Kawah Papandayan

West Java


The impressive bubbling yellow crater is just below the peak and clearly visible from the Garut valley on clear mornings. From the car park it is an easy half-hour walk to the crater, which is riddled with bubbling mud pools, steam vents and crumbling sulphur deposits. Take care – keep well to the right when ascending through the crater.

Consider hiring a guide (around 350,000Rp per day, but many will allow bargaining) from the PHKA office, as the car-park area is generally full of cowboys. For fine views, go early in the morning before the clouds roll in. Gunung Papandayan’s summit is a two-hour walk beyond the crater, and there are fields of Javan edelweiss near the top.


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