Kebon Raya Cibodas ( KRC)

---

The plan was only to see the lovely Sakura, and what a great surprise it was when we found out that sakura garden is not the only place of attraction within the area. Sakura garden is actually a part of Kebon Raya Cibodas, a HUGE botanical garden located at Cibodas, Bogor. It is a good place to simply unwind and give your lungs a chance to breathe some fresh air 😊

Here’s more information about KRC (information is in Bahasa Indonesia) : Kebon Raya Cibodas Website

How to get there?

Getting there commuting was an adventure itself. Here’s how I did (and survived ) it ! 😊

1. Since I am living in Jakarta, a good starting point will be BLOK M bus terminal. Find for a KOPAJA bus number 66 going to Manggarai. Pay Rp. 2000,- and get down at the end of the bus route. It took me 20 minutes from Blok M to Manggarai, but expect longer travel time in an ordinary day ( I went there on a Sunday)

2. Walk a bit to Manggarai train station from the bus terminal. It could be confusing for a first timer, but it is always a good thing to ask around. The bus terminal and the train station are not located within the same area, so don’t expect to get down from the bus and find a train station right under your nose.

3. From Manggarai station, get a train ticket to Bogor. I rode the AC Ekonomi ( economy class with aircon ! how delightful ! 😊 ) and it costs Rp. 5500,- . Travel time will be around 1 hour. Expect to stand along the way, though ! 😱 .

4. Upon arrival at Bogor station, find an “angkot” number 03 that will take you to Bogor bus terminal. This wouldn’t take long (around 10 minutes) and costs Rp. 2000,-

5. Now here comes the tricky part. You will NOT get down at the bus terminal. The best landmark I could remember is to ask your angkot driver to get you down in front of Hero/Giant. It is actually somewhere across the bus terminal.

6. There is supposed to be an L 300 vehicle to take you to Cianjur from here. There is indeed a L 300 terminal nearby, however if you decided to get the L 300 from here, brace yourself for at least 30 minutes waiting (or even more ! ). The L 300 driver will insist to wait for his vehicle to be full before moving anywhere :P

7. We decided not to wait for that L 300 and took another angkot ( number 01) going to Ciawi. It took around 20 minutes and costs Rp 3000,-

8. When you get down at Ciawi, you have to walk across a huge intersection. Find for an L 300 going to Cianjur. Waiting time is lesser here since the driver got some passengers already along the way. Tell the driver you want to get down at “Pertigaan Cibodas”. Travel time is around 1 - 1,5 hours and costs Rp. 10,000,-

9. Upon arrival at “Pertigaan Cibodas” , get another angkot going up to Cibodas. Don’t worry on which angkot to get. There will only be 1 type of angkot ( the yellow color ones). Travel time up will be around 10 minutes and costs Rp. 3000,- . You will get down at the end of the angkot route and there will be signs of which way to go to Kebon Raya Cibodas. Just follow the sign. You will get there in no time.

What to see at KRC?

With all that travel hassles, I was hoping good things to see. And it didn’t disappoint me. Nice mountain view of Pangrango and Gede , great weather (cold and FRESH ! ), BIG trees, lakes, great sceneries, it’s all good ! Entrance fee is only Rp. 6000,- per person. If you bring your own transportation and want to get in, it will cost you Rp. 15,500 ( however, no car is allowed inside on public holidays and Sundays).

I didn’t have the luxury to explore the whole park (after all it is a 125 hectares park, you know…whoaaa ). We arrived at around 1 30 and only have a few hours to try to cover the whole park. The first thing to see was the Sakura Garden. There was no more Sakura at that period of time ( blooming period is said to be at the end of January and August), but we were lucky to find 1. Yupe,…just ONE blooming sakura . Yeheyyy! 😊

There is a small “man made” river as well as waterfalls that run across the Sakura Garden. I think most families that visits KRC go here. Kids were having fun splashing around with parents watching them while eating snacks under the sakura tree ( but, with no sakura ! hahahaha). When I went there, this is the most crowded area ( and sadly, quite dirty too ). I noticed bar soaps, candy wrappers and used plastic near the waterfall area. Sad 😞

If you just want some peace, walk away from the Sakura garden. We found a trail leading to Rumah Kaca where they stored all their cactuses, plants and flowers. Trekking is quite light, and don’t worry to get lost. The path is clear enough, although it seems that it is rarely passed by.

