Bogor Botanical Gardens Guide

Just a short drive from the hustle and bustle of Indonesia's capital Jakarta, the Bogor Botanical Gardens offers a natural oasis to visitors. Read on to learn more.

5 min read

I was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, and this means that I frequently visit the motherland (at least once or twice a year). If you know anything about the bustling Indonesian capital, it’s probably that the traffic in Jakarta is incomparable with anywhere else in the world.

With 14 million motorcycles and over 5 million cars, Jakarta is only just beginning to solve its traffic problems with its new Light Rail Transit (LRT) system. Still, at its worst, you could spend up to 2 hours just trying to drive 30km across the city.

For this reason, it can be difficult to escape the concrete jungle that is Jakarta. On my last trip to Jakarta, I decided to inject a little nature into my usually monotonous visits here, and what a great choice it was!

One of the best day trips you can embark on from Jakarta is a visit to the green city of Bogor. Although Bogor is only 60km away from Jakarta, it feels a world away.

Bogor is a city full of history. Set against the volcanic mountain of Mount Salak, the city attracts frequent rainfall throughout the year and, therefore, is home to many different plant species on display at the Bogor Botanical Gardens (Kebun Raya Bogor). Bogor is also home to Bogor Palace (Istana Bogor), one of six Presidential Palaces in Indonesia.

Bogor is also an underrated foodie city with endless cute café’s and restaurants! If you love to eat, Bogor will be the perfect day trip from Jakarta for you.

Getting to Bogor

First, you’ll have to fly into Indonesia. The nearest airport is Soekarno–Hatta International Airport Jakarta (CGK), Jakarta’s main airport. You can actually take a direct bus straight from the airport if you want. Tickets can be purchased from the DAMRI counter at the airport or on the bus. You can find flights on Skyscanner, which is what we use when we want to book flights.

If you’re already in Jakarta, taking the train is a quick and easy way to reach Bogor. Bogor’s train station is on Jalan Raya Dramaga-Bogor, approximately 500 metres from the botanical garden. You’ll need to cross overhead bridges to get to the garden. There are two lines you can take to get to Bogor from Jakarta. Firstly, you can take the red line from Jakarta Kota station in North Jakarta to Bogor, with trains every 10—15 minutes between 05:30 and 23:30. You can also take the orange line from Jatinegara in East Jakarta.

The way I would probably go about it is hiring a private driver for the day. They usually come at pretty affordable prices.

Alternatively, Viator has some pretty sweet day trips available that make it easy and hassle-free for you to visit Bogor:

Where to stay in Bogor

If you’re not keen on going on a day trip, you can always stay overnight in Bogor to really explore this underrated area. Some of the best hotels in Bogor are:

Bogor Botanical Gardens

The Bogor Botanical Gardens (Kebun Raya Bogor) is the oldest botanical garden in Southeast Asia, as well as one of the largest. Spanning a massive 87 hectares (210 acres), exploring the gardens can take you the whole day.

Beautiful trees at Bogor Botanical Gardens

Bogor is a green space away from the hustle and bustle of Jakarta

Kebun Raya Bogor is the perfect green escape to get some nature in your trip to Jakarta.

Bogor Palace

Bogor Palace, or Istana Bogor, is one of the most striking architectural buildings in Indonesia. The Palace was famously the place of residence of President Sukarno until 1967. Until 2015, the Palace was mostly unused until current President Joko Widodo moved the president’s office from Merdeka Palace to Bogor Palace.

Bogor Palace features a replica of the Little Mermaid Statute in Copenhagen, Denmark

Bogor Palace famously was the residence of President Sukarno until 1967

Lemongrass Restaurant

Address: Padjadjaran Road No.21, Bantarjati, North Bogor, Bogor City, West Java 16153, Indonesia

Opening Hours:

Varies, but usually open from 8am to 10pm every day (unless weekends, Lemongrass opens at 10am).

Lemongrass Restaurant is one of the most well-known restaurants in Bogor and over the years, has garnered quite the Instagram following from its cute and quirky store fitting, as well as its highly Instagrammable menu items.

Lemongrass Restaurant is one of Bogor’s most famous restaurants

Delicious food at Lemongrass Restaurant, Bogor

You’ll find everything from dim sun, bao’s, desserts and Chinese meals at this restaurant. It’s become a major hangout spot for visitors passing through Bogor, and even features an aesthetic pool!