Pulau Handeuleum LodgeLODGE$$
(www.ujungkulon.org; r 250,000Rp)
Set in a coconut grove, this lodge has been recently renovated and has six simple double rooms with fans. There's a kitchen, but you must bring your own food as the island has no other dining options, and you also must charter a boat from Tamanjaya (3,000,000Rp, one hour) to get here.
Pulau Peucang LodgeLODGE$$$
(d full-board 1,300,000Rp; a)
Choose among five different accommodation options, some of them surprisingly smart given the remote location. The attractive, air-conditioned Flora bungalows are the best of the bunch and offer hot-water bathrooms, reading lights, and a fridge. There's a good restaurant, and deer, monkeys and wild boar are often spotted around the grounds.
8Information
The Labuan PHKA office (%804 681; www.ujungkulon.org; h8am-4pm Mon-Fri) is a useful source of information. You pay your entry fee when you enter the park, at the park office in Tamanjaya or on the islands. Hikers should try to pick up a copy of the excellent (but rarely available) Visitor’s Guidebook to the Trails of Ujung Kulon National Park (50,000Rp) from the park office.
The best time to visit Ujung Kulon is in the dry season (April to October), when the sea is generally calm and the reserve less boggy. Malaria has been reported in Ujung Kulon.
8Getting There & Away
From Labuan there's one direct bus to Tamanjaya (50,000Rp, 3½ hours) daily at noon. There are also hourly angkot as far as Sumur (35,000Rp, two hours) until around 4pm. From Sumur, an ojek to Tamanjaya is about 30,000Rp.
The road between Sumur and Tamanjaya is usually in very poor shape, particularly during rainy season.
You may also charter a boat to get here from Carita, Labuan or Sumur. Given the long stretch of open sea, fork out for a decent one. Speedboats are double the price of the wooden relics but worth it. Surf tours use their own transport.
Bogor
%0251 / Pop 1.02 million
‘A romantic little village’ is how Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles described Bogor when he made it his country home during the British interregnum. As an oasis of unpredictable weather – it is credited with 322 thunderstorms a year – cool, quiet Bogor was the chosen retreat of colonials escaping the stifling, crowded capital.
Today, the long arm of Jakarta reaches the whole way to Bogor, infecting this second city with the overspill of the capital’s perennial traffic and air quality problems. The city itself isn't charmless, however. The local people are quite warm and friendly, the world-class botanical gardens are still beautiful and the two are certainly worthy of a sleepover.
Bogor & Kebun Raya
1Top Sights
1Kebun RayaB3
1Sights
2Gong WorkshopA4
3Istana BogorB3
4Pasar BaruB3
4Sleeping
5Abu PensioneA2
6Savero Golden FlowerC2
7The 101C4
8Wisma PakuanD4
5Eating
9De' LeuitD4
10Grand Garden CaféC3
11Gumati CafeA3
12KentjanaC4
1Sights
Jl Suryakencana, steps from the garden gates, is a whirlwind of activity as shoppers spill en masse from within the byzantine concrete halls of Pasar Baru ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; cnr Jl Otto Iskandardinata & Suryakencana; h6am-1pm) onto the street. Inside, the morning market is awash with all manner of produce and flowers, meat and fish, second-hand clothes and more. Hot, sweltering and loud, it's a hell of a browse. Dive into the barter and trade, and experience Bogor.
oKebun RayaGARDENS
(Great Garden; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.bogor.indo.net.id/kri; admission 26,000Rp; h8am-5pm)
At the heart of Bogor are the fabulous botanical gardens, known as the Kebun Raya, the city’s green lung of around 87 hectares. Governor General Raffles first developed a garden here, but the spacious grounds of the Istana Bogor (Presidential Palace) were expanded by Dutch botanist Professor Reinwardt, with assistance from London’s Kew Gardens, and officially opened in 1817. Colonial cash crops, such as tea, cassava, tobacco and cinchona, were first developed here by Dutch botanists.
