Have you ever visited the Oautih Ciwidet Crater?
Famous for its cool weather and the beauty of its natural attractions, the capital city of West Java province always has its own magnet which attracts tourists to visit it. Bandung’s Ciwidey Crater. Its strategic location makes the city of Bandung never empty of visitors, especially on weekends and school holidays.
Various tourist attractions are offered in this Flower City, ranging from shopping centers, children’s play centers, to tours with treats Panorama beautiful and beautiful. One of the natural attractions that should not be missed when visiting Bandung is the Ciwidey Crater tour.
Ciwidey White Crater Bandung is a Lakes originating from volcanic activity Patuha Mountain. This crater has become the target of both domestic and foreign tourists who are on vacation in Bandung.
The greenish-white color of the crater comes from the soil and several other elements that have been mixed with sulfur. The thing that makes Bandung Ciwidey White Crater unique is that the water in the crater can sometimes change color according to temperature, sulfur content, temperature, and also the weather that is happening in the crater environment.
If the sulfur content in the lake starts to get high, this area will usually be closed and tourists should not visit the crater area to avoid the bad possibilities that can be caused by the sulfur. Apart from the white lake water, the soil in the Ciwidey Crater area is also white, adding to the beauty of this natural tourist area.
Location and Atmosphere of Ciwidey White Crater
Ciwidey White Crater Bandung is located in Alam Endah Village, precisely on Jalan Raya Soreang Ciwidey KM 25, Kec. Rancabali, Kab. Bandung West Java. Ciwidey Crater is located at an altitude of 2400 meters above sea level with a total crater area of 25 ha.
The unique scenery and natural panorama make Ciwidey White Crater often used as a location for taking pictures, photoshoots or pre-wedding photos. The location that is the mainstay spot is the area near the lake.
The white color of the ground plus the greenish-white color of the lake makes it seem like it is in a vast expanse of snow so that the resulting image will look more attractive. The existence of trees without leaves and also hills as a background adds a more exotic impression to the final photo.
Not only immortalized as a photo object, the beautiful view of Ciwidey Crater is also often immortalized in the form of paintings by artists. Even though it is far away, many artists are willing to come to paint the beauty of the natural panorama that this tourist area has.
Painting around the lake area will add to the impression of a more lively painting. Apart from offering beautiful views that spoil the eyes, the cold and cool air in Ciwidey White Crater makes visitors feel more at home spending time at this Bandung mainstay natural tourist attraction.
Its location in a high mountainous area causes the air in the crater area to reach temperatures of 8 degrees Celsius in winter. Meanwhile, during summer or dry season, the maximum temperature in this area reaches 22 degrees Celsius.
Visitors are strongly advised to bring a jacket or wear clothes with thick materials to keep them warm when visiting the Ciwidey Crater area. The cold air in the Ciwidey White Crater area, Bandung, can also be seen from the fog that covers the lake area, especially in the morning and evening.
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History of Ciwidey White Crater
Behind the beauty and charm of the Ciwidey White Crater Lake, Bandung, there is a mystical story full of history that accompanies it. The historical story of the Ciwidey White Crater began when a violent eruption occurred from Mount Patuha in the 10th century.
Many people think that the location of the crater is a haunted area because after the big eruption every bird that passes through the area will die for no reason. After centuries, people’s beliefs about the hauntedness of this area are gradually starting to disappear over time.
Until 1937 this area was studied by a German botanist named Dr. Franz Wilhelm Junghuhn. Dr. Franz went around the surrounding villages to gather information because he was very interested in the stories and also the myths of the mountain area which was so quiet that not even a single bird lived around the area and was seen flying across it.
From the results of the information that has been collected, it can be concluded that the mountainous area is haunted and has even been inhabited by spirits. However, the results of this study did not make Dr. Franz believes because in his opinion the community’s statement is very unreasonable.
Because he was very curious and did not believe in public statements, finally Dr. Franz went into the jungle of the mountainous area to find out for himself what was really going on there.
After going through a long journey to reach the top, Dr. Franz finally saw the existence of a very beautiful white lake with a pungent sulfur smell.
It’s not because it’s haunted, it’s the very pungent smell of sulfur that is the cause of the automatic death of birds every time they enter this mountainous area. Since the existence of research, this lake began to be recognized by the public and in 1987 the Bandung city government developed this area into a tourist spot with beautiful views of the crater and also offers a unique and unforgettable experience.
