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 m and smells like rotting meat. Bogor Botanical Garden has 5 Amorphophallus titanum collection all from Sumatra (the most plenty collection amongs Botanical Garden). The latest full grown flower occurs at January 2011 and at July 3, 2011 the other flower has height 1.28 meters and predicted will full grown at 3 weeks later for 2 weeks before melted. Open from 8AM-5PM daily, although despite the size they can get crowded on Sundays. Entry is Rp 9,500.
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 is included in the Botanical Garden entry fee.
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Bogor Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
