated at night.
 
Isn’t it beautiful?
 
From the above view, you can see that when the sun goes down, Kuala Lumpur magically transforms into a fairyland. The lights light up the night, making Kuala Lumpur the garden city of lights. Really glorious!

Seasons greetings from AmBank. Viewed from the KL Tower.

Just one floor above the observation platform is the revolving restaurant, Seri Angkasa. Dining there is not a must but surely a treat.

I would suggest you to come earlier in the evening so that you can witness the darkening skyline. It is very interesting to experience the twilight and also the night lights in the city. Can you see the twinkling Twin Towers?
 
After that, you can go down to the base of the tower to enjoy the illumination of the tower and the fresh and cooling breeze.

When you go out, you may see the KL Tower constantly changing colours. It is really colourful! You can view the video slideshow below (7 seconds).

The KL Tower was illuminated in red for the entire month of December 2009 in conjunction with World AIDS Day 2009, as a Mark of Hope and Support for Malaysians living with HIV. It was really beautiful and inspiring.

Malaysia Cares!

At the base of the tower, you can also dine at Rainforest Cafe,

or the d’Tandoor Restaurant.

One of the shops that grabbed my attention was Miyi Jewels, which specializes in polymer clay items. Polymer clay is unbreakable, waterproof and fungusproof. Cool! It is also very nice to touch.
 
The spirit of 1Malaysia is shown in this shop too! You can purchase a photo frame with polymer clay models of the 3 main races in Malaysia – (from left to right) Chinese, Indians and Malays.
 
KL Tower also plays host to annual events such as the International Towerthon (February), which sees competitors dash up the stairs to the top of the tower.

It also hosts international BASE (Buildings, Antennas, Spans and Earth) jumping competitions (August), where participants parachute off the top of the tower.

Here is a video of it:

In conclusion, from the panoramic view from this tower, you can see that Kuala Lumpur merges the old and new. Ultra-modern skyscrapers jostles with centuries-old minarets and spires of the many mosques.

From the KL Tower, you can really enjoy the skyline like no other.

Then you can understand why KL prides itself as a city that has managed to preserve the best of its cultural and historical heritage despite encouraging modern infrastructure and facilities.

You will see so clearly that there is a great variety of architecture styles, from the old colonial buildings, to the black-and-white tudor-style Royal Selangor Club and the Islamic-inspired designs of Menara Dayabumi and the hour glass-shaped Tabung Haji Building.

Fireworks from the KL Tower

During two great days, Malaysia’s Independence Day (Hari Merdeka) (12 am, 31st August) and New Year’s Day (12 am, 1st January), you will have the most exciting view of the fireworks in the city!

Once the clock strikes 12 am, the fireworks will be simultaneously displayed all over the city. The main fireworks are at Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square), Petronas Twin Towers, Bukit Bintang, Mont Kiara, Bangsar and Mid Valley.

Don’t you feel lucky and excited that you can have the opportunity to view all these wonderful firework displays simultaneously at the KL Tower?

Below are the pictures of the awesome and splendid fireworks that lit up the city skyline on the 1st of January 2010.

1. Dataran Merdeka

Image by Effendy Rashid from NST.

2. Petronas Twin Towers

Image by Nan Yang Siang Pao.

3.Genting Highlands (Maxims Hotel)

Image by Sin Chew Daily

If you looked through the binoculars, you could see thousands and thousands of revellers that bade farewell to 2009 and rang in 2010 by partying down the last seconds of 2009 in Dataran Merdeka and Petronas Twin Towers.

Both Malaysians and foreigners from all walks of life flocked to these celebration points to enjoy the New Year Eve Concerts, multi-cultural dance troupes and other energetic performances.

You could see the people sing and dance along to the music. At the stroke of midnight, they would countdown “10, 9, 8….3, 2, 1,” and erupt in cheers and wish each other Happy New Year!

This is the most gratifying sight-seeing tower that you shall never miss! So, come and be one with the sky, only at KL Tower!

Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve

Another famous attraction at the base of the KL tower is the Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve. It is 1 of the 13 mega diversity primary tropical rainforest in the world, which is 3 million years old.

