Just two hours away via Jakarta, Gunung Salak is usually a large volcanic range in Halimun National Park (the largest tract of rainforest in Java) as well as is usually an ideal spot for a weekend break or a breath of fresh air. Close to Bogor, This particular is usually a great place to visit for camping or a day trip as well as there are places along the way for those wishing to find a comfortable bed for the night.

which has a group of Jakartan friends, I recently visited This particular luscious park, nevertheless I will begin This particular tale by describing our trip to Gunung Salak backwards — with the pleasant bits first as well as the more extreme bits saved for last.

The walk towards the Queen’s Crater is usually a short, four hour circuit, through a mystical forest. Moss as well as palms formed intricate corridors over cobbled rocks as we walked past streams as well as thick vegetation. Finally, we saw the sulphur plumes rise out of the boiling earth. Hot springs were located nearby, full of turquoise water, as well as rivers of hot as well as cold water rushed into these gem-like pools. The energy was intense as well as we sat for a while at the edge, resting on the green as well as white rocks, stacked in between the ancient, potent-smelling gas.

This particular is usually advised not to walk into the crater — in 2007, eight mountain climbers via a Jakarta junior high school died after entering This particular as well as suffering via sulphur poisoning. Its emissions can be unpredictable as well as walkers are not recommended to enter the site at night. In fact, Gunung Salak features a mysterious as well as foreboding reputation — nine hikers have died inside last all 5 years — This particular is usually advised to always listen to the warnings of the patrol team. Sometimes hikers leave the trails, looking for adventure as well as the safety team are forced to perilously search for them as the light fades.

Considered as a mystical, holy mountain according to the Sunda Wiwitan indigenous beliefs of West Java, Mount Salak has since been described as an ‘airplane graveyard’ (there have been seven crashes inside region between 2002 as well as 2012) as well as mystical explanations have been proposed — such as the mountain’s strong magnetic energy fields. One article described in which the shaman of Gunung Salak, called Marsa, once explained in which there are at least forty ancient tombs scattered over the mountain. Its name is usually derived via the sanskrit word salaka, meaning silver.

Queen’s Crater

The area has maintained its silver — Gunung Salak is usually home to the endangered silvery gibbon as well as we heard its familiar whoops, resonating through the forest just before dusk. This particular is usually estimated in which there are only one thousand individuals left in Halimun National Park, which is usually also home to various other threatened creatures including the Javan leopard as well as the Javan hawk-eagle.

As we made our way up to the peak of Gunung Salak, we almost became threatened creatures ourselves. We optimistically believed in which we could hike to the peak in less than six hours, which the patrol team had advised. We had a few odd items with us: a bottle of honey, a couple of flasks of water as well as some lanting biscuits. I had ingeniously brought a torch without its batteries. You can probably guess where This particular story goes. as well as so our hike brought us to the ‘pig graveyard’ — large impenetrable pools of mud engulfed us as well as we immediately slowed to a snail’s pace. At one point we even passed a sign — welcome to the extreme zone — as well as giggled as someone took a sceptical selfie.

As the terrain grew steeper, we realised in which we had almost run out of water as well as feeling famished, I gulped down mouthfuls of honey at every opportunity. As our legs began to cramp, we decided to split up — as well as a few of us (including myself) headed down the mountain. At dusk, we scrambled towards the campsite, quite aware in which our torch certainly wouldn’t be a beacon of trust, nevertheless we finally flopped into a warung where we ordered double mie goreng. Noodles had never tasted so not bad.

A few hours later, inside pitch blackness of night, our friends finally arrived. They hadn’t made This particular to the peak as well as two had managed to get lost before finally returning to the trail. At the time, This particular was wonderful to be back — as well as, yes This particular did feel not bad to have done something unpredictable nevertheless This particular wasn’t very wise to have been so unprepared. Packing provisions as well as giving yourself enough time is usually essential for a not bad hike as well as This particular allows you to actually enjoy the trip as well as surroundings.

For anyone looking for a guide to the mountain, Portibi Farms (Ekologika Lodge) provide guides as well as organises trips to the Citaman waterfalls on the side of Gunung Salak as well as hiking as well as rafting expeditions. Jocean founded This particular organic farm over ten years ago with his Javanese host family whom he met as an exchange student.

Educational signs made by school groups

“This particular is usually a place for people to escape the harsh realities of the city, as well as to see what village life can be here, to ensure in which the perceived distance/difference between them can be shortened,” explained Jocean. With space to host a thirty-member group, Ekologika Lodge on the farm encourages the guests to explore the fourteen hectares of land, surