Cibodas Botanical Garden

Cibodas was established in 1852 as a mountain branch of the Bogor botanical garden, on the northern slope of Mount Gede at around fourteen hundred metres, to grow plants that would not take the lowland heat - and it became one of the most important sites in tropical botany, with a continuous research record from the mid-nineteenth century onwards and a guesthouse that hosted a long list of visiting scientists. The collection runs to thousands of species across about eighty hectares, with a large conifer avenue, a cactus and succulent house, an orchid house, a moss garden and a waterfall in the grounds. The forest above the garden runs straight into the Gede Pangrango national park, and the garden gate is also one of the main climbing routes onto the mountain.

What you actually see

• An 1852 highland garden - founded for plants that would not take the lowland heat.
• A continuous research record - tropical botany worked here for over 170 years.
• Conifer avenues and glasshouses - the planted collections across eighty hectares.
• A park gate - the garden also serving as an entrance to Gede Pangrango.

When to go

May to September; mornings before the cloud. Half a day.

Honest expectations

It rains and clouds over most afternoons. Weekends bring heavy Jakarta traffic on the Puncak road. Climbing permits for Gede are separate and must be booked in advance.

Nearby

Gede Pangrango National Park is above; Bogor and its garden are north-west.