Why West Java ?
Wherever you come from or wherever you've been to in Indonesia, 99 out of 100 chances are you will step your foot in Jakarta, not exactly in West Java Province, but that's what we call West Java: the West Java Province, Banten Province, and Jakarta Special Capital Dsitrict. And "West Java" is actually a gateway for "international" flights, namely Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport which is actually not located in Jakarta but in Banten Province, and Bandung Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung.
4 DAYS 3 NIGHTS
All we are saying here is, spare or add up 4 days and 3 nights of "West Java Experience" to your Indonesia Plan, and here is why:
Krakatau Nature Reserve
Located at the Sunda Strait is the legendary Krakatau complex volcano.
Getting there: from Jakarta Airport about 3 hours drive to Carita a coastal town in Banten Province. Cruising from Carita to Krakatau takes about 1 hour 30 minutes by fastboat (fiber, twin engine @40HP), ideal capacity 6 passangers + 1 captain + 1 crew. The crossing preferably starts early morning, latest by 10:00 AM from Carita boat pier. For late arrival at the airport, it is advisable to overnight at Carita and cruise on the next day. For those starting from Jakarta, preferably by 5:00 from Jakarta leave for Carita and arrive at Carita latest by 9:00 AM.
Experience: land on Krakatau and climb to "level-one", snorkeling by Rakata (old Krakatau) shallow reefs.
Combined: this trip can be combined with Ujung Kulon trip, after visiting Krakatau, by boat cruise directly to Ujung Kulon.
- Day-1: arrival at Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport > drive to Carita > overnight at Carita
- Day-2: one day Krakatau tour > drive back from Carita to Airport > late evening flight to your next destination
Ujung Kulon National Park
Located at the westmost tip of Java Island is the Ujung Kulon National Park.
Getting there: from Jakarta Airport about 3 hours drive to Carita a coastal town in Banten Province. Cruising from Carita to Ujung Kulon takes about 3 hours by fastboat (fiber, twin engine @40HP), ideal capacity 6 passangers + 1 captain + 1 crew. The crossing preferably starts not later than noon from Carita boat pier. For late arrival at the airport, it is advisable to overnight at Carita and cruise on the next day. For those starting from Jakarta, preferably by 5:00 from Jakarta leave for Carita and arrive at Carita around 9:00 AM.
Experience: wildlife, pristine isolated island, sandy beach, rainforest, swimming, snorkeling, canoeing.
Combined: this trip can be combined with Krakatau trip, after visiting Krakatau, by boat cruise directly to Ujung Kulon.
- Day-1: arrival at Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport > drive to Carita > overnight at Carita
- Day-2: cruise to Peucang Island (Ujung Kulon) > overnight at Peucang Island
- Day-3: one day activity at Peucang Island and Ujung Kulon mainland > overnight at Peucang Island
- Day-4: cruise back to Carita > drive to Airport > late evening flight to your next destination
- Notes: can be combined with Krakatau trip
Mount Gede Pangrango National Park
About 4 hours drive
from the Jakarta Airport is the Gede Pangrango National Park. There are two mountains, both dormant volcano, side-by-side, Gede and Pangrango.
Getting there: from Jakarta Airport about 4 hours drive to Cibodas, a small town near the entrance gate of Mount Gede.For late arrival at the airport, it is advisable to overnight in Bogor or Cibodas, and start the hike on the next day. For those starting from Jakarta, preferably by 5:00 AM from Jakarta leave for Cibodas and arrive at Cibodas around 10:00 AM.
Experience: mountain, crater, rainforest, camping (tent).
Sunrise: it is a common understanding that when climbing mountains (volcanoes) in Indonesia the aim is to catch the sunrise from the summit. On top of that, once the sun gets higher, the clouds will cover the beautiful scenery. That's the rule of thumb everywhere in Indonesia mountain, be it on Java, Bali, or Lombok. Therefore, it is common practice for hikers to overnight in tent in camping ground before / on the way to the summit, and proceed very early (around 3:00 AM) on the next day. The camping ground is located about 1 hour hike from the summit, a safe zone from volcanic sulphur vapor during the night.
- Day-1: arrival at Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport > drive to Bogor > overnight in Bogor
- Day-2: early morning start from Bogor > short visit to Bogor Botanical Garden > drive to Cibodas > hike Mount Gede > stop at camping ground > overnight in tent
- Day-3: very early wake-up (3:00 AM) hike to the summit > after summit experience descend back to camping ground > descend to Cibodas > drive back to Jakarta Airport > evening flight to your next destination
Mount Papandayan
About 3 hours drive
from Bandung Airport is a town called
Garut. One of the coolest towns on West Java where "once upon a time long time ago" the Dutch dubbed it as the Swiss of the East Indies. Seriously, even
Charlie Chaplin once visited the place.
Mount Papandayan is located about 2 hours drive further from Garut. This is a real "close encounter" with a volcano, since it is a relatively "flat" crater and the hike is not too steep. Along the trail you can see bubbling fumarols.
Getting there: from Bandung Airport 3 hours drive to
Garut. Either overnight in Garut or proceed further and overnight at villa not far from Papandayan. Early morning start to the entrance gate of Mount Papandayan and start the hike.
Experience: active volcano, fumarols, volcanic sulphurs.
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Mount Halimun Salak National Park
Seem relatively close to Jakarta is the Halimun Salak National Park. By relatively close we mean because the Mount Salak which is higher than Mount Halimun can be seen on a clear day from Jakarta. Anyway, the target is Mount Halimun.
Getting there: from Jakarta Airport 3 hours drive to
Bogor, overnight in Bogor. Proceed early on the next day for about 2 hours drive to reach the
Citalahab village, near the green lush tree plantation by the slope of Mount Halimun.
Experience: the largest remaining rain forest on Java, wildlife, light trekking, village life, tea plantation.
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Kanekes (Baduy) Indigenous People
Located deep in Banten Province are the indigenous people of
Kanekes. Outsiders call them the
Baduys. They have certain rules and live by certain codes descended from their ancestors. Some call them the "guardians of the forest" and they don't use electricity nor any modern equipments nor gadgets. They don't ride cars or any "modern" vehicles and go everywhere by walking, barefooted, even as far as Jakarta. There are two tribes of Baduys, the inner and the outer. The inner Baduy's villages cannot be visited by foreigners, and even for locals requires special approval from their "elders".
Getting there: from Jakarta Airport 3 hours drive to
Carita, overnight at Carita. Start early on the next day from Carita drive to
Ciboleger which is the last nearest town before entering the outer Baduy villages.
Experience: trekking, forest, hills, dry ricefields cultivation, indegenous people, tradition, village.
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Ciptagelar Indigenous People
Unlike Kanekes people, the
Ciptagelar indigenous people are more open to modernization and yet still preserve their traditional way of life taught by their ancestors, and more or less share the same Sundanese belief as the Baduys, known as the
Sunda Wiwitan.
Getting there: the location of Ciptagelar is near the Halimun Salak National Park and seem like a "walking or hiking distance" from
Citalahab, and yet getting there is trickier, especially if time is constrain. The "smoothest" way is either from Jakarta Airport or Bandung Airport and drive for about 6 hours to Pelabuhan Ratu.
Pelabuhan Ratu Beach
Pangandaran Beach
