Sometimes the hustle and bustle of city life gets to be too much and you just need to escape. That’s how it was for me after living in Jakarta for six weeks. So I called up my friend Riyanni — you may remember we did a tourism film on Siak, Indonesia together last September — and we decided to take a trip out to Kebun Raya Bogor, the Bogor Botanical Gardens.
Despite being right smack in the middle of Bogor (60km south of Jakarta) the Botanical Gardens are a tranquil oasis and a perfect day-trip to break free from the hassles of life in the congested capital city.
Kebun Raya Bogor covers a massive 80 hectares and is situated right next to Istana Bogor, one of the six presidential palaces of Indonesia.
The garden was originally set up as a sanctuary for rare and endangered flora and now is home to more than 15,000 species of trees and plants. However one species which flourished here has since been eradicated: cannabis sativa. Once people caught on and started taking the buds the plants were eliminated.
You can thank Riyanni if you like the information here — she grew up in Bogor and gave me a very thorough history lesson as we strolled the gardens.
One of the big highlights of the gardens is Rumah Anggrek Kebun Raya Bogor, the Orchid House, which is home to over 3,000 varieties of both purebred and hybrid orchids.
Of course there is MUCH to the botanical gardens than just these few photos — but that post will have to wait for another day.
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Lebih dalam bahasa segera hadir!
Thinking About Visiting Kebun Raya Bogor? Here Are The Basics:
Open Jam Buka: Mon-Thu Ken-Kam 08:00-15:30; Fri Jum 08:00-16:00; Closed Sat-Sun Sab-Mng Tutup
Ticket (Locals) Tiket Masuk: 15,000 IDR
Ticket (Foreigners) Tiket Khusus Wisatawan ( LOL 😉 ): 26,000 IDR
Entry For 4-Wheeled Vehicles Kendaraan Keliling Roda: 30,000 IDR
Parking For Motorcycles Parkir Sepeda Motor: 5,000 IDR
Explore By Bicycle Tiket Sepeda Keliling: 5,000 IDR
But you get to do that all the time amigo!!! Hope you are happy and well!
The botanical gardens look like a serene green treat :-). We can’t take too much of cities either – mixing up museums and city exploration with hiking the countryside or other outdoor adventures is the ideal way for us to visit a destination.
I completely agree 🙂 And yes, the botanical gardens were really impressive. I was surprised just how extensive they are. Took SO many photos that I may have to do a separate post just about the gardens. Later though…now I have more pressing articles on my agenda.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting — if you two are still in Hawaii then have some saimin for me 🙂
I love big cities, but Jakarta gives me cabin fever too, what with the traffic and the smog. Looks like you had fun in Bogor!
Yeah, Jakarta is definitely a beast of a different breed. Initially I hated the city but after spending a lot of time there I can see why some of the locals do like it. When hanging out with friends there are lots of cool places to visit — most involve eating and/or drinking though 🙂
Looks like such a serene place Derek! Never been to Jakarta, but didn’t realize it was so hustle and bustle there. Bali felt pretty chill. I hope to travel more of Indonesia some day!
Bali was chill? You must not have been staying in Kuta then. Traffic there sucks, especially when you factor in the drunk tourists that love to stumble across the streets without looking. Other than that the traffic isn’t too bad — certainly nowhere near as rough as in Jakarta or Bandung.
You should definitely come back to Indonesia and explore more of the country. It’s no secret that I am not a fan of Bali…in fact I hate it compared to all the other wonderful places in Indo. There are better beaches, nicer people, more delicious food, and a wealth of amazing sights to see elsewhere in the country. Next time visit Sumatra or Sulawesi or…well, just give me a shout when you decide to come back for another visit. I’m speaking Bahasa Indonesia now (not completely fluent yet but getting closer every day) and have some amazing friends there, as I’ve mentioned in prior posts. Plus I’m using Indonesia as my home base now — I keep returning every few countries…just can’t get enough! Plus with 17,508 islands there is always somewhere new to explore 🙂
what else are there in Bogor?
Not much other than some great places to eat. But just outside of Bogor in Gunung Geulis and is another great place to enjoy the view. That is another place I like to visit when I want to escape from Jakarta without having to go too terribly far away 🙂 Have you ever been?
i’ve never been to indonesia but would love to go there someday especially pulau belitung.. but they’re not much blog reviews about it.. 🙁
Oh yeah, Belitung and Bangka…I’ve been through Sumatra but haven’t made it there yet. Will do that soon though and make sure t write about it, so that you can find out more info 🙂 I’ll be headed back to Indonesia again in a month or two…in Vietnam now.
wow.. i would be anticipating for your trip to belitung.. :D.. you must travel a lot.. i’ve only been to ho chi minh city.. and i’m going to korea this year.. can’t travel much because i’m still a student and i need to save money as well.. 🙂
Yeah, you could say I travel a lot…quit my job five years ago to explore the world and well, here I am now, travel blogging and trying to get others to do the same. Where are you from? Ahhh yes I haven’t been to South (or North) Korea yet but I hope to make it to both by the end of this year. You might make it there before me 🙂
u quit your job? wow.. that’s very brave of you.. i don’t think i can do that.. hehe.. i’m from malaysia.. whenever my sister has time, we’ll explore KL to places we’ve never been yet especially cafes.. we’re not coffeeholics but we just enjoy the ambiance.. i’m going to korea in october.. i guess i’m going there earlier than you.. 😀