Allow yourself at least half a day to enjoy Kebun Raya; keen gardeners could spend a week here and not be bored. It’s tricky to pick out highlights in such a verdant wonderland – there are more than 15,000 species of trees and plants – but the gardens are said to contain 400 types of palms, including the footstool palm native to Indonesia, which tops 40m. There’s a good stock of graceful pandan trees (look out for their unusual aerial roots) and some huge agave (used to make tequila) and cacti in the Mexican section. Drop by the Orchid House and take in the lovely, muddy ponds, which have dozens of giant water lilies over a metre across, and look out for monitor lizards, exotic birdlife and deer. The one nitpick is that signage isn't the garden's strong suit.
Near the main entrance of the gardens is a small memorial, erected in memory of Olivia Raffles, who died in 1814 and was buried in Batavia. There is also a cemetery near the palace with Dutch headstones including the tomb of DJ de Eerens, a former governor general.
Crowds flock here on Sunday, but the gardens are quiet at most other times. The southern gate is the main entrance; other gates are only open on Sunday and holidays. Don't miss the delightful Grand Garden Café, the perfect spot for lunch.
Istana BogorHISTORIC BUILDING
( MAP GOOGLE MAP )
In the northwestern corner of the botanical gardens, the summer palace of the president was formerly the opulent official residence of the Dutch governors general from 1870 to 1942. Today, herds of white-spotted deer roam the immaculate lawns and the building contains Sukarno’s huge art collection, which largely focuses on the female figure. The palace is only open to groups (minimum 10) by prior arrangement, and children are not allowed inside. Contact the tourist office for more information.
BatutulisSHRINE
(Jl Batutulis)
The Batutulis is an inscribed stone dedicated to Sri Baduga Maharaja (1482–1521), a Pajajaran king credited with great mystical power. The stone is housed in a small shrine visited by pilgrims – remove your shoes and pay a small donation before entering. Batutulis is 2.5km south of the botanical gardens, almost opposite the former home of Sukarno. Sukarno's request to be buried here was ignored by Suharto, who wanted the former president’s grave far from the capital.
Gong WorkshopFACTORY
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0251-832 4132; Jl Pancasan 17)F
Home industry at its finest: this is one of the few remaining gongsmiths in Java, where you can see gamelan instruments smelted over a charcoal fire by hand. A few pricey gongs and wayang golek puppets are on sale.
TTours
Tours of Bogor can be arranged through the tourist office for around 200,000/300,000Rp per half-day/day. The tours take in a working-class kampung, and various cottage industries including the gong factory and tofu and krupuk (prawn cracker) kitchens. Speak to the office about hiking trips into Halimun National Park.
4Sleeping
Bogor does not have a great choice of budget accommodation. Prices are a bit steep compared with the rest of Java.
Abu PensioneGUESTHOUSE$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0251-832 2893; Jl Mayor Oking 15; r with fan/air-con from 175,000/275,000Rp; a)
Safe, secure and set back from the road, rooms around the garden are spacious and well maintained, others facing the river at the rear are a bit dark. All are fine for a night or two. It's across the street from the train station and well located for ramblers.
Wisma PakuanGUESTHOUSE$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0251-831 9430; [email protected]; Jl Ciheuleut 12; r with fan 255,000Rp, with air-con 320,000Rp; aW)
Twelve well-maintained rooms with high ceilings, flat-screen TVs and good beds. Those at the rear have views over a garden, where breakfast is served.
The 101HOTEL$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0251-756 7101; www.the101hotels.com;
Jl Suryakencana 179-181; r from 600,000Rp; aiWs)
Relatively sleek, with a parlour floor lobby and a nice pool area, the hotel rises like a shark fin above the city, looming over the red roof tiles and domed mosques. It's set close to the gardens and the morning market. Rooms have tiled floors, flat-screen TVs and accent walls, which complete the tastefully modern, minimalist decor. Many have balconies.
Part of a small, nationwide chain and just six months old at research time, it's great value when booked through Agoda.com.
Savero Golden FlowerHOTEL$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0251-835 8888; golden-flower.co.id/Bogor; Jl Raya Pajajaran 27; r from 678,000Rp; aWs)
Built in a colonial mansion style, this is the newest offering to Bogor's upmarket hotel division, blessed with a perfect location looming over the gardens. Despite the sumptuous appearance, however, the beige and white rooms aren't huge though they have class, with rain showers and plush linen. Just three months old when we stopped by, standard of service is high.
