Kawah Putih Still a Charm

Many of you might already know about Kawah Putih. Located in South Bandung, this place has been a tourist destination for years. Its white-turquoise sulfur ‘lake’ along with the cliff creates a picturesque scenery failed-proof to amaze. I’m lucky to visit this crater again for the second time several weeks ago. Granting mom’s wish who, apparently, had never been there before. LOL.

We went to Kawah Putih directly from Jakarta. It took nearly 4 hours to get there taking the highway. From mom’s place in Tanjung Duren – West Jakarta, we took Jakarta Inner Ring Road to Cikampek then continued taking Cipularang Toll and took an exit at Kopo. Departing at around 6AM, the toll road was fine and tend to be empty. A tip for you who wants to go to Kawah Putih directly from Jakarta: depart at the earliest! 😀

Upon exiting at Kopo, turn right and follow the signage to Ciwidey/Soreang. Passing a traditional market with a roadwork being done, our trip was a bit delayed but still bearable as the car was still moving and not entirely stopped for hours.

Before arriving in Kawah Putih, there are many strawberry farms available along Soreang-Ciwidey Road. They offer strawberry self-plucking tour for everyone. Sadly, no one in the family really fond of strawberry so we definitely passed them and went straight to Kawah Putih. 😀 (Mom ended up buying two packs of strawberries in Kawah Putih area, each for IDR5000. Such a cheapo!)

Entering Kawah Putih area, there are two parking lots available. The first one is located near the ticket counter and the second  one is near the entrance of the crater. If you’re taking bus/van/motorcycle, it will stop at the first parking lot then you can take Ontang-Anting – an open-side van with seating, use as a public transportation. If you’re using your own vehicle, you can drive up to the crater entrance and park your car there. Take note that on some days, Kawah Putih gets really packed with visitors and leave no space available to park at the second lot; it’s best to ask the girl at the ticket counter about the availability of the parking lot when you buy the ticket to avoid driving up in vain.

The road from the ticket counter to the crater entrance offers a great scenery too. It’s like a long road with green trees soaring on its side. If you’re as lucky as me, you can stop for a while to take some good shots (even) from inside of the car! But if you come when it’s packed, ho ho, dare to dream. 😀

From the second parking lot, take an easy walk and climb down several stairs to finally witness the charm of Kawah Putih.

A tip to visit Kawah Putih:

1. Wear long sleeves and pants as it might get chilly.

2. As the area is filled with small stones to walk on, avoid wearing high heels if you don’t want people to look at you with a question mark on their forehead. :p Or if you’re there to have a photoshoot taken, wear a non-slip sandals first then change. 😀 The stairs might also be slippery when wet! Be careful. 🙂

3. Prepare an umbrella and mask. Umbrella is needed because the weather is unpredictable and your stroll might accompanied by a drizzle or heavy rain you never expect. Hihi. Mask is needed because the sulfur level may raise at times and the odor can be pungent. If you don’t want to bring both, there are many umbrella-men (unfortunately, no umbrella-girl as such in your mind dear boys. :p) offering you umbrella-rent and it’s still affordable. Mask is also sold widely as cheap as IDR5000 per piece.

4. Don’t touch the water. As charming as it may look, there is a solid prohibition to touch the water (let alone drink or take a bath, d’uh!).

5. Read the story behind Kawah Putih. It is surprisingly very interesting! I read it on the history board at the side of the entrance-stairs. Wikipedia also has the short-story version of it here but believe me, the one in the history board is much more winning!

6. The road (from the ticket counter to the entrance) is pretty narrow eventhough it fits two cars. Be patient and give ways to other vehicle coming up when you’re going down. (The sentence sounds pretty strange but I guess you know what I mean. :p). Also, there are several sharp turns along the way, honk when needed. 🙂

7. Help the management to keep the area clean by not throwing your trash to the ground or to the water.

Eventhough this destination has been famous for years but I’m impressed by how the area is still clean and as good as it was years ago. The short revisit was a refresh! Keep up the good work, dear Kawah Putih management!

Smile. 🙂