Transportation

The easiest and the most popular means of transportation in Bogor is the public vans ("angkot", the acronym of angkutan kota). They serve certain routes indicated by the combination of their numbers and their colours, which come in green and blue. These angkots are run by private owners and the prices are fixed.

Buses and taxis are not present in particularly large numbers, especially taxis because they are relatively expensive. Minibuses are more commonly seen in the city, that are called "Trans Pakuan". Meanwhile, the railroads connect Bogor to other big cities in Java, such as Jakarta (to the north) and Sukabumi (to the south).

For leisure means, the traditional horse carriages are available. These are called delman, and they have only two wheels, different from the four-wheeled andong existing only in the province of Yogyakarta. Delman in Bogor are not delicately decorated like their fellows in Jakarta, Bandung, or Yogyakarta.

There are also becak, a type of man-pedaled carriages in which the driver pedals at the back and the passengers' seat facing front with a roof above. A becak can only carry two or three people at a time. Becak can also be used to deliver heavy loads such as fruits and vegetables around wet markets.

In addition, Bogor is also accessible via Jagorawi Tollway, which is the earliest tollway in Indonesia.

Eat

Bogor's local specialities include pickles (asinan) and grilled bean sprouts (tauge goreng).

- Fishing Valley, Located on a valley with natural surroundings, serves Fresh Traditional Indonesian / Sundanese cuisine, specializing on Freshly Grilled Fish. Most popular is the Spicy Grilled Gouramy (Gurame Bakar Pedas) accompanied with Fresh Coconut Drink (Es Kelapa Muda). Dine on one of the Gazebos above the ponds "Lesehan" style. www.fishingvalley.net

- De Daunan, east side of Botanical Gardens. Formerly Cafe Botanicus, serves up a mix of Dutch and Indonesian favorites, with lazy ceiling fans and a breezy veranda on a small hill looking over the garden. The rijsstaffel set is popular if a bit pricy at Rp 45,000.

- Sotomie Ciseeng. Jl. Suryakencana No. 302. A type of noodle with beef tendons and deep fried chives.

- Ngohiong, sold along Jl. Suryakencana. An originally Chinese dish (wuxiang) made from flour and scraps of pork, deep fried and then served with tofu, fried potato wedges, a thick sweet sauce and pickles. Halal (non pork) version of the dish may also be available.

Shopping Malls

- Botani Square, Jl. Raya Pajajaran, (in front of Tugu Kujang/Kujang Monument), +62 (251) 386658. Food court, Convention Center, Meeting Point. The most prestigious shopping mall in Bogor. Easy to access via Public transportation. Located next to Terminal ( Bus Station ) Baranangsiang. 24 hours ATM services with reputable Banking partners. It is also recommended for city check-in, with airport bus ready to take you directly to International Airport, Soekarno Hatta. Located also next to Botanical Garden & Bogor Agriculture Institute.

Providing many leisure, shopping, and recent modern lifestyle. Movie Lovers, Fitness Addict, Daily Shopppers, Modern Family, Gadget Freak, Convenience 4 stars hotel ( coming soon ) and International Convention Center. Owning the largest parking lot (up 5000 vehicles). Making Botani a great venue for outdoor activity and event promotions.

- Bogor Trade Mall, Jl. H. Juanda. Food court.

- Eka Lokasari Plaza, Jl. Siliwangi 123. Food court.

- Pangrango Plaza, Jl. Raya Pajajaran. Food court.

Hotel

-Hotel Surya Indah, Jl. Gadog II / 45, Cipanas, Cianjur, Jawa Barat, Indonesia, (62)(0263) 512871, 513151 (reservation@hotelsuryagroup.com, fax: (62)(0263) 512872), Hotel Surya Indah is an exclusive resort establishment in the city of Cipanas at the foot of Mount Gede about 100 kilometers from Jakarta. The hotel is equiped with villas, acres of lush tropical gardens, fishing pool, swimming pool, children playgrounds, tennis court, fitness center, sauna and massage service, coffee shop, restaurant and meeting rooms for up to 200 people.


-Bukit Indah, Jl.Raya Ciloto No. 116 Puncak-Cianjur-Jawa Barat 43255 Indonesia (62)(0263) 512903 (reservation@bukitindah-puncak.com, fax: (62)(0263) 513262), The hotel is equiped with swimming pool, children playground, tennis court, restaurant. The menu in the restaurant is simple but good. standard room Rp. 325 000 per night.


