The Enticing Charms of New ‘Puncak’

Ratih P Sudarsono

· 7 minutes read

The famed Puncak in Cisarua is not the only place to enjoy the panoramas and cool mountain air of Bogor regency. The regency is comprised almost entirely of mountains, so you can find “Puncak” everywhere. With its charming nature, it is full of new, major tourist destinations that will inevitably charm you off your feet.

One of them is in the Meranti Research Forest Management Area, under the management of state-owned forest company Perum Perhutani and Regional III Bogor/West Java Forest Management Unit (KPH). The area, which for the past year has been popularly referred to as the Pabangbon tourist village, is located in Pabangbon village, Leuwiliang district, 40 kilometers from downtown Bogor to the west. In the village, you will find three tourist destinations where you can breathe in the cool mountain air. The entrance fee for each of these three tourist destinations is only Rp 10,000 (US 75 cents) per person.

For now, the most comfortable way to reach these places is by personal vehicle. The three tourist destinations are Panorama Pabangbon (Papa), the Pabangbon Camping Ground and the Curug Cilame Pabangbon waterfall. Papa and the camping ground are located near each other. Curug Cilame, meanwhile, is located 10 minutes away by car from Papa.

It is best to spend a night there so that you can have ample time to explore Papa and its surrounding areas. Furthermore, it is a little difficult to reach the sites as the village roads are narrow, winding and with two uphill stretches with a 40-degree inclination.

If you spend the night there, you can enjoy the beautiful view of the sun as it slowly sets behind Mt. Salak and again as it slowly rises from behind Mt. Gede. From Papa, in clear weather, the two mountains and a wider mountain range can be seen.

Papa is located on a relatively level surface on top of the Mt. Dahu meranti research forest area. On one side, there are valleys of forest, gardens and rice fields framed by the Gede-Pangrango-Salak-Halimun mountains. Visitors can enjoy the stunning green views under blue skies and white mist.

Visitors can also come across various types of trees from all over Indonesia, including the unique meranti trees. However, those looking to pick branches off of trees are advised not to do so.

To enjoy the panorama, you could visit several themed photo spots established right on the edge of the cliff. If photographed while standing at the sites, you will look as if you are floating in the air and walking on top of the forests. Let your imagination run wild and feel as if you are sailing on top of the green forest.

Swinging high in the air

The most unique photo spot involves a swing hanging on an iron rod over a cliff. An operator can help you to turn the swing between angles of 0 and 60 degrees. You can stop at three different angles and your picture can then be taken.

The photographer is highly skilled and you can look as if you are swinging in front of three different backdrops, namely the forest, the rice field and the mountains. Ask the officer at the booth to take your picture as he is skilled and knows the best angles. If you do not bring your own camera, there is a paid photographer. Rp 10,000 pays for five photographs.

There are seven photo spots in Papa with fees of between Rp 5,000 and Rp 10,000 per person per three-to-five-minute photo session. Furthermore, at the camping ground, there are six so-called selfie spots. In Curug Cilame, there are two.

If you wish to enjoy the natural scenery on hammocks, you will have to pay Rp 10,000 per 3-minute hammock use. Elsewhere, riding a 50-meter flying fox costs only Rp 10,000.

If you wish to spend the night there, just set up a tent. By paying Rp 480,000, you can rent a four-person tent and equipment. If you bring your own tent and equipment, you need only pay Rp 35,000 per night.

“You do not need to bring anything, just a change of clothes and meals. We can even prepare meals or […] if you wish to cook on your own, there is an additional price according to the ingredients that you wish us to buy,” said Ujang Sudayat from Perhutani, who is in charge of managing the tourist area.

If you spend the night, you will have time to visit Curug Cilame. There, you can take a bath in a pool below the waterfall, which is seven meters high. Meranti trees are everywhere in the region. “The trees are huge and the leaves are lush. It is cooler here than in Papa,” said Wahyu Hendrawan of the Bogor Regional III/West Java Forest Management Unit.

Villa, hotel, village

To enjoy the scenery at other mountains, you can visit the Aman D’Sini Villa or the Kampung Koneng restaurant in Bojong Koneng village, Babakan Madang. You can also rest and relax at the Beth Kesegaran Theresia (BKT) in Pasir Angin village, Megamendung.

In the three villages, village scenery, local gardens and residential spots look majestic in front of Mt. Pancar, especially if you stand on the terrace or the open booth in Aman D’sini Villa. At the terraces above the BKT, you can enjoy great views of the sunrise or sunset.

There are four villas that you can rent at Rp 5 million per night. One villa is enough for between four and eight people and breakfast is provided. If you do not spend the night, there is a restaurant that offers soups. If you wish to have your picture taken in front of the panoramic terraces, you will need to pay Rp 50,000 per person or Rp 2 million for a pre-wedding photo package. For those eating at the restaurant, which sells meals at between Rp 25,000 and Rp 150,000, having your picture taken is free of charge.

If you wish to rent the entire villa, you will need to shell out Rp 20 million a night. This means that, other than breakfast, you can take all the pictures you wish at the villa and swim in the pool. Aman D’Sini would thus be closed for other visitors. You would still need to buy food and drinks.

In BKT, there are 70 rooms that you can rent at between Rp 726,000 and Rp 1.52 million. For a month-long or year-long rest-and-relax package, the cost is lower.

BKT is a special hotel for the elderly who wish to partake in activities and socialize with others. If you spend the night there, you can participate in various activities like painting, weaving, dancing, singing or sports either inside the hotel or in open spaces in front of mountain sceneries.

Most visitors to BKT are communities of elders who travel there to relax and meet with others. There are also nurses and medical doctors there on stand-by.

“We also receive family members who wish to stay the night here. Usually, before the elderly stay here, their children or grandchildren want to make sure that everything here is perfect,” said BKT general manager Yossy H. Kadarusman.

If you prefer a more traditional option amid the mountains in Bogor, a visit to the Kampung Koneng restaurant managed by R. Uthe Nasution is the perfect choice. The building and interior design is very Indonesian. Bamboo is the main material used in the huts where you enjoy your meals.

Nasi kastrol, chicken bone satay and fried gourami with chili and lemon are several of the popular dishes available at the restaurant. The prices range between Rp 25,000 and Rp 150,000 per portion. There are traditional Sundanese handicrafts and children’s toys from bamboo or wood that will surely keep your children busy.

So what are you waiting for? Set up your schedule and off you go!

Editor:

Puncak Nature Tourism