West Java: crater lakes, tea hills and the south coast

West Java is the most densely populated province in Indonesia and, for most visitors, a single city: Bandung. That is a reasonable starting point. Bandung sits at 768 metres in a valley surrounded by volcanoes, has a Dutch-era street plan, a student population measured in the hundreds of thousands, and a café culture that would embarrass most European cities.

But the province is much larger than its capital. To the south are the crater lakes and tea estates around Ciwidey, to the north the volcano at Tangkuban Perahu and the hill station of Lembang, to the west the botanical gardens at Bogor, and to the southeast a long surf coast around Pangandaran that almost no foreign traveller reaches. The roads between them are slow, the weekends are crowded, and the rewards are considerable.

Bandung: the highland capital

Bandung was planned by the Dutch as a colonial hill station, and the wide boulevards and art deco buildings of the old centre still reflect that. The most famous is Gedung Sate, the provincial government building with a roof ornament that looks like a satay skewer, but the real pleasure is walking Jalan Braga, the old shopping street, and the lanes around it.

The city's identity now is food and shopping. Bandung has an enormous number of cafés, many of them in converted houses in the northern districts, and a fashion industry built on factory outlets and local designers. The traditional market at Pasar Baru sells textiles and batik; the newer malls are indistinguishable from anywhere else.

Bandung is also the gateway to the highlands. The road north to Lembang climbs through vegetable gardens and strawberry farms, and the road south to Ciwidey runs through tea plantations to the crater lakes. Both are day trips, and both are much better on a weekday.

Kawah Putih and the Ciwidey road

Kawah Putih is a crater lake inside the Patuha volcano, about two hours south of Bandung. The water is a pale turquoise that shifts toward white depending on the sulphur concentration, the shoreline is bleached and bare, and the whole scene looks more like a quarry on another planet than a tropical lake. It is at 2,430 metres, so bring a jacket.

The site is managed and ticketed, with a shuttle from the car park and a boardwalk around part of the crater. Go early: by mid-morning the tour buses arrive and the photogenic emptiness disappears. The sulphur fumes can be strong, and visitors with asthma should be careful.

The same road continues to Ranca Upas, a deer conservation area, and to the hot springs at Cimanggu and the tea estates around Rancabali. It is a full day if you stop everywhere, and a pleasant half-day if you only do the crater.

Tangkuban Perahu and Lembang

Tangkuban Perahu is the volcano that dominates the skyline north of Bandung. Its name means overturned boat, and the crater rim is reachable by car, which makes it the most accessible volcano in Java. The main crater, Kawah Ratu, is a vast bowl of grey and yellow rock with sulphur vents steaming at the bottom, and the smaller Kawah Domas nearby can be reached on foot.

The site is busy with domestic tourists, especially at weekends, and the vendors around the car park are persistent. Go at opening time. The road continues to Lembang, a hill town of strawberry farms, hot springs and the floating market that has become a Bandung institution, and to the observatory at Bosscha.

Further north, the road climbs towards Subang and the tea plantations around Gunung Bukit Tunggul, which is quieter and more scenic than the main crater road.

Bogor and the Puncak pass

Bogor sits an hour south of Jakarta and is home to the Bogor Botanical Gardens, founded in 1817 and one of the oldest and most important tropical gardens in the world. The collection includes giant rafflesia relatives, a huge palm collection and the presidential palace, and the gardens are a genuinely peaceful place to spend a morning.

Beyond Bogor, the road climbs through the Puncak pass, a tea-growing area that is also the most congested weekend route in Indonesia. On a Sunday the traffic can add three hours to the journey. On a weekday, the tea estates around Cisarua and the viewpoints over the valley are lovely, and the Gunung Gede Pangrango national park offers serious hiking for those with time.

Most travellers skip Bogor and Puncak in favour of Bandung. If you are coming from Jakarta, Bogor is a good half-day stop on the way.

Pangandaran and the south coast

Pangandaran is a fishing town on a narrow isthmus on the south coast, with a national park, a long beach and a bay that is calm enough to swim in. It is about six hours from Bandung by road, and it feels like a different province: slower, greener and much less developed.

The peninsula is the centre of the national park, with a trail through rainforest to a series of beaches and caves. The Green Canyon boat trip up the Cijulang river is the other draw, a narrow gorge of green water and hanging vines that is best in the dry season. Surfers head to Batu Karas, 30 minutes west, for a long, forgiving beach break.

Pangandaran was hit by the 2006 tsunami and has rebuilt with evacuation routes and signs. The town is a reminder that the south coast of Java faces the Indian Ocean and the Sunda trench, and that the sea here is not always calm.

Cirebon and the north-east

Cirebon, on the north coast near the border with Central Java, was a sultanate and a trading port with strong Chinese and Arab communities. The kraton, or palace, is small but atmospheric, and the batik tradition here, with its cloud motifs and Chinese-influenced colours, is distinct from the better-known styles of Yogyakarta and Solo.

The food is the other reason to stop. Empal gentong is a rich beef soup served in a clay pot, nasi jamblang is a buffet of small dishes wrapped in teak leaves, and the smoked fish and crackers are sold all along the coast road. Cirebon is on the main Jakarta-Semarang railway, which makes it an easy stop between the capital and Central Java.

What it costs, and when to go

West Java is good value. A mid-range hotel in Bandung costs IDR 400,000 to 800,000, and a guesthouse in Pangandaran is IDR 250,000 to 450,000. A car with driver for a day in the highlands is IDR 600,000 to 900,000, and the train from Jakarta to Bandung is IDR 150,000 to 300,000 depending on class.

The dry season runs roughly April to October. Bandung is cool enough to be pleasant all year, but the crater roads can be foggy and the south coast gets heavy rain from November to March. Avoid weekends and Indonesian school holidays if you can: the Bandung highlands become a traffic jam with a view.

• Day 1: Bandung — Braga, Gedung Sate, the cafés of the northern districts.
• Day 2: Kawah Putih, Ranca Upas and the Ciwidey tea estates.
• Day 3: Tangkuban Perahu and Lembang, or Bogor and the botanical gardens.
• Days 4 and 5: Pangandaran and Batu Karas, or the train to Yogyakarta via Cirebon.

Questions people actually ask

Is Bandung worth visiting on its own?

Yes, for two nights. The food and café scene is the best in Java outside Jakarta, the old town is walkable, and the highlands are within day-trip range. Do not expect beaches or monuments.

How do I get from Jakarta to Bandung?

The high-speed rail line, Whoosh, takes about 45 minutes from Halim to Padalarang, with a feeder train into Bandung. Conventional trains take three hours and leave from Gambir. Driving takes two to four hours depending on traffic.

Can I visit Kawah Putih without a tour?

Yes. Take a car or motorbike to Ciwidey, buy the entry ticket at the gate and use the shuttle to the crater. Going with a driver is easier because the roads are winding and public transport is slow.

Is Pangandaran good for swimming?

The bay at Pangandaran is calm enough for swimming most of the year, though the currents can be strong. The open beaches on the peninsula and at Batu Karas are better for surfing than swimming.