Papandayan Mountain, West Java Indonesia.

Papandayan Mountain, Heaven on Earth
Photo and Text by: Barry Kusuma

Enjoying a hike in Papandayan Mountain as well as the view of its natural beauty is a truly amazing experience. Papandayan Mountain is located to the out most south of other mountain expanding in southern area of Bandung city. It is a very popular mountain. Torist who wants to go to the top has two ways up. First, they can go through Pengalengan. And second, they can go through Cisurupan, which is in Garut district.

If we wanted a faster trip, we can use Cisurupan road. This road had already been covered by asphalt, making it possible to use land transportation. But this is only until we have reached uptown of Salada. We are obliged to ask for a guide to lead us to the top.

For those of you who hasn’t had the chance to visit Papandayan Mountain, you will see dried and burned trees and also smokes coming out from the ground and the mountains cracked wall. There are also other natural phenomenon that we usually encounter during the trip such as gas burst. What we should always be caution for is the soil which is very unstable.

After that, we will arrive at the Lake of Colors. This lake has a greenish colors and gives out a strong gas stench. At the top of the mountain, our feelings should be filled with joy and happiness as if we were above the clouds for the moment. This is also one of the places where you can see the rare flower Edelweiss—this flower only grow on certain places and certain height—which most people would call it “the immortal flower” due to its nature which never withered and has its own signature aroma.

The reason for tourists to come here with their families is because you can go from the bottom to the top and then comes back down only within a day. So if you start early in the morning from Bandung, reached the top by mid-day, and then comes back at noon after enjoying yourself. It’s truly a worthed trip for the whole family. Although, you should keep in mind the importance of a guide due to the mountain’s active status. This mountain erupted for sometime, leaving the surrounding nature burnt by the hot steam it emits. The damage made by the eruption turned the view of the surrounding in to a unique and rare to see. So, if you’re happen to be in Bandung or Garut, make sure to stop by, because it’s worthed every effort.

Photo & Text by Barry Kusuma

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