Bogor Things to Do

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This Botanical Gardens is in the centre of Bogor and it`s a massive and very beautiful place. This place is adjascent to the Presential Palace. Great place to walk around and an even better place to take photo`s as the setting is really beautiful. You got beautiful views of Mount Salak in the back drop. So many different beautiful plant species here.

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Bogor Palace or Istana Bogor as they say in Indonesia. This is a really beautiful palace ,When driving along the fence of the palace lots of deers can be seen feeding on the grass. When you access the Botanical Gardens in Bogor you get another beautiful view of the palace. The palace is seperate by water from the botanical garden but is surely a spectacular site.

The nicest thing is to walk in the countryside and chat to the friendly locals.

MARKETS? wonderful markets in abundance. Start around the railway station area, but also explore the streets near the entrance to the Botanic Gardens. You can buy clothes, shoes, music cassettes, herbs, spices, handicrafts, and just about anything else you can imagine.

CHILDREN? Bogor has a small park with fun-fair amusements. Well outside Bogor there is a Safari park.

SHOPPING? Some good shopping malls. Very cheap 'designer clothes and watches'... Keep an eye on the fire escapes. Shopping malls have a habit of being burnt down, either by accident or by design. Shopping is cheaper than in most of Asia!

EXCURSIONS? Hop on a mini-bus and head up towards the volcano, Mount Salak. OR head off in almost any direction.

You will encounter rivers in steep gorges, butterflies, patches of rainforest, happy children flying kites, unspoilt kampungs with little red roofed houses, views of volcanoes.... Chat to the people.... get invited into their homes.

Imagine you are Lawrence Durrel exploring Corfu.

Don't content yourself with just the Botanic Gardens. YOU COULD SPEND MONTHS AROUND BOGOR AND NOT BE BORED.

ISLAM? Bogor has many churches and many mosques and many temples. You will receive a friendly welcome in all of these. Most Moslems are wonderfully kind, hospitable and tolerant.
Their Islam seems almost to be a mixture of Buddhism, Hinduism, Animism and Islam.

The so called 'militants' are often part of some political game. Corruption among the elite in Jakarta has persuaded some people to turn to Islam as a way of protest.

Bogor has a number of holy sites linked to ley lines and the ancient past.

CHILDREN? The Mental Hospital (RS Jiwa) on Jalan Dr Semeru has a few abandoned children who would love a visit. You could, with permission, take them for a walk in the hospital's beautiful gardens and buy them some biscuits and milk in the hospital shop.

PHOTOGRAPHY? Bogor rivals Bombay in terms of sheer colourfulness.

Looking in a "Safari park" is maybe not new..
And if frieds not insisted on that I hadn´t follow it.
They simple on the way to Bandung said: "Lets make a stop there".
And so (while I wait for a Dierenpark or Zoo) we do. First to stop at street for bay some "wortel".
Than we go.. better said, we drive by rented car inside the area up and down the hillside.
Real it seems a little crazy but my frieds were very happy to see that- they seems very much trust to the car-windows and car-dors...
And at the Photo you see why they offers outside the wortel- inside (or better outside) the "Kambing Gunung" are waiting..
The great strong "Kerbau" was same very interested on "wortel" too (see Photo number two) and so they (it seems friendly) rumble and rumble again at frontside at the car.....
Later we found some "wortel" at windscreen wiper....
Of couse there were much tables with drastic hints for the tourists to stay inside the car-
And in the area of the tiger a ranger controls the automatic doors and even that the window are closed...!
I was very lucky to come out soon!

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Istana Bogor is one of 6 Presidential Palaces in Indonesia. The palace is noted for its distinctive architectural, historical, features, as well as the adjoining botanical gardens.

Presidential Palace (Istana Bogor), in the northwest corners of the Botanical Gardens. Originally the summer residence of the Governor-General of Java, now one of the Indonesian president's summer escapes. The palace grounds can be visited from within the Gardens, but tours in the palace require 5 days advance notification — however, the Bogor TIC (see Contact) may be able to squeeze you in at short notice if there's a tour going on.

Bogor Tourist Information Centre, Jalan Paledang 35 (west side of the Gardens) tel. +62-251-332775. Hands out rough maps and may be able to arrange palace tours. Open 8 AM to 2 PM Mon-Thu, 8 AM to 11 AM Fri, 8 AM to 1 PM Sat.

note: i'm sorry, the quality of all pictures of istana bogor aren't good because i didn't bring my digicam (i put it in car.. because i though i couldn't took any pictures in there.. but i was wrong.. so i took the pictures with my camera phone)

It's a nice get away in a green areas. You can bring your picnic mat if you like. People do that there (which make me regretting why I didn't bring my own). Many old trees with big roots. If you lucky you can see the Raflesia flower blooming. So said only once in 2 years (?). Go near red bridge if you like the sound of waters. You may bring your book if you enjoy reading while you hear the wind between the leaves. There are some benches to seat along the way. You may see many trees with it's names. Unfortunately they don't put the popular name (only Latin name), so you don't have clear idea of the trees. Big water lily also nice. A big square to play close to the water lily pool.

Snack vendors inside the park is very limited. Only ice cream, fried potatoes, noodles (indomie), local burger. You better bring your own if you can stand hungry while walking. It's quite long walk if you didn't take your breakfast yet

Don't forget to bring your umbrella. Rain or sunny day, either one will welcoming you.

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In front of Bogor President Palace one can see many flocks of white spotted deer roaming from one corner to another, those animals look cute and some time one can touch the deer and even feeding them with a carrot and other vegetable food

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It was a good place for breathe taking, a tea walk activities: take a walk between tea plantation in a mountain climate ambience, riding a horse, mount climbing and watching the farmer cutting the tea leafes at the slope of a mountain