-Puncak Pass Resort, Jl. Raya Puncak (the highest point in Puncak area), (62)(0263) 512503 (ppr@puncakpassresort.com, fax: (62)(0263) 512180), Puncak Pass Resort has been established since 1928. Spread over 5 hectares, you can stay in a variety of accommodation - hotel rooms or bungalows. There is a swimming pool, jogging track and children's playground, and you can play volleyball or football. From Rp. 500 000 incl. breakfast.


-Novus Resort and Spa, Jl. Sindanglaya Raya No.180 Cipanas, Located on mountain area overlooking mount Gede and mount Pangrango. Covers four hectares on the top of the hill in the midst of supreme panoramic hinterland.

Walking Arround

There are many traffic free walks by the side of rivers and canals. One is reminded of Venice in earlier days. One is likely to encounter colourful little houses and gardens, children flying kites, people bathing, vendors of snacks and spectacular views of Mount Salak. On the edge of Bogor one can walk beside rice fields and fruit orchards and meet some of the friendliest people in the world.


- Fishing :

Fishing Valley Bogor,

The Biggest Fishing Venue in Bogor. Jl. Pemda Raya no. 107, tel. +62 (251) 662808, Freshwater fishing in a valley with Mount Salak view. Carp, Catfish (Lele, Patin), Nila, etc.



- Golf :

Riverside Golf Club, Cimanggis, Bogor, tel. +62 (21) 8671533.

Greg Norman designed golf course. They just changed the management recently and are improving all the facilities. They just added pathways for the golf carts and made the course a cart only course.


Klub Golf Bogor Raya, Bogor, adjacent to Perumahan Danau Bogor Raya, tel. +62 (251) 271888.

Bogor Raya is an 18-hole golf course designed by Graham Marsh Golf Design. It is located at an altitude of 500 metres above sea level and the setting is natural, with mature trees, natural rivers and lakes. The golf course measures 6195 metres, par 71 with four sets of tee boxes (black, blue, white and red).


Rainbow Hill Jl. Raya Bukit Pelangi, Ciawi, Bogor, tel. +62 (251) 272111.

Rainbow Hill located 10km from Bogor city is probably the most beautiful Golf resort in the Bogor area. Destined to take its place among the world's great courses, it certainly belongs in the Top 10 of Indonesia's golf courses. J. Michael Poellot Golf Design Group designed the course and each fairway is carefully sculptured into the site to create an exciting series of 18 holes.


Rancamaya Golf and Country Club Jl.Rancamaya Utama, Ciawi, Bogor, tel. +62 (251) 242282.

Rancamaya Golf and Country Club is located 55 km south of Jakarta via Jagorawi highway in the foothills directly below mount Salak, it is a private club designed by Ted Robinson. Facilitated with 18 holes championship golf course, driving range, restaurant and country club, Rancamaya Golf and Country Club is a thoughtful mix of recreational, residential, resort and commercial.


Jagorawi Golf & Country Club (JGCC) Jl. Karanggan raya, Cibinong-Bogor, West Java, tel. +62 (21) 87902488.

JGCC is the only golf club in the country that offers 45 holes of championship golf. The Old Course is the jewel in the crown of Indonesian golf and can stand any form of competition with reputed golf courses anywhere in the world.

Monuments

-Kujang,

at triangle park on Jl. Pajajaran, Jl. Otista and Jl. Baranangsiang. This statue commemorated the struggle for Indonesian Independence by people in West Java. Kujang is a traditional weapon from West Java.











-Batutulis,
at Batutulis village, Bogor. A carved stone to commemorate King Siliwangi from Kingdom of Pajajaran. Created in 1533 by King Surawisesa, son of King Siliwangi.



-Ciaruteun,
at Cirauteun, Ciampea, Bogor. A large carved stone to commemarate King Pakuan from Kingdom of Taruma (5th century).

Amusement Park

Botanical Garden (Kebun Raya Bogor),


Bogor's pride and joy, the extensive Botanical Gardens were founded in 1811 as a private garden of the Governor-General's summer residence by Sir Stamford Raffles, who also went on to found Singapore. However, it was Casper Reinwardt who adopted the gardens for more scientific use, with Johannes Elias Teysmann continuing in his footsteps. Today, the gardens stretch out over 87 hectares, parts carefully manicured like the palace gardens they are, parts seeming like wild jungle at first glance (if not for the tags detailing where every tree and plant comes from), with lakes, two rivers and hilly trails. If you're lucky, you may be able to spot a blooming giant arum (Amorphophallus titanum), the world's tallest inflorescence (flower cluster) which can reach an astounding 2.5 meters — but, alas, smells like rotting meat. Open from 8 AM to 5 PM daily, although (despite the size!) they can get crowded on Sundays. Entry is Rp 5,500 for people, Rp 10,000 for cars, which can also drive around on main roads and are a bit of a nuisance.


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 and noted for the 250 tame deer grazing in its grounds. 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.



Orchid Garden (Rumah Anggrek),

in the northeast corner of the Botanical Gardens. Large greenhouse housing orchids of all shapes and sizes, with two separate halls so there's always something blooming. Entry Rp 2000, separately charged.





Taman Bunga Nusantara (Indonesian Flower Garden),

Jl. Cipanas. Public park, with flower gardens from around the world, maze, giant clock and a tower. It has been created over 23 hectares with flora from around the world that will grow well in tropical Puncak. There is also a leisure park called Alam Imajinasi for the whole family, but especially children, to enjoy that exists over 7 hectares adjoining the gardens. For an additional Rp. 5 000 you can travel around the gardens on the dotto train. Price: entrance fee Rp. 15 000.



Taman Safari Indonesia,

Jl. Raya Puncak No.601, Cisarua, 16750, +62 251 250 000 (safari@tamansafari.com, fax: +62 251 250 000). With car safari trail that allows cars and tourist buses to see and/or feed elephants, zebras, goats, hippos and more, hiking trails, petting zoo. Buy carrots from the many vendors by the side of the road leading up to the zoo before your get there to feed to the animals. Inside the zoo there are more animals to see, shows to view such as the 'Wild-Wild West' the Lion show and the Sea-Lion Show. Ride the elephants and ponies. Rides and restaurants/food outlets. The cheapest souvenir shop you will ever find with good quality souvenirs. It is one of the biggest zoo in Indonesia. It also has accommodation in the form of caravans, traditional house or lodge. available at website.



Wisata Agro Gunung Mas Tea Plantation (On the main road on the way up to Puncak).

See how tea is processed - get to the plantation early to see the factory actually in operation. Sit in the cafe and enjoy a cup of tea before walking or driving around the tracks to view the tea growing with the mountains as a backdrop. Watch out for locals offering pony rides. Rp. 6000; Factory tour Rp. 7 500; Guide for tour Rp. 40 000 for a group up to 15.

Get In to Bogor

By plane

The nearest airport would be Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta Airport. There are direct Damri buses from there to Bogor. If you charter helicopter from Soekarno Hatta airport, you can request (in advance) for permission to land at Atang Senjaya airport, Bogor. This airport is a military base, but will be used for civilian flights in the future.


By train

Eksekutif-class trains called Pakuan depart Jakarta's Kota station, with a stop in Gambir, roughly hourly. Ekonomi-class trains depart Jakarta's Kota station every 20 minutes or so, but can be crowded beyond belief and do not stop in Gambir.



By bus

Buses from Bogor to Bandung take about three hours, except on weekends when they're not allowed to use the Puncak pass and have to loop through Sukabumi, adding an hour to the trip.



By car

The easiest way to get to Bogor is to hire a car and a driver; this is relatively cheap; the journey time is about one hour. There is more than one road to Bogor, and the minor roads are often the most interesting. By toll highway, Bogor is about 40 minutes from Jakarta. During traffic jam (rush hours), it will take 80 to 120 minutes. Many commuters stay in Bogor and work in Jakarta. On weekend and holidays, the trip from Jakarta to Bogor may take up to 3 hours.



By taxi

You can take metered taxi to Bogor from Jakarta. The cost will be approx. US$ 15-25. The trip may take up to 2 hours depends on the traffic. You might want to be cautious if it's rainy season (Nov - Mar) the way to Bogor is somewhat risky of flash flood. It's better to order the taxi from the taxi companies like 'Blue Bird Group' because now they have the largest fleet that comes and go from and to Bogor.



Get around

There are many pleasant traffic-free walks in Bogor, alongside rivers and canals.

The traffic in Bogor is chaotic. There is a daily traffic jam in Bogor from early in the morning to late in the afternoon. On weekend and holiday, people from Jakarta often go to Bogor with their cars.



By minibus

The easiest way to get around Bogor is by angkot, little green minibuses, hordes of which infest Bogor's central streets. Any trip from anywhere to anywhere costs between Rp. 2500 - Rp. 6000, paid when you get off.

The downsides to using angkot are that the drivers are reckless and theft is all too common (guard your belongings). Also, angkot only depart from their pangkalan (terminals) when full — 10 minutes on a good day on a busy route, 90 minutes on a bad day on an unpopular one.



By horse cart

Horse carts known as delman can be found in central Bogor and not too bad an option if you want to cruise around and take a look at the city. The poor beasts aren't very comfortable in the traffic scrum though.

What Is Bogor?

