BOGOR - The rain city

The city of Bogor is located southeast of Jakarta. If travelers want to escape the hustle and dirt from Jakarta and also looking for a somewhat milder climate they are right here. The small town is located in the cooler regions of the Javanese highlands. Bogor is the rainiest city of Java. Even in the dry season heavy rains should be expected. The town therefore has the nickname "Kota Hujan" (Rain City). Previously, the white upper class used Bogor as a sommer residence, in order to escape the hot Jakarta. However, today the traffic is constantly increasing, and the small streets and roads are not built for the many people through to Bogor.

Bogor itself offers great botanical gardens and the access to the Puncak Pass area, a road over 1500m high, with many walking opportunities and a sensational scenery. But since Bogor is only 1 hour away from Jakarta, it can also be used as a much cooler and more comfortable base from which to visit the megacity Jakarta. The town also offers many hotels, which make it compfortable to travel in Java via Bogor.

• Bogor has a truly world class botanical garden, which is famous beyond the borders of Indonesia. The 87-acre garden was created in 1817 at the initiative of the German botanist Prof. Dr. Reinwardt and now houses a collection of 6,000 plant species. One of the main attractions is the Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum) with a seven-foot inflorescence.
  In the backyard of the botanical garden the Orchid Garden (Rumah Anggrek) can be found. Large greenhouses housing orchids of all shapes and sizes, where's always something blooming.
  In the northwest corner of the gardens the Presidential Palace (Istana Bogor) is located. Originally the summer residence of the Governor-General of Java, now the President of Indonesia uses the palace as a summer escape.
• Taman Safari Indonesia is one of the biggest zoo in Indonesia with a car safari trail that allows cars and tourist buses to see and feed elephants, zebras, goats, hippos and more. Visitors can buy carrots from the many vendors by the side of the road leading up to the zoo and feed the animals. Elephant and pony rides are also available, restaurants, souvenier shops, etc.
• Located on the peak of a mountainous area and surrounded by lush green tea plantations, Puncak Pass is one of the best sensational sceneries in West Java. With a great panorama view and cool climate throughout the year, Puncak Pass has become a "heaven" to escape from busy crowded cities such as Jakarta, Bandung and Bogor. Here you can just stop for a while on the road to enjoy the tea plantation or you can stay up in a hotel along the road and visit many attractive places nearby. However, if you travel during rainy season you should take daylong rainfalls into account.
• The Gunung Mas Tea Plantation covers 2,500 hectares and is located between Bogor and the Puncak summit. Situated between 700 and 1,400 meters above sea level, it offers refreshingly cool temperatures of between 18 and 25 degrees Celsius. Visitors can observe the tea-pickers at work, enjoy a cup of tea or have a walk throught the plantations. A guided tour is available for about Rp. 50,000, and visiting the tea factory is Rp. 5,000.
• Cibodas is a village just below Puncak Pass. The town is famous for well-tended gardens and plant sales of many nursery plants. Here the main entrance to Gede Pangrango National Park is located, at the foot of the volcanoes Gunung Gede and Gunung Pangrango. From the park entrance, a footpath leads to a small lake (Telaga Biru), a waterfall (Cibeureum Falls, 1 hour), hot springs (2 ½ hours) and then to the summits of two volcanoes (10-12 hours walk to the summit each). UNESCO declared Gunung Gede-Pangrango National Park a Biosphere Reserve. One of the main attractions of Cibodas is the Botanical Garden, which is a branch of the Botanical Garden in Bogor and with 125 ha in size even exceeds it. The garden is located at 1300-1425 meters above sea level. In the park there are several natural and artificial waterfalls. Focus of the park are tropical highland plants, but its range includes palms, ferns, conifers, Araucaria, bamboo, Euphorbia and Myrtaceae collections. The greenhouse collection includes over 4,000 species including 350 species of succulent plants and 360 species of orchids.

You can travel to Bogor via the toll-highway Jagorawi with Jakarta. Travelers can take a bus from Jakarta's Kampung Rambutan bus terminal (Rp. 10,000) or by Damri bus from Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta Internation airport (Rp. 16,000). As an alternative, you can travel by train from Jakarta to Bogor.

• Rakata Aventure runs a 5-Star camping site in the Gunung Gede National Park.
• For additional information about a mountain climbing trip at Gunung Gede travelers should check the Bogor Travel Guide.
• Tazta Tour Jakarta offers a 5-day tour package from Jakarta to Bandung and Puncak Pass.