5Eating & Drinking
For street food check out the night market along Jl Dewi Sartika and Jl Jenderal Sudirman. Or, if it's raining, the food court inside the Botani Square shopping mall is another good bet.
Gumati CafeINDONESIAN$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0251-832 4318; Jl Paledang 26 & 28; mains 17,000-64,000Rp; h10am-10pm; W)
This Sundanese restaurant offers arguably the best view in town with superlative vistas over Bogor’s red-tiled rooftops towards the volcanic cone of Gunung Salak. There's an extensive menu, with tapas-style snacks and traditional dishes such as sup ikan bambu (soup with fish and bamboo).
Grand Garden CaféINTERNATIONAL$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0251-835 0023; inside Kebun Raya; mains 30,000-80,000Rp; h10am-8pm Mon-Thu, 10am-10pm Fri-Sun)
The cafe-restaurant in the botanical gardens is a wonderfully civilised place for a bite or a drink, with sweeping views down to the water lily ponds. It's a little pricey, but the tasty international and Indonesian food and sublime setting make it an essential stop.
oDe' LeuitINDONESIAN$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0251-839 0011; Jl Pakuan III; meals 10,000-99,000Rp; h11am-9pm; Wv)
The most happening eatery in Bogor. There's seating on three floors beneath a soaring, pyramid-shaped thatched roof, though the best tables are on the first two levels. It does sate, mixed rice dishes, fried gurame fish, and fried chicken, as well as a variety of local veggie dishes. Come with a group and eat Sundanese family-style.
KentjanaCHINESE$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0251-833 0698; Jl Suryakencana 143; dishes 35,000-120,000Rp; hnoon-10pm)
A tasteful, soulful Chinese diner with a wonderful mapo tofu on the menu (the tofu was among the silkiest we've ever had), along with a number of ethnic Chinese Indonesian dishes. All served up in a gold and red room decked out with Chinese lanterns and artfully arranged black-and-white photos of yesteryear Bogor. The house sambal rocks.
8Information
There’s free wi-fi at the Botani Sq mall, hotels and guesthouses.
BCA BankBANK
( GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Ir H Juanda 28; h8am-4pm Mon-Sat)
PHKA HeadquartersPARK OFFICE
( GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Ir H Juanda 15; h7am-2.30pm Mon-Thu, to 11am Fri)
The official body for the administration of all of Indonesia’s wildlife reserves and national parks; located next to the main garden gates.
Post OfficePOST OFFICE
( GOOGLE MAP ; Jl lr H Juanda; h8am-2pm Mon-Sat)
Tourist OfficeTOURIST INFORMATION
( GOOGLE MAP ; %081 6195 3838; Jl Dewi Sartika 51; h8am-6pm)
The friendly team here can help out with most queries about the region, provide a city map and also offer excellent, well-priced tours.
8Getting There & Away
Bus
Every 15 minutes or so, buses depart from Jakarta’s Kampung Rambutan bus terminal (10,000Rp to 15,000Rp, 45 minutes) for Bogor.
Buses depart frequently to Bandung (economy/air-con, 50,000/60,000Rp, 3½ hours), Pelabuhan Ratu (55,000Rp, three hours) and Labuan (55,000Rp, four hours). For Cianjur (30,000Rp, two hours), white minibuses (called colt) depart regularly from Jl Raya Pajajaran. Door-to-door travel minibuses go to Bandung for 100,000Rp.
Damri buses head direct to Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (55,000Rp, two to three hours) every 20 minutes from 4am to 11pm from Jl Raya Pajajaran.
Car
The tourist office can recommend car drivers to explore the region around Bogor; rates start at 500,000Rp per day.
Train
Express trains (15,000Rp, one hour) connect Bogor with the capital roughly every hour, though try to avoid travelling during rush hour. Economy trains are more frequent, but they are packed with people – some clinging to the roof.
8Getting Around
Green angkot minibuses (3000Rp) shuttle around town, particularly between the bus terminal and train station. Angkot 03 does a counterclockwise loop of the botanical gardens on its way to Jl Kapten Muslihat, near the train station. Angkot 06 gets you to the bus terminal from the train station.
