Rimba Ilmu is a tropical botanical garden, set up in the University of Malaya campus in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is modelled after a rain forest garden concept rather than a formal flower garden. It emphasises the flora of the Malaysian and Indonesian region. Together with the living collections of over 1,600 species, the Rimba Ilmu also houses the University of Malaya herbarium (acronym KLU) and has its own Environmental Education Programme. The Rimba Ilmu is a member of the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and the South East Asia Botanic Gardens Network.





The garden has over 1,600 species of plants occupying over 80 hectares. It is populated mainly with indigenous plants species but include many from tropical Asia, the Pacific islands, Australia, South America, Africa and Madagascar.









Rimba Ilmu means "The Forest of Knowledge" in the Malay language. The garden, established in 1974, occupies an area of 80 hectares. It is partly buffered by old rubber plantings and the living collections, mostly from Malaysia, are one of the most important biological conservatories in Malaysia. There are also plant species from other parts of tropical Asia, the Pacific islands, Australia, South America, Africa and Madagascar.

Besides the garden, Rimba Ilmu has a permanent exhibition called Rain Forests and Our Environment, a conservatory named as Rare Plants and Orchid Conservatory as well as a herbarium. The exhibition provides a broad-scope bilingual introduction to the tropical rain forests, covering topics such as types of rain forests, biodiversity and species richness as well the values of forest conservation.



The Rare Plants and Orchid Conservatory, is a living collection kept in a plant house that emphasizes on understorey plants that are endemic, rare or their conservation status are threaten in its wild habitat. Over half of the collections here are wild orchids and the rest includes members from many other plant families such as palms, yams and gingers. This facility is however only accessible to the general public through organized tours or programmes.



Opening hours

Rimba Ilmu is situated in Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. The botanic garden is open on Mondays to Fridays, 9am to 4pm. The place is closed on weekends and Federal Territory holidays. Guided tours can be conducted upon request at any time of the week, including weekends subject to the availability of guides. For details, visit rimba.um.edu.my or email the coordinator, maran@um.edu.my.