KL Tower becomes extraordinarily unique because it is the only tower in the world to be located within a rainforest. And the forest is in the heart of the city! These facts should excite you to visit the KL Tower and its primary tropical rainforest.

If your children long to have an adventure in the forest, this is the perfect place for them!

It is really a forest in the middle of a busy city!
 
There are tour guides to help you get to know this forest daily for free at 11 am, 12:30 pm, 2:30 pm, and 4:30 pm.

When you walk into the forest, you can hear the natural and peaceful sounds of insects like the cicada. It will really soothe your soul.

Below is a tour guide, Tony, explaining that the Meraga tree (Pertusadina euryhncha, Rubiaceae) has ugly holes in order to keep insects and animals from harming it because its ugliness will distract and make its potential enemies stay away.
 
Below is the picture of the same type of tree, but this one has longer holes because it is much older.

This Permanent Reserved Forest is classified as a Lowland Dipterocarp Rainforest. You can see the thick trunk and huge roots of many trees aged over 100 years old.

The Krepal tree (Kostermansia malayana) below is found only in Malaysia.

Below is a Merawarn Batu tree (Hopea beccariana).
 
Below is a very old durian tree.
 
The 110-year-old Jelutong tree (about 150 cm in diameter) at the base of the tower compared with the 350-year-old Jelutong tree in the forest (455 cm in diameter, about 3 adults hugging it).
 
The Bird’s-nest Fern is the plant that we should know if we want to survive in the forest. It is because it contains a lot of water. Just poke the spongy roots at the base of the leaves and the water will leak out.

The Bird’s-nest Fern can grow symbiotically on trees.
 
It also can grow very big too!
 
Other than the Bird’s-nest Fern, another tree that can quench your thirst is the tarzan vine. If you break it with a knife or a karate chop, the water will come out for you. Don’t worry because it can rejoin again within a week.
 
The third tree that can save our lives is the banana tree, because we can eat its fruit and also drink its water when we break its branch.
 
The heart of the banana tree. Delicious!
 
If you want to camp, relax and listen to the sounds of nature with your friends, you can come to the camping site below.
 
The Bamboo Walk area has a lot of beautiful bamboos, especially these 85-year-old bamboos below.

Interpretative trail maps are placed at the trails to guide you. There are about 5 trails for you to explore.
 
Below is the Jelutong Trail, an adventurous trail that you shall not miss.
 
You would really enjoy your adventure on the Jelutong Trail!
 
Apart from the natural path above, there are also concrete paths. Both are perfect for hiking, walking or jogging while breathing ionic oxygen! 
 
Be sure to keep your eyes out for birds, reptiles, insects and monkeys. Can you spot a monkey below?

But no matter how cute they are, you shall not feed the monkeys.

Along the tracks, look out for special stuff like this Lingzhi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum). Can you spot it?

There it is!
 
It brought back my memories when I was completing my final year thesis on the cultivation and analysis of the Lingzhi mushroom. Lingzhi was described as “mushroom of immortality”. Because of the press’ interest, I was interviewed by them (23 November 1991, Nan Yang Siang Pao).
   
Below are some other types of mushrooms.

At the end of the Jelutong trail, there is the Wariseni Gallery, where you will find many unique wooden furniture and craft that you can admire or purchase.
 
In conclusion, Kuala Lumpur has always been a garden city as it is naturally endowed with forest – an identity that only a few cities in the world can claim.

Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve is the natural, tropical and urban forest designed and built by Mother Nature. From the primitive fungi to the more developed small mammals, our urban forest is full of surprises.

The rainforest is really a precious heritage for us to enjoy:

1. Ionic oxygen for quality urban living.
2. Peaceful sight of greeneries.
3. As a platform for jungle adventure and research.

So, come to the KL Tower to enjoy the marvelous panoramic view of the garden city (Kuala Lumpur) and the experience of adventuring in the Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve at the bottom of the tower.

KL Tower, the 2nd most visited tower in the world, is the tower where you can enjoy the skyline like no other!

You can get to the KL Tower with the KL Hop-on Hop-off double-decker bus or taxi.
 
Here is an aerial view of the KL Tower on Google Maps.

View Larger Map

You can visit the KL Tower’s official website here – http://www.menarakl.com.my