Tropical Heaven; Taman Raya Bung Hatta

The park is not far from Padang, the capital of West Sumatera, Indonesia. It is about 15 kilometer via Solok route. The park was popular with "Taman Raya Bung Hatta", Taman Raya mean The great park, Bung Hatta is one of Indonesian proclamator. This park is the nature park which equipped by various of the rare flora and the exotic flowers.

Taman Raya Bung Hatta is about 70.000 Ha in area, with lightweight wavy landscape configuration, rather steep and hilly over 200 meter over the sea level.This park is also known as "Tropical Heaven"where often become roaming field and wildlife observation. The park is part of Kerinci National Park. In the park there are 352 type of flora and 170 type of fauna that be protected.At long time ago, Taman Raya Bung Hatta was known as Setya Mulya Botanic Garden. If you walk around the park, you will see any species of flora that maybe can not found at anywhere. For example, the flower Rafflesia Arnoldi. It is the largest flower or popular with "the giant flower". Beside that , the flower is popular with the rotten smell, therefore Indonesia people use to call it "the carcass flower".

The largest flower was named as same as the first founder, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles Lieutenant Governor of the British Government,and botanist Joseph Arnold, exactly they found this flower at Bukit Barisan mountain slopes.

The flower of Rafflesia Arnoldi is a miracle of rare. This flower need the time to grow until 10 month and it just bloom about 15 days. While the flower is blooming, it usually has a diameter of one meter.

If you want to see the Rafflesia Arnoldi blomm, you can visit between July and September.