Located in the heart of Bogor lies the biggest botanical gardens in South East Asia. With an area that spans 87ha, Bogor Botanical Gardens is a long-established tourist destination. Not only large in size, but the gardens are also full of big old trees.
The huge botanical gardens are neighbors of the Bogor Presidential Palace. For locals, is not only a tourist destination but also a place to learn. It is so common to sight schoolchildren having field trips here.
And for people who fascinating by the botanical collection. Then the Treub Laboratory inside the gardens might be the right first spot worth visiting. The lab is built for plant research and DNA storage as well.
The plant collections inside the botanical garden are divided based on the type of plants. Besides plants, the old pond in the gardens is among the alluring spots. It overlooks the backyard of the presidential palace.
Apart from being a research and tourist spot, Bogor Botanical Gardens is also a favorite picnic site for domestic visitors. The lawns within the garden are usually packed with crowds, especially during holidays. The place is also a favorite spot among day-trippers from the city. All in all, Bogor Botanical Gardens is a wholesome tourist destination.
Bogor Botanical Gardens Entrance Fee
The entrance ticket for the weekend is Rp26.500 for international tourists. It doesn’t include the parking fee for private vehicles or bicycles. The parking fee for cars is Rp50.000 while motorbike and/or bicycle is Rp5.000. Now the entrance also doesn’t include the museum Zoologi admission. Visitors can buy the tickets online from the botanical garden’s official website or on the spot.
Bogor Botanical Gardens Entrance Fee | |
International Tourist | Rp16.500 (weekday) Rp26.500 (weekend) |
Museum Zoologi | Rp15.000 (weekday) Rp25.000 (weekend) |
Historical, Collection Tour | Rp50.000 |
Eco Tree Trip | Rp50.000 |
Parking fee Car | Rp50.000 |
Motorcycle/bicycle parking | Rp5.000 |
See: Jakarta Airport Guide & Public Transportation
Bogor Botanical Gardens Opening Hours
Bogor Botanical Gardens opens every day from 8 AM to 4 PM. On weekends, it opens earlier from 7 AM. The other attraction inside like the Museum of Zoology open from 8 AM to 3 PM.
Bogor Botanical Gardens Opening Hours | |
Monday – Friday | 08:00 – 16:00 |
Saturday – Sunday | 07:00 – 16:00 |
See: Jakarta Cathedral, Museum & Religious Site.
Bogor Botanical Gardens Theme
The smaller gardens inside these huge gardens are divided based on the types of plants. One garden is filled with a collection of dry-climate plants called the Mexican Garden. The spatial planning of this garden would remind visitors of a desert. Two of the gardens were built to honor past contributors to the institution. The biologist and botanist Teijsmann Garden and Soedjana Kassan.
The rest of the gardens are Medicine Garden, Araceae Garden, and Aquatic Garden. As the name implies, Medicine Garden is a garden composed of plants used for medicine ingredients, and herbalism. On the other hand, the Aracaeae garden is comprised of plants from the species more commonly known as taro. Lastly, Aquatic Garden presents guests with aquatic plants.
Apart from these gardens, visitors can also visit the institution’s collection of orchids. Take a close look at the orchids in one of these two places: the glasshouses or the orchidarium. In the glasshouses, the collection includes hybrid and non-hybrid orchids. Meanwhile, the orchidarium is a spot to breed these orchids.
Museum Zoology
Originally built as a research facility for pest insect control. The Museum of Zoology has developed over the years as a place to study zoology. The museum boasts varied collections of animal skeletons. Its crown jewel is the skeleton structure of the largest mammal on earth, the blue whale.
Visitors need not worry, the entrance fee to the museum is included in the garden’s admission ticket. Other than the museum, Bogor Botanical Gardens has several spots for educational purposes.
The institution has a herbarium, a conservation building with a library, and a laboratory. Researchers are still using these buildings for their research to this day. With these options, no wonder the gardens are a popular spot for school field trips.
Quirky Destinations
Near the bamboo collection inside the garden, there lies an old Dutch cemetery. The deceased who were buried here are the Dutch descent. Many have been identified as prominent public figures who occupied Bogor. Despite the grimness of the location, the cemetery holds a certain appeal for visitors interested in antique architecture.
Another interesting spot within the garden is the famed suspension bridges near Mexican Garden and the orchid garden. The bridge is not long, only 25-30m across. There’s an old myth surrounding this bridge about couples who break up not long after crossing it. The last one is the Gunting Pond. From this pond, visitors have a clear line of sight to the famous Presidential Palace.
Facilities
Right after entering the main gate, visitors will be able to find the Information Center. Here, guests can take a map to help navigate the garden better. The tourist site also has a mosque for tourists to pray. Public toilets inside the garden are free to use.
There is only one restaurant on the premises. It offers a wide selection of humble Indonesian food to fancy Western cuisines. Bogor Botanical Gardens also provides guides for locals and foreign tourists. Not only that, visitors can rent a bike to tour the garden.
For a more leisurely way to tour, Bogor Botanical Gardens offers mini tour buses and golf carts. Guests can rent the bike for Rp15.000 per hour. While the tour bus costs Rp15.000/adult and Rp10.000 for a child. Golf carts usually come with a guide and cost Rp25.000/per person.
See: Indonesian SIM Card, Price & Internet Package
How To Get To Bogor Botanical Gardens
Located in the heart of Bogor, guests can go to Bogor Botanical Gardens with ease. Either with private vehicles or public transportation. For travelers who prefer to use the commuter line, take the train heading to Bogor Station. Once reaching the station, take the microbus no 02 or no 03 parked outside the station.
It costs around Rp7.000 per person for the commuter line train ticket. The fare will depend on the departure point in Jakarta. And another Rp3.500 for the microbus. The microbus or van stops in front of the Bogor Botanical Gardens gate. As for the bus, take any bus heading to Bogor Baranangsiang Terminal.
The bus fare varies depending on the departing point. The bus ticket ranges from Rp15.000 to Rp40.000. Once arriving at Baranangsiang Terminal, travelers can continue with a microbus no 06 or no 13. For the microbus, it cost Rp3.500 for a single trip.
Travelers using private vehicles from Jakarta should take exit 40 toward the Bogor Jagorawi toll. Once exiting, turn right onto Jl. Pajajaran then left to Jl. Otto Iskandardinata. Bogor Botanical Gardens is a 6-minute drive away from the exit toll. Depending on the traffic, from Jakarta, the trip will take 1 to 1.5 hours.
Address & Location
Bogor Botanical Gardens is located in Jl. Ir. H. Juanda No 13, Paledang, Bogor Tengah, Bogor, West Java 16122.