Bogor is a city in West Java with a population of approximately 800,000 people in the CBD area and 2,000,000 in suburban area, bringing a total of 3 million population. It was the capital of Indonesia during the British occupation under Stamford Raffles and was used as the capital by the Dutch during the dry season, then known as Buitenzorg (meaning "beyond worry").

Bogor boasts a presidential palace, a deer park and a botanical garden in the town centre. It is home to the Institut Pertanian Bogor (or Bogor Institute of Agriculture) and CIFOR, the Center for International Forestry Research.

Bogor is on a main road from Jakarta to Bandung, over the Puncak pass. To the south of the city are large tea plantations. During colonial times the Bogor area developed as a centre for plantations. Apart from the tea (Mount Mas), there were coffee plantations at nearby Sukabumi and later vast rubber plantations that stretched from Bogor as far as Citereup and Bukit Sentul.

The suburban area of Bogor is part of the Bogor Regency, while the urban is the Bogor City. Currently Bogor bears the nickname "the Rain City" (Kota Hujan), suggesting that it is very wet and nearly always rains even during the dry season.


Understand

Some 60 km south of Jakarta, Bogor is the "bo" of the massive Jabotabek conurbation, with 3,000,000 people or so of its own. The town was the capital of Indonesia during the brief British occupation, and under the name Buitenzorg was also the summer capital of the Dutch in the hot dry season. Located 290 meters above sea level, Bogor is noticeably cooler than the torrid lowlands, and the place where many of the Indonesian elite have their villas. Once a place of beauty, rapid development has turned central Bogor into the same congested mess as every other Indonesian city, but there are still rivers, canals, red-roofed houses, mosques, churches, trees, flowers and views of nearby Mount Salak to be had.

Bogor's epithet is Kota Hujan, meaning "City of Rain". Statistically, it's the rainiest city on Java, and locals jokingly advise getting any sightseeing done in the morning because it's guaranteed to rain in the afternoon. Then again, tramping through the Gardens can actually be more pleasant in a cool drizzle. Lovers of Bogor will tell you that most of the time it is dry; normally, the rain falls only in heavy bursts late in the day.

The traditional language of Bogor is Sundanese. However, many think that Bogor's Sundanese is somewhat harsher and uses much more slang than any other part of the province[citation needed]. Due to the expansion of Jakarta, more people from different places and different ethnicities stay in Bogor. Indonesian, the official national language, is becoming more common in the urban area.

History of Bogor

In 450 A.D. Bogor was part of Tarumanegara, the very first Hindu kingdom in Java, and the second in Indonesia after the Kutai Kingdom in Kalimantan. The most popular king of Tarumanegara was Purnavarman, who ruled around the 5th century. It was during his reign the kingdom reached its golden era. The city was then, with the name Pakuan, the capital of Sunda Kingdom, whence came the founder of the Majapahit empire, Raden Wijaya. Bogor was later part of the Pajajaran Kingdom (1482), ruled by King Siliwangi.

Bogor now houses numerous stone inscriptions (prasasti) from both the Tarumanegara and the Sunda Kingdom. These inscriptions, scattered throughout the urban, suburban, and rural areas of Bogor, are written in Sanskrit using the Pallava writing system.

The most well-known inscriptions are:

- Ciaruteun inscription

This is a large boulder found in a streambed upon which Purnavarman's footprints were engraved together with his Pallava handwriting. The set of footprints show to many that Purnavarman was a kind of divine being, or an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. Indeed, the text on the stone compares his footprints to Vishnu's. The boulder has now been removed to a protected location with metal fences surrounding it, just a few kilometres away from the river where it was discovered.

- Kaki Gajah inscription

As its name implies, this brown flat stone bears a set of an elephant's footprints. The elephant is presumed to be the royal elephant Purnavarman rode on. The text compares it to the mythical elephant Airawata which belongs to another Hindu god Indra. This inscription was discovered not far from Prasasti Ciaruteun.



- Batutulis inscription

This inscription is located in Batutulis area in the urban Bogor. It is now placed inside a house, across from former president Sukarno's house. It is actually a collection of four stones made by Prabu Surawisesa, one of king Siliwangi's son to honor his father. The first small stone, bearing Siliwangi's footprints, is placed in front of the second stone engraved with the impressions of his knees. The third one is a large, flat, upright brown stone carved with the king's Sanskrit handwriting. These three stones are arranged in such a way that they give the impression that the king was actually kneeling down when carving.
The last stone is a strange cylindrical rock that is set beside the rest of them. Many people say it was Siliwangi's staff, although it seems impossible since this rock is quite wide in diameter.