Tea Plantation and Nimo Activity Park
Around Bandung you find beautiful tea and strawberry fields. A visit (or even an overnight stay) to a tea plantation or a factory is a beautiful experience.
Malabar Tea Plantation
The Malabar Tea Estate is located on a 2 to 3 hours drive, South of Bandung. Here you can walk through the tea terraces and enjoy beautiful views. The low tea plants with the tall trees and the mountains in the background, combined with the fresh cool mountain air, makes this a wonderful place to relax.
An old tea factory is still in operation, near the plantation. Around the factory are small houses were the workers used to live, together with somewhat larger houses that were inhabited by the supervisors. The workers who now live here grow fruit, vegetables and coffee in their gardens for their own use or to sell as extra income.
About 130 years ago Karel Albert Rudolf Bosscha started the Malabar plantation. He is well known in the area.
Ru Bosscha
Karel Albert Rudolf Bosscha (he was called Ru) descended from a family of scientists. After his study in Delft, he left for the Dutch East Indies in 1887 at the age of 22. From 1895 until his death in 1928, he managed the Malabar Tea Plantation, South of Bandung.
He spoke the local languages: the Indonesian language, and the Javanese and Sundanese language. Not much is known about his private life. He never married, but according to the stories he had many children with the women on the plantation.
He was very successful, not only did he stand out in business (Malabar became the largest and most profitable tea plantation in the Dutch East Indies), his social involvement was also very strong. He had a great interest in technology and science. He was a pioneer in the use of new techniques.
In 1895 he founded a telephone company in Bandung. This company was later taken over by the state. He was also involved in the establishment of the Technical University in Bandung and supported the establishment of a hospital where cancer could be treated. He was involved in the establishment of an electricity company and on the plantation he used modern techniques to generate energy from hydropower.
He advocated the introduction of the metric system, which meant that measurements were no longer made in “poles”, but in kilometres. In 1914 he already submitted a request to the government to introduce this system in the Dutch Indies. On his own plantation he stubbornly calculated everything in kilometres and hectares. In 1923 the government finally decided to gradually switch to the metric system.
He is also known for being the driving force behind the construction of the Bosscha observatory>> North of Bandung.
On his plantation he established a free school and built houses for his employees. In Bandung he supported the education of deaf and hearing-impaired children.
Tea Lords
In Hella Haasse’s book “Tea Lords” the Malabar tea plantation is described as one of the plantations. Hella Haasse tells the story of the couple Rudolf Kerkhoven and Jenny Roosegaarde Bisschop, who lived on the Gamboeng tea plantation. Rudolf Kerkhoven’s nephew also appears in the novel. This is Ru Bosscha, the administrator of the Malabar tea plantation. This also makes Karel Albert Rudolf Bosscha one of the “Tea Lords”.
Overnight stay
It is possible to spend the night on Malabar tea estate, in a room or in a chalet close to the planter’s house. Please note that the rooms may not fully meet European expectations.
The plantations are now owned by the state-owned company PT Perkebunan Nusantara. The tea factory is still in use.
Bosscha’s grave
In 1928 Bosscha died of a stroke. He was found unconscious on the plantation and died that same night. He is buried in a mausoleum on his Malabar plantation, at a place he chose himself. In 1928, this place was still in the jungle. Now it is surrounded by the tea fields. Apart from the surroundings, it looks the same as it did almost 100 years ago.
Bosscha is still a well-known and respected man. We read in the old newspapers that he was regularly remembered after his death. He has left an indelible impression.
Bosscha was appointed honorary citizen of Bandung on 20 December 1920 (and still is).
The universities of Leiden-Delft-Rotterdan (Erasmus) honour scientists who have made an outstanding contribution to international cooperation between the Netherlands and the Global South, by awarding them a “Bosscha Medal”.
After Indonesia became independent, the municipality of Bandung named a street after him (the Jalan Bosscha). There is a monument with his name at the observatory in Lembang. As recently as September 2007, an asteroid was named after him: the “Karelbosscha”.
The Malabar tea plantation is definitely worth a visit. Not only because of the special story connected to the plantation, but also because of the beautiful surroundings. The fresh air and beautiful views make an unforgettable impression.
Nimo Highland
Near the plantation house, on the adjacent hill, a beautiful viewpoint and a tourist center is built: Nimo Highland.
Walking on a large footbridge you get a 360 degree view of the beautiful surroundings. The view is amazing.T
The restaurant is built in the Greece Santorini style, complete with blue rooftops. There is a Ferris wheel, and you can join a paintball battle and there are many other activities. Here you can relax with family or friends or be active. You can also rent a chalet.
Hiking through the mountains
From the footbridge you can see the Malabar plantation down in the valley.
If you want, you can take a guided hike through the mountains from Malabar to Garut. Your driver will take your luggage in the car to the next hotel, so you can travel light.
Near Kawah Putih you can visit the Kawah Rengganis hot springs, where you can bathe or take a mud bath. You can also swim in the river, complete with waterfalls.
These hot springs are a relaxed and peaceful place. You usually only encounter few tourists here. Unlike the Ciater springs, no tourist park has been built. The place is maintained by the community of the surrounding villages.
