Mount Papandayan
Mount Papandayan
4.5
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Laurent A
16 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Family
Great hike to Papandayan volcano!
In this less touristic region but very undercut, we found with Asep (ADP Papandayan Ressort) a perfect Guide, local and Guide in all java for decades, which takes us through the volcano in all its nooks and crannies from 5am to 2pm. Superb site, few people even at the end of July. We insist on this Super Guide, very endearing character, attentive to your requests and especially very curious about other cultures, attached to his region and eager to exchange on all subjects (tradition, religion, economy, place of women, rapid evolution and safety of his country...etc). Always smiling, enthusiastic, extremely kind and funny, full of anecdotes, speaking good English, he knows all the local guides, allowed us "exclusive" visits such as sunrise on the Papandayan volcano before the official opening of the park then a visit to all its nooks and crannies (craters , dead forest, fumaroles and boiling water source with "swimming" at high temperature!); or visit the rice fields, vegetable plantations of the surrounding villages without any tourist organization or tourist shop). Unreservedly recommend for visiting the Sundanese country.
Laurent
Automatically translated
Written 19 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JAVA PRIVATE TOUR
Bogor, Indonesia1,863 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2019 • Friends
This mountain which has an altitude of 2665 meters above sea level is located in Cisurupan sub-district, Garut regency. Or about 70 km southeast of Bandung. The beauty of the panorama of Mount Papandayan in West Java has a million beautiful scenery from various sides,edelweiss flower fields and dead forests that are the main attraction of the mountain. And on Mount Papandayan, there are several famous craters,these include Mas Crater, New Crater, Nangklak Crater, and Manuk Crater.The craters emit steam from the inside. You can feel the cool mountain air while watching the greatness of God in creating natural paintings.
Written 21 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

wanderbugg
Nice, France148 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2014 • Friends
We were four people who signed up for a private tour which brought us to Mount Papandayan from Bandung city. The tour included mainly a driver with a sturdy 4WD vehicle, the park entrance fee and the fees for our volcano tour guide. It was about 30 euros per person, which may be a bit pricey for this region but it was worth the seamless and worry-free experience - priceless.

We started in Bandung at 7am, traffic was ok, and the drive to the foot of the volcano took more than 2.5 hours, first through the outskirts of the city, then winding mountain roads via Garut. The last part of the drive (5km) was bumpy and rough. Our local tour guide Danny brought us into the volcanic area using his own route - bashing through some low-growing shrubs and rocky terrain with a little-used but existing trail.

We first tackled the steepest part and arrived at a small flat-top and gravelly area where we could have a panoramic view of the slope with multiple sulphur geysers and the main lava path of the 2002 eruption. There is zero shade on the way up and wandering around the slopes devoid of vegetation.

Our guide brought us walking around the sulphuric-gas spewing geysers with scalding hot steam coming out (dangerous but we trusted our guide) and crossed cascades of warm/hot water. We managed to look closely the sulphur crystals that form on the outer openings of the geysers and observe the multi-colored pools of water around the slope. It was a wonderful adventure. Personally I wouldn't have been walking amidst the geysers - I'd have observed from afar but with the guide I felt like he knew what he was doing. We also looked at one of the big craters filled with rust-orange liquid - it was usually greenish apparently but we were at the end of the dry season and the water was drying out. We finished the walk by around 1pm and headed off for lunch.

The whole hike lasted 2.5 hours and was an exhilarating and fun experience.

Tips:
- Wear sunscreen - there is no shade.
- Wear very good shoes - the terrain here is rough and you don't want to go foot-first into something hot with thin shoes.
- Wear long pants and long-sleeved tee if you don't want to be scratched by prickly shrubs.
- There are some sundry shops around the foot of the volcano, around the "Camp David" (which is apparently the name of the parking lot and *not* a camp - please feel free to correct me) - you can buy bottled water, simple snacks, and have a last toilet stop before heading into the wild.

Final advice: Depending on which trail you climbed, it's not a difficult trail (the one we took required a bit of scrambling) but by no means a "look and see" sightseeing type of place. If you just want to take a photograph and leave, you won't experience much.

Best part: Very few tourists, we felt like we had the place to ourselves. The other visitors were a few groups climbing higher up to camp overnight and some locals (less than a dozen) near the foot of the volcano hanging out.
Written 11 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Engel D
4 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
We tried to organise our tour to the mountain on our own like we always do on our holidays. This time it was a big mess!!! To get up to the last parkinplace we were FORCED to pay some motobike drivers to bring us up... We had to pay 50.000 IDR each. At the park entrance we were told we have to pay another 100.000 each to be allowed to hike up to the mointain... for locals the entance fee is only 5.000. After the hike (the vulcano at all is a 3/10... its ok but not amazing at all) we had to organise our drive back to Garut... This is a 30 min drive and EVERY driver (bemo) told us we have to pay 200.000... for 200.000 you normaly easy could go 2hrs/60km by taxi. Getting out from Garut is only possible by bus if you don't want to pay 300.000 IDR.

This vulcano is one big tourist trap. Don't go there...
Avoid Garut at all "costs"...
Written 26 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

FarahMahardika
Jakarta, Indonesia83 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2015 • Friends
Mount Papandayan is a nice weekend getaway. Great for ultralight hiking.

From Jakarta, you can reach Garut in 3-6 hours, then proceed to Cisurupan for 1 hour, and finally get to the main entrance/basecamp called Camp David for another 1 hour. Entrance fee is Rp 7500 on weekend. Upon arrival, register yourself and prepare for the hike. Toilets and food stalls are available here.

