West Java (Pelabuhan Ratu Beach-Mount Tangkuban Perahu)

Pelabuhan Ratu Beach
Pelabuhan Ratu is a lovely holiday resort, visited by holidaymakers from Jakarta and Bandung. The site is only three-hour drive from either city through cool mountain villages with picturesque sceneries. Pelabuhan Ratu - Cisolok is a 15 km stretch of breathtaking beauty with hills, mountains and very wide sandy beaches everywhere around, set against the deep blue Indian Ocean. Right next to stretches of white beaches, visitors will find thick tropical forests on rolling hills. Taking walks uphill enables the visitor to look down on the horseshoe shape of the bay's coastline, whereas at night hundreds of fishermen's boat-lamps are seemingly competing with the star-studded sky above, which is both enchanting and romantic. There is one four-star hotel, Samudera Beach, about 6 km from Pelabuhan Ratu, but several other smaller hotel and cottages are available at moderate rates.
At this virgin stage, this area represents unspoiled beauty in a typically tropical setting with hospitable inhabitants. Because of its proximity to Jakarta, more tourists visit this area from the capital than those from Bandung. Moreover, the highways to and from Pelabuhan Ratu have recently been greatly improved to assure the visitor of a smooth ride to enjoy the sceneries that pass even well. Good for taste, swimming, sun bathing and surfing.
The picturesque fishery village, more than 50 kilometers southwest of Sukabumi, is home to the mysterious goddess of the South Sea, Nyai Roro Kidul. The legend tells that the sea in Karanghawu would have taken her, 14 kilometers to the west. Pelabuhan Ratu ('seaport of the queen') is located in a wide bay, which has had the name 'Wijnkoopsbaai'. During the weekends this village is overloaded with visitors from Jakarta. It's not advised to take a bath in the domain of the goddess, and especially not in green clothes. Green is the favorite color of Nyai Roro Kidul and wearing it is an invitation for her to take that person to the depths of the ocean.

Mount Tangkuban Perahu
Tangkuban perahu is a volcano, 25 kilometers north of Bandung direction of Lembang. Its location is in between Sagalaherang village, Sagalaherang district, Subang regency and Cikole village, Lembang district, Bandung regency. This is Bandung's most famous tourist volcano just 28 km north of the city. This volcano offers many places to see and explore. Whether we look into the huge crater or hike down into it, stroll through the forest on its slopes, or simply enjoy the splendid panoramic scenery. Mt. Tangkuban Perahu is an interesting destination that everyone in the Bandung area is fond of visiting. When seen from Bandung, Mt. Tangkuban Perahu has a distinctive shape, like an upside down boat. Tangkuban Perahu means, in fact, "up-turned boat" This peculiar shape has stimulated the fantasy of the Sundanese people from early times as expressed in the Legend of Sangkuriang. Geologically, Mt. Tangkuban Perahu has played a significant role in the development of Parahyangan highlands. Eruptions have contributed immensely to the hills north of Bandung through lava flowing into the valleys and hardening into rock, thus forming big cliffs over which waterfalls leap. Likewise, mud flows have formed a semi-circular cone of gentle gradient (what geologists call "a fan"), which is now a mass that blocked the valley of the ancient Citarum River near present day in Padalarang (some 18 km west of Bandung), this caused a lake to form covering the whole Bandung plain.
Tangkuban Perahu is a volcano with three craters into which areas tourists can walk through. These three craters are: Kawah Ratu ("Queen Crater"), Kawah Domas ("Domas Crater"), and Kawah Upas ("Upas Crater"). Tourists can go down into the Domas Crater where exist many hot geysers in which they can boil eggs. Though the mountain appears peaceful, mild eruptions occurred in 1969, when Kawah Ratu spewed ash and barrages 500 m high. As recently as September 1992 it was closed to the public for a few days because unusually high seismic activity leads volcanologist to fear a new eruption. On the mountain's northern flank is an area called Death Valley, so named for its frequent accumulation of poisonous gases. On a reasonably clear day, from Kawah Ratu, the main crater, we can see not only the mountain range to the east, with Mt. Bukittunggul as its highest peak (2,209 m), but also two other in a northeasterly direction. The lower and nearer one is Mt. Tampomas (1,684 m) just north of Sumedang some 40 km away. To the right and about 90 km away is Mt. Ciremai close to Cirebon on the north coast. At 3,078 m, Mt. Ciremai is West Java's tallest mountain. At the foot of Mt. Tangkuban Perahu we see the Ciater tea plantation covering the rolling hills. Farther to the left are the northern coastal plains of Java, and on an extremely clear day we may even be able to see the Java Sea beyond.
Kawah Ratu, which means "Queen's Crater", is today just a big gray hole, which sometimes has a pool of water at its center. Poisonous gases sometimes accumulate in Kawah Ratu, thus making it somewhat of a risk to descend to the crater floor. Beyond the saddled shaped depression on the far side of Kawah Ratu is the still active Kawah Upas, the oldest crater on the mountain. On the very far western cliff we see a spot where all vegetation has been destroyed by constantly rising sulfurous vapors. On the crater walls, note the various layers of material consisting of rock, sand, and pebbles. Overtime, new craters have formed again and again in a rather consistent shift from west to east. The most well known of these is the Domas crater, but also there are other smaller ones in jungle on the mountain's northeastern flank. Facilities in Tangkuban Perahu Crater are comfortable parking area, souvenir kiosks, and restaurants. (Courtesy By Indonesia-Tourism)