The Garden was established on 15 July 1959 and is situated around 1300 metres above sea level overlooking Bratan Lake and the Ulun Danu Temple on the slopes of Tapak Hill.
The Garden is a centre for botanical research, conservation, education and recreation. It is operated by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).
The Garden has an area of 157.5 hectares (389 acres) and daytime temperatures range from 17 – 25 °C and 10 – 15 °C at night. The humidity averages around 70-90%.
The Garden contains more than 21,000 living specimens belonging to 2,400 species, representing various species from mountainous areas of eastern Indonesia: Bali, Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua. In addition its herbarium contains 10,000 preserved plant specimens ranging from algae to flowering plants.
Apart from plant collections that include orchids, ferns, cacti and carnivorous plants, there is also a traditional Balinese style guesthouse that functions as a guest house for visitors. One of the world’s largest displays of begonias is also on display in the conservatory building.