After Jakarta we chose to stay in Bogor for two days. Bogor is close to Jakarta (only 41 km from where we were staying, but the infamous traffic meant it took more than 1.5 hours to get there), and used to be a quiet, green summer getaway in colonial times. Nowadays it is almost as busy as neighboring Jakarta. It has some worthwhile attractions though.

Where we stayed

We booked a room in a very nice traditional wooden house (Joglo) through airbnb. It was in a nice, quiet neighborhood (Sempur) that was still close to the city center.

A walk around the neighborhood was also very nice. Plenty to see!

The botanical gardens

The most famous attraction here are the large botanical gardens. This is definitely a must see when in bogor. Don’t underestimate it, they’re huge. You could easily spend a big chunk of a day around here. Wander past the large trees, bamboos and lily ponds.

…and socialize with the locals…

Again, our daughter was drawing much attention, but when she arrived at the scene with all those women, and they all ran towards here at once, trying to touch her and pick her up, it became a bit to much for her though…

Nangka waterfall

Near Bogor is the Salak Halimun National park. Here you can make long treks through the jungle, but with our daughter we choose something a bit easier. The Nangka waterfall is only about 45 minutes driving from bogor, and only a short walk from the parking place. It was a pretty place, you could swim in the refreshingly cool water, and it was not crowded at all, apart from some locals.

Our daughter also enjoyed the waterfall a lot. Again, all eyes on Lily.

A nice way to spend half a day. If you want you could hike t0 2 other waterfalls from here.

Food

Of course there is plenty to eat in Bogor. One night we used happy cow to steer us to a vegetarian restaurant and ended up in a nice restaurant were everything was vegetarian. They even had fake fish that was shaped like a fish. But also local restaurants can always create something vegetarian for you, like the restaurant specialized in noodle plates where we ate one night.

And then there are apple pie restaurants. Maybe some relic of colonial times?

Next stop: Bali. See you there!

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