The kids are on school holidays and we were looking for things to do when we stumbled on MinNature.
What is MinNature?
Located on Level 4 of Summit Shopping Mall (where the old rock climbing gym used to be), MinNature is an exhibition of gorgeously handcrafted dioramas depicting many spectacular wonders.
Spanning 17,000 square feet, the exhibition is filled with hundreds of beautifully handcrafted dioramas with amazing attention to detail.
MinNature boasts:
- the largest, permanent miniature exhibition in Asia
- over 5,000 miniature people and objects telling their own stories
- the longest single loop HO track in Malaysia
- the largest collection of miniature trains in Malaysia
- 24 of Kuala Lumpur’s monumental and historical buildings
MinNature Dioramas
The pictures below do not do justice to the intricacy of these dioramas but hopefully, they will give you some idea of the extent of these models.
Green zone – Countryside life
Would you believe I missed taking a photo of this zone? What a travesty! Anyway, the green zone features a highland dairy farm, kampung houses, different kinds of plantations, and solar farms. There is also a small town set up inspired by Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands.
Brown zone – Seaport
Modeled after Port Klang, the seaport features over a thousand containers set up at the seaport. There are also some smaller towns, chalets, and even an illegal rooster fighting scene inside one of the houses. The houses on stilts are inspired by Pulau Ketam and Tanjung Sepat.
Red zone – Industrial park
Featuring industrial factories and warehouses, the red zone also contains some interactive features. Can you turn off the light by blocking the solar panels? A little further along, you can enlist the help of others to make the volcano erupt.
Yellow zone – Leisure park
In this zone there are concerts, a fun fair, Jurassic Park, and a zoo that houses 15 different animals, many of which were handcrafted from scratch. Can you spot the Malaysian Tapir and Malayan Tigers?
Light blue zone – Enchanted valley
The Enchanted Valley offers scenes from the Masterbuilders’ imaginations. Don’t miss the forest of the Yellow Meranti, the tallest rainforest tree in the world (also found in Malaysia).
Orange zone – Builder’s land
The miniature construction diorama required over 3,000 miniature scaffolds to help construct the buildings.
Dark blue zone – Dataran
Featuring a number of famous landmarks in Kuala Lumpur, the buildings in this diorama are 3D designed and 3D printed.
Things to do in MinNature
I didn’t think we would stay that long because what kid can spend nearly two hours looking at miniature models? Surprisingly, mine did – even the one with the short attention span. Aside from taking macro photos of the amazing detail in these dioramas, there are a few other things you can do here.
The Treasure Hunt
When you enter MinNature, you get a list of items to search for in each of the zones. Once you find each item, you need to take a photo of it. It’s a little like a 3D version of those Search and Find books but more engaging. You need to search through the landscape to find details like the llama and its green friend; Darth Vader and Yoda battling it out; and various famous characters, like Spiderman, Doraemon, and the Minions.
For those looking for something harder, there is a Grand Treasure Hunt Challenge with 12 items to look for. This time, there are no clues. Each of the 12 items could be in any of the zones. I must say that I was quite impressed by how long the kids were able to stay on task for this. Perhaps there is something in the research that found curiosity to be a powerful motivator.
Master Builder Workshop
Learn how to make your own miniature diorama from one of three workshops:
- Tree (2 hours) – RM15
- House (2 hours) – RM25
- Tree and house (3 hours) – RM35
Unfortunately, we ran out of time for this one so it looks like we’ll be going back again.
Visiting MinNature
The place is open from 10 am to 10 pm with the last entry at 9 pm. It costs RM28 for adults and RM15 for children (4 to 12 years old) and seniors (above 60 years old). Children under 4 are free. They also have a family package for 2 adults and 2 children for RM70.
Nurture for the Future 