For The ‘Gram

Established in 1884, this garden is Malaysia’s oldest botanical garden. Located in a valley along Jalan Kebun Bunga in George Town, the area was an abandoned quarry site before the English botanist Charles Curtis was appointed as superintendent. He then started landscaping work to turn the garden into what it is today. It’s also known as the Waterfall Gardens by Penangites due to the cascading waterfall in its vicinity. The waterfall is private property, but it can be visited by prior appointment - such as via monthly tours organised by the Friends of Penang Botanical Gardens society. Nonetheless, there are still the other 12 designated sections including the gardens’ famous cannonball trees, British-style formal gardens, as well as orchid, cactus and fern houses, to be the perfect spot for a picnic and a snap.

Fondly known as the Lake Gardens to KL-ites, Kuala Lumpur’s oldest and first recreational park (it was built in 1888) is one of the city’s remaining and most accessible green lungs. The park is also home to a number of smaller parks within the area, including the Hibiscus and Sunken Gardens as well as a deer park. The park’s newer additions: the Perdana Canopy’s yellow triangular-glassed structures and Bamboo Pavilion, commissioned in 2014 and 2015 respectively, are also veryInstagrammable as well as nice spots for a picnic while the young ones zip around on their wheels in the pool-like skating bowl.

Often billed as Langkawi’s most beautiful waterfall, this waterfall is associated with one of the island’s legends of fairy princesses who came to bathe at the ‘wells’ or pools at this waterfall. It’s called the Seven Wells Waterfall due to the seven naturally connected rock pools cascading over Mount Mat Cincang while the waterfall itself drops about 295 feet (90 metres) down. Located within the Machinchang Cambrian Geoforest Park, the ancient rainforest makes a wonderful background for photo opportunities. There is one well near the foot of the waterfall, while the remaining six can be accessed via a staircase of 628 steps that takes you to the plateau where the pools are. Yes, you’ll sweat a bit getting there, but the view will be worth it.

This 41-hectare park in Malaysia’s government seat of Putrajaya features conifer-heavy landscaping that is particularly popular with wedding photographers. It’s not hard to see why as the expansive Taman Saujana Hijau spans a ridge and three rolling hills with three distinctly themed gardens: European, English and Oriental. While the European Garden also offers panoramic views of Putrajaya’s landmarks, including the iconic Putra Mosque, the English Garden should be your go-to for its well-maintained lawn, creeper-covered pavilion and floral beds reminiscent of a balmy summer English afternoon - perfect weather for a picnic!

Spanning across 46.14 hectares of greenery and a man-made lake, this newly refurbished park reopened in December 2019 to much fanfare. Additions to the park include a 60m Titiwangsa Canopy Walk (named for the mountain range), a children’s water playground and a maze garden. There are also many picnic tables placed under trees to enjoy brunch or tea, and where it can seem as if you’re in a forest instead of in the Kuala Lumpur city centre! For a truly spectacular shot, be sure to hang around until sunset as the park’s location near the hustle and bustle of Jalan Tun Razak means you’ll get to see a pretty nice view of the Kuala Lumpur skyline as the day shifts to night.

Being a small oil town, one might think there isn’t much to do in Miri. However, if you do find yourself here and want to bring the kids out for a fun time, head to Taman Awam Miri (Miri Public Park) where you might be pleasantly surprised by its beautiful columned gardens, peaceful brook meandering among greenery, a photo-worthy waterfall cascading under a bridge, and where you can experience its 20-metre high hanging bridge that goes around the park, affording an overall view from above.

Of course, a picnic on the beach will always provide a picture that paints a thousand words. When looking for a spot you may not have gone to in Kota Kinabalu, just a 20-minute boat ride away from the city is Pulau Sapi, or Sapi Island. Day trips are always plausible with boat services that run to and fro from 8.30am to 4.30pm daily, so feel free on any given weekend to enjoy the beauty of Pulau Sapi - part of the cluster of five islands in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, and said to have the loveliest beaches among the five. Public facilities on the island include picnic shelters and barbeque pits so you can have a feast while enjoying beautiful views of the South China Sea.

While this list isn’t exhaustive in any way, these spots pretty much guarantee you a steady supply of beautiful Instagram photos – at least until your next local getaway.