Bogor Highland Private Tour: Tea Plantation, Flower Garden, and Cibodas Park

The commute to/from the city is long (2 hours each way), but there is a lot to do. Had a private car/guide. He spoke well enough English. Apparently he is also the tour operator for this and other bookings - along with his cousins. He made it a point to mention that he only uses English speaking guides on trips. Walked through the tea plantation, sampled some teas. Went to flower garden and looked at trees, hedges, and flowers. At Cibodas Park - note the entrance fee is not included in the booking but it's minimal cost - we tried to go see the waterfall but the trail was closed due to heavy rains previous week. So we ended up just hiking around a bit. (You may want to check first if waterfall is open before you pay to get in.) Finally had an early dinner at a restaurant - was not clear whether my portion was covered under the booking but I went ahead and offered to pay for whatever we both ordered so I can have some company while eating. Returned back to the hotel late around 8pm. Although the number of locations visited was few, I had a good day with the personable guide. Can't help the traffic situation.

The flower garden and the botanical garden (more of an arboretum) were very nice. However, there should be a warning for Monday travelers that the tea plantation is closed on that day and your tea plantation tour will consist of a 4-meter walk off the roadside down a garbage strewn path to stand amongst a few tea plants - disappointing and a ripoff. I really wanted to go to a tea plantation, so it was a major letdown for me. So beware of that when booking.