Description of the attraction
The Botanical Gardens, a century-old park with an excellent layout, is located eight kilometers from the center of Georgetown.
It was founded in 1884 by the British in honor of Charles Curtis, the first governor of Penang. A man keen on botany, Curtis began collecting plants from the local jungle, which became the basis of the future garden. Its area of 30 hectares today is filled not only with an absolutely complete collection of local flora. Here you can see samples of plants from the jungles of India, South America, African and Asian countries, islands. The Botanical Garden has a cactus garden, a collection of aquatic plants, an orchid garden and a rock garden. Local vegetation is located in conditions close to real ones. This means that the park is represented not only by beautifully designed shrubs and manicured lawns, but also by wild vines and tropical jungle areas.
The fauna of the garden is made up of a considerable number of monkeys living on its territory and waiting for visitors with gifts at the entrance.
A cascading waterfall is perfectly inscribed in the complex of the garden landscape, thanks to which the park is often referred to as "waterfall gardens".
The waterfall and reservoir are privately owned but can be visited with a special permit. The pond, an oval man-made shape, was created in 1892 by an engineer from Britain, James McRachey. The waterfall in the 19th century was the main source of fresh water replenishment for ships arriving at the port of Penang. The height from which the water begins to fall is 120 meters.
In 1910, the gardens located in the valley were threatened with flooding; this place was planned for a reservoir. For this purpose, the botanical garden was transferred to the municipality. The plan was then rejected, and the gardens were returned to the government in 1912. In the period up to 1921, the efforts of the subsequent leaders of the garden bore fruit. The collection of herbarium has significantly increased, a considerable time was devoted directly to gardening and botanical work. New structures and buildings have been added, but the main buildings, their shape, location, paths and road configurations, are still not much different from Curtis's original design.
The place, which was once a granite quarry, is today the most beautiful Botanical Garden and the "lungs" of Penang Island. For Malaysia, the garden is unique and is considered a national treasure of the country.
