On our way back to Australia from Thailand we had a day to spare in Kuala Lumpur. We have been here a few times before, often as a stopover on the way to elsewhere in Asia. Last time we had a day to spare in KL we had a fantastic time at Kidzania. This time we found another excellent way to fill an afternoon with kids.
As we had booked beds at the capsule hotel at the KLIA2 airport, we did not want to stray too far away. We found a great kids day out activity in Putrajaya, only half an hour away (rather than an hour drive into the KL city centre).
District 21 is an indoor play area at the IOI City Mall in Putrajaya. We took a Grab (the local version of an Uber!) which was pretty straightforward except for the confusion about where the driver was picking us up at the airport.
District 21 is a large space futurist industrial style play area with many different adventurous activities, suitable for kids and adults alike. You pay one price and you can stay all day and try everything. There are staff manning each station to help out, and there were very few people there the day we visited so it was quite a personal service.
There is a huge array of trampolines. We had lots of fun jumping from one to the other, and collisions were minimised given the low number of people around. There was also a basketball hoop to shoot.
This roller sled ride was done in the blow-up tube provided, and with the simple looking course with a slight curve at the end, it was surprisingly exciting for kids and adults.
The most heart-pumping section was the high ropes course which was elevated up near the roof of the giant factory. Only older children and adults are allowed to do this section, and you can see why from the height of the climbs. You are harnessed up and need to crawl through and along the maze-like course. It was definitely the scariest activity of all.
The high ropes course finished with a freefall jump to base level. Also a scary thing, taking a leap of faith off a ledge.
There was another freefall activity in the climbing enclosure. You had to hold on as you were pulled up as high as possible, then let go for a free fall. The most difficult part was holding on to the bar while you get dragged up, if you can hold on, you get a really good free-fall!
There were a number of climbing walls with differing degrees of difficulty to challenge all range of climbers. The creativity of styles and types was second to none.
To fill the gaps of adrenaline rushing was a push-cart track. The small, too small for adults, ride-on bike was able to traverse a tyre lined track. This kept the kids occupied for some time, although often the adults were required to run around pushing them, or rescuing them when they ran off the tracks.
Olive was very keen to have a go at the high-quality ninja course, though after hours of other climbing her arms were super tired.
What a fabulous day out in KL, with so many different activities that you could do over and over as many times as you like. The only issue was with the low numbers of visitors, occasionally some of the activities were unmanned, and closed. We would highly recommend a visit, and you need to allocate at least 4 hours to try everything and do the best things again and again.
District 21: Good To Know
- Price was 64 RM (~AUD$20) (weekday price, in Oct 2019).
- Opens at noon.
- Must wear sports shoes, socks.
- Lockers available
- There are food outlets on the ground floor of the shopping centre, as well as a food court upstairs.
About the KLIA2 Capsule Hotel
Apart from the cool capsule bed, the price includes the use of a 24/7 reception, locker, shower, lounge access, library with book exchange, complimentary 500ml drinking water, and free Wi-Fi. You definitely need earplugs with guests checking in and out all night!