Becak are banned from the main road encircling the gardens. Taxis are extremely rare in Bogor.
Around Bogor
With lush forests, white-water rapids and an organic farm with a serious kitchen, Bogor's outskirts are worth a look.
1Sights
Taman Nasional Gunung HalimunPARK
(www.halimunsalak.org; Jl Raya Cipanas; admission 250,000Rp)
This mixed-use national park is home to small swatches of primary rainforest, but also includes plantations such as the Nirmala Tea Estate. The park's best feature is the rich montane forest in the highland regions around Gunung Halimun (1929m), its tallest peak. The big drawcard is white-water rafting. In Jakarta, Pt Lintas Seram Nusantara (%021-835 5885; www.arusliar.co.id) organises white-water rafting on the Class II to IV (depending on season) Sungai Citarak on the southeastern edge of the park; a full-day excursion is 485,000Rp.
The usual access (you need your own transport) is through Cibadak on the Bogor–Pelabuhan Ratu road, from where you turn off to Cikadang and then on to the Nirmala Tea Estate. Rainfall in the park is between 4000mm and 6000mm per year. Most of this falls from October to May, when a visit is more or less out of the question.
Speak to the staff at the tourist board in Bogor about setting up a trip to Halimun.
4Sleeping & Eating
oLodges Ekologika on Portibi FarmsFARMSTAY$$
(%0813 8446 9096; www.portibi.com; huts $10, bungalows US$35-65, r US$66; meals per day $40)S
An organic farm and gourmet kitchen two hours from Jakarta, Portibi has developed a reputation around the city for imaginative meals cobbled together from ingredients grown on their 14 hectares. It's set on the terraced slopes of Gunung Salak (2200m), and most guests stay in charming rooms and bungalows built from reclaimed teak, glass and polished concrete, and blessed with magnificent views (with cheap and simple bamboo huts available for backpackers).
Whatever their budget, most guests spend their downtime in the Pacifist Cannibal Lounge. It is here, on the ground floor of the main house, where the owner, a recovering American academic, mixes original cocktails behind a curved reclaimed-timber bar, while the sound system thumps out classic punk anthems and neo-classic hip-hop beats.
But above all, the family-style meals are the thing. Think homemade ravioli, steamed barramundi, tempe tacos folded in housemade tortillas, and colourful salads, which are among the best we've ever had. Be warned, it's not just easy to overeat here. It's likely. Though it attracts mostly midrange customers, backpackers can take advantage of special midweek rates (all-inclusive US$30), though you'll be crashing in a hut.
Cimaja
%0266
About 100km south of Bogor, Cimaja is an attractive, low-key surf resort with a good choice of accommodation and excellent waves. There's also a mystical quality to the place. After a long sunset session, as you wander back t
hrough the rice fields along the canals, you'll hear the ethereal calls to prayer filter through the palms. True, the line-up can swell to over 20 guys in the high season, but you could get lucky and surf with three or four too. Plus, if you've been suffering in Java's teeming cities, the slow pace and oceanic air makes for an exhilarating change.
To get here you have to pass through the large, unlovely resort of Pelabuhan Ratu; Cimaja is 8km further west.
1Sights & Activities
The main beach is a cobblestone affair, but scenic. It's often pounded by crashing surf, which sends the black and white cobbles rolling and rumbling. To some it sounds like God playing marbles. Thanks to the force, the stones and the rips, swimming can be treacherous, so take extreme care. You can stroll from the shore to the village via an idyllic patchwork of rice paddies. For a sandy beach you'll have to head west for a kilometre or so to Karang Hawu (Sunset Beach), a broad strip of dark sand with better swimming.
Cimaja is rightly renowned for its excellent surf. Some of the south coast’s best waves include Cimaja Point, 200m from the Di Desa hotel. Indicator Point has a killer break which fires at high tide when there's a big swell, and Karang Hawu has a beach break that is good for beginners.
Diving, fishing, rafting and motorcycling trips can also be organised through your guesthouse, and so can surf lessons. They cost about 150,000Rp per day (excluding soft board rental). Most instructors and guides hang out at Cafe Loma.
Lonely Planet Indonesia Page 13