Available Facilities
Apart from the beautiful stretch of sulfur lake, Ciwidey White Crater also offers other charms that can be enjoyed by visitors. For visitors who like to take pictures or work in the field of photography, there are lots of views with interesting panoramas that can be explored in order to get unique photos.
In addition, for visitors who like extreme sports, the manager of the Ciwidey Crater area has prepared a hiking trail for tourists who want to try climbing the Mount Patuha hiking trail. Not only for visitors, the Patuha Mountain hiking trail is also often used as a climbing practice route by the Mapala team.
This hiking trail is quite safe for beginners because the path is not too steep. Even so, tourists must still prepare complete climbing equipment and also use special shoes for hiking so that faith is maintained because there are several hiking trails that are still dirt and are very risky of being slippery, especially when the ground conditions are wet.
Don’t forget to use a thick jacket to stay warm and comfortable while climbing. When climbing, tourists will be treated to the beauty of Ciwidey Crater which will look much more beautiful when viewed from a height.
This creates unique memories that will never be forgotten. Don’t forget to bring a camera or cellphone to capture the moment and also the natural beauty of the Ciwidey Crater area.
If you are not interested in hiking activities, visitors can choose equestrian activities. Some local communities offer equestrian activities around the Ciwidey Crater area. Equestrian activities are very suitable for visitors who are on vacation with children. Riding a horse while going around enjoying the beauty of the crater and also the cool air is one of the beautiful experiences that will always be remembered.
However, Bandung Ciwidey White Crater has sulfur content which is quite high when compared to other sulfur lakes so that it has a risk of danger.
This tour is not suitable for tourists who have a history of asthma or other respiratory problems. Visitors are advised to bring a mask when visiting. If you want to be completely safe, visitors are advised to use a gas mask that protects the entire face. In addition, visitors are prohibited from being near the crater for a long time.
If you are too long near the crater and inhale sulfur, visitors can feel dizzy, nauseous, and short of breath. Therefore the tour manager provides several other facilities outside the lake area such as horse riding and hiking so that tourists are not around the lake for a long time.
If you just want to relax, visitors can sit on the benches that have been provided outside the lake area while enjoying the fresh air from around the foot of Mount Patuha. Even though the air is cold, the sun in this area will still be hot during the day. Tourists are advised to use sunscreen or sunblock before climbing or walking around the lake area.
To enjoy the beauty of the Ciwidey White Crater tourist attraction, Bandung, domestic tourists must pay an entrance ticket of Rp. 25,000. Meanwhile, foreign or foreign tourists must pay a ticket of Rp. 75,000.
The ticket price is valid for 2 hours of visiting time. There are two vehicle parking options available at the Ciwidey White Crater Bandung tourist attraction, namely upper parking and lower parking. What is meant by upper parking is parking for vehicles near the crater, so that visitors can just walk to get to the crater.
While the lower parking is a parking lot that is in front of the entrance to the tourist area. For visitors who park their vehicles in the lower parking lot, they must climb the ropes to get to the crater. Visitors who bring private four-wheeled vehicles or tourist cars will be charged a fee of IDR 150,000 per car if they want to park in the upper parking lot near the crater location.
If you want to park under a four-wheeled vehicle, you will only be charged Rp. 6,000 only. Not only four wheels, visitors who ride two wheels can park their motorbikes in the top and bottom parking lots.
For price issues, motorbike owners will be charged a parking fee at a rate of Rp. 35,000 for top parking and Rp. 5,000 if you choose parking below. Buses and other large vehicles can only be parked in the lower parking lot at a rate of Rp. 25,000.
In the Ciwidey White Crater area, Bandung, there are hoops ready to take visitors from the lower parking lot to the crater. For those who don’t know, the ontang-anting is a typical vehicle for the White Crater which comes from Sundanese which means ‘to and fro’. Ontang – earrings are mini bus vehicles that have been specially modified to be open.
Don’t worry, even though it has an open design, this vehicle is very safe because it is equipped with adequate safety equipment. Each vehicle can be boarded by 1-12 people.
PVisitors do not need to worry about running out of vehicles because around the White Crater area there are many ontang – earrings ready to take passengers to the crater. Passengers only need to pay a fare of Rp. 13,000 to reach the crater using ontang – earrings.
The management provides several public facilities at Ciwidey White Crater Bandung which can be enjoyed by visitors including a prayer room, large upper and lower parking areas, transportation to take passengers from the front gate to the crater (ontang – earrings), toilets, information center, several choices of stalls eat and restaurant. Bandung’s Ciwidey White Crater is open to the public every day from 7 am to 5 pm.
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