The track is pretty easy, i spotted some kids and elders hike as well. It takes 2-3 hours to get to Pondok Saladah. If you're going for a one-day hike, from here you can proceed to Hutan Mati, Tegal Alun, and the summit. If you're staying for a night, you can build a camp here and get to those spots while chasing after sunrise. There are some locals that sells food here, don't worry if you don't bring supplies. There's a place for prayer and some toilets, but the queue takes forever especially on weekends. But since you're in a mountain, you can also pee in safe and hideous spot. Don't forget to dig a hole if you wants to poo.

Must visit spots: Kawah Mas, Hutan Mati (dead forest caused by eruption), Tegal Alun (edelweiss field), summit (optional)

Update: on September 6, 2015, hundreds of hectares of Papandayan's forest burned. It's still beautiful, though.

P.S.: Please bring your trash back with you.
Written 16 October 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

rangga
Bandung, Indonesia13 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2018 • Couples
Hi traveler ,I'm rangga nurfahmi ( Facebook, Instagram) local guide from this mountain,speak English, flexible person and can accompany you're during explore this volcano
If needed information just call by email
Short Tracking
Nature track
Jungle track
Camping
Sunrise
Written 24 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Soizick C
JAKARTA14 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2017 • Friends
WALKING THE PAPADAYAN

If you live in Jakarta, a good alternative to more far away, expensive trips to Indonesian volcanoes (Bromo, Ijen, etc….). But get prepared: although many commentators on this site mention it as an easy hike, it is still an arduous walk with some very steep parts, on an unstable, rocky terrain. On our way back, we met a group of retired ladies who were out of breath after the first 100 meters, asking if there were still far from the summit. One of us could not finish and we were all short of breath during the final stages. Also, you need good shoes, no sandals (one young man in our group made that mistake, the sandals did not survive until the summit) and no running shoes: the sole needs to allow a good grip on rocks and eventually mud. The walk down can strain your toes, avoid shoes that are too too tight and you want your ankles to be protected: thinkmountains shoes if you can afford it (by the way, it seems that some brands are manufactured in Garut).

From Garut, count one hour by car to the entrance of the “park”. Foreigners can pay the same amount or not too much more than Indonesians if they can show their Kitas. The parking lot is huge, with a watch tower, basic toilets and small restaurants/warung that were all closed on a weekday. Park staff will take you to a small office with maps and pictures of the different sites to visit. It is also where you can hire a guide. Unless you have already done that trek, you will need one. These guys seem to ask for a high fee (400.000 IDR for our group of 4), but a large part goes to the park operator and they do not have very many clients. The price was for 2 hours. Because we were not very fast, we did walk 3 and a half hours, but did not confirm to the intial program (extension to the lake).

We were a bit confused by reports about a base camp, and different huts and tracks going up and down, right and left…. Basically, from the parking lot you go straight and up all the time, with a few flat parts.

Mid-way up there is a group of other warung-type huts, empty on a week day, where some guards can help you if you decide not to make it all the way to the summit and wait for your friends to come back. After that, it is very steep, with a semblance of staircase cut in the rock. That is to reach the Dead Forest. From there it is flat and even slightly going down through a live small “forest” (woods really), towards the Javanese “Eideilwess” bushes. There were still a few flowers (end of October). A little bit further, visible from the bushes is the famous “base camp” which is not at the”base” of the mountain but serves for groups who hike other parts of the area and spend nights at the top. We were told of white boars roaming the place after dark….
We were offered and payed for a tour that would include a trip to the ‘Lake” (Danau). The volcano has several collapsed craters, and not a large, central, water–filled one. So, in fact it is a small lake, tucked between screes and slopes of broken stones piled on one side of the caldera.We could see from far away that the color was brownish green and the guide confessed that it was almost dry. It meant one more hour on an almost flat distance, but we prefered to end the trip there and take time instead soaking our feet in the stream that runs parralel to the track. Called “hot springs”, there are in fact just holes or small cascades along the stream: you can sit on a rock dangling your feet in pleasantly warm water, but do not think about total immersion (we had brought swimming suits…. not practical at all). There are supposedly “therapeutic” because of the minerals around.

All in all, a very good experience, with interesting smokes and plumes from the vents, with hissing sounds and yellow sulfur powder, orange rocks.
Written 31 October 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dina R
Indonesia72 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2016 • Solo
If you want to hike a mountain but don't have the time for camping therefore Papandayan is perfect.
The trek was good for beginners. Just 15 minutes walk from the registration office you can see the rim. And you dont need to hike to the summit to get the most of it. Certainly it was one of the cleanest mountain in Indonesia. A must visit if you happen to be in East Java
Written 18 February 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Amanda Kartikasari
Jakarta, Indonesia18 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2012 • Friends
This is the best mountain for first-time hikers. The trail is easy, not too steep or intense, scenery is extraordinary, it has edelweiss field, and the temperature's not too freezing.
Tips: bring mask to avoid breathing too much sulfur gas, and wear closed shoes because the trail is full of small rocks, which are pretty sharp for your feet.
Written 29 April 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Raymond W
Townsville, Australia4,533 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2011 • Couples
Papandayan is one of West Java's mightiest volcanoes, and one its most dangerous, too. It claimed 3000 lives in a huge blast in 1772. It was much calmer for most of the 20th century but has been active again lately with a series of volcanic earthquakes being felt in the vicinity. It seems certain that one day it will erupt again, threatening the densely populated Garut Valley.

In the meantime, this massive stratovolcano provides a wonderful backdrop to visist to the under-touristed Garut area. With your own wheels, you can drive right up to it. It is so high there is alpine style flora around the peak and you can see the cleaved rock from the huge 1772 blast. Higher up it has a double peak, over 2600 kms above sea level.
Written 7 August 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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MOUNT PAPANDAYAN (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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