Most trails leads to open spaces and all you can see is green surroundings! Big trees, well maintained grasses, and personally speaking--the view is quite spectacular (maybe it’s just the Pangrango effect ). Seeing the top of Pangrango excites me the most. I can’t believe I climbed that some years ago 😱

Before you can find Rumah Kaca, you will find 2 beautiful guest houses. Maybe this is what my dream house looked like ( I prefer smaller ones though..i will not be excited of cleaning, bleh !). The winning factor is definitely the surroundings. Who can resist having Pangrango/Gede mountains at your backyard? 😱

Rumah kaca is located behind these houses and if you are a plant person , this is definitely a place for you. I love the cactuses the most. It is so well kept and there are fewer visitors compared to Sakura Garden (almost none, actually 😊 ). You will find benches and other good place to sit and simply enjoy the whole experience.

There are many other places to visit, but we only have such limited time. We headed back to the entrance gate by 4:30 .There are many food vendors where you can buy local finger food/snacks ( usually we call it “keripik”). Prices are quite cheap, I bought 3 variants of snack for Rp. 10,000.-

How to get back to Jakarta?

Surprisingly, heading home is simpler. We were trying to catch the 19:00 train and we really had to rush.

1. Get an angkot from Cibodas ( the yellow ones as well), going down. Most of the angkot are lining up at the Cibodas entrance gate. Going down costs Rp, 3000.- and it only take around 15 minutes. Tell the angkot driver that you want to get down at “Pertigaan Cibodas”

2. Upon arrival at Pertigaan Cibodas, wait for an L 300 going to Bogor. Most L 300 will be quite full from here. Travel time will be around 1 -1.5 hours (depends on traffic) and the cost is Rp. 10,000,- . You will get down at the end of the L 300 route at Bogor.

3. Cross the intersection and head for Bogor bus terminal. We waited for the angkot going to the station in front of the bus terminal, which is WRONG. Go to the back of the terminal and get your angkot there. Pick the number 03 going to the Train station. Fee is Rp. 2500,-

4. The last train to Manggarai was at 19:10 ; and we got tickets to the last train at the last minute. Phew ! We still use the AC Ekonomi, which costs Rp. 5,500,- . Travel time is around 1 hour.

5. Upon arrival at Manggarai station, go to the bus terminal which is a short distance walk. Get the KOPAJA 66 bus to BLOK M. This should only cost you Rp. 2000,-


Suggestions :

1. Bring your own food (or snacks ) and lots of water. There are many food vendors, but NOT inside the park. You will likely to get hungry and thirsty after all that exploring

2. Wear and use something comfortable, especially for your feet. I saw one Japanese woman who wore high heel sandals. Not a very good idea to enjoy the waterfalls if you ask me..

3. Since there are many open spaces, there are practically lots of things to do. You can bring a kite and fly it there ( mental note to self: i want to try that ! ). Or, bring a ball and play soccer ! Or..simply bring a blanket and a pillow and sleep under those beautiful trees.

4. Bogor is known as “rainy city”, and this is no exception. Bring your umbrella or raincoat.

5. Bring your garbage home ! It is such a beautiful place and please don’t ruin it. We were given the chance to experience such beauty with such low entrance fee and it’s about right to give back by NOT making it looks like a dumpster.


Total Cost : Less than Rp, 100,000 ( more or less 70,000-80,000)

Conclusion: Personally, this place is worth visiting. Entrance is cheap, the place is quite accessible and there are many things to see and experience. One day is not enough to explore, therefore coming back is a must ! . 😱

---

Photos

Taman Sakura
Taman Sakura

Sakura flower
Blooming sakura :)

Man made riverbanks :P
The water was cold. Brrrr

Trekking
Light trekking :D

Dream house
Dream house, anyone?

Rumah kaca
Rumah kaca

Cactus
Cute cactus ! :D

Pangrango
The lovely top view of Pangrango

Christmas tree
Is this a Christmas tree?

Comments

[SatanFromHell]

Goddamn beautiful!
Woooowwww!!!! I wish I could go (back) there! Nice story telling! I am uplifted!

[az]

Keren tempat pondokannya
:)

[y4ny4n]

:D
yeah..bentuk rumah impian ku nih best, sayangnya di kunci, ga bisa liat interiornya.. :(

[Eli Herliani]

tiket
berapa tiket masuk per orang

[y4ny4n]

@ Eli : kalau orang nya 6000 mbak..cuman kalau bawa kendaraan, 15,000 :)

[Gerald]

i just want to ask, when will the Sakura Flower bloom? can I get the info for this? or any person in The Kebun Raya Cibodas, to ask for this? thanks

[y4ny4n]

sorry for the late reply
hi gerald, when i went there they mentioned that it usually blooms on march and august, but don't count on it. maybe you could try calling this number 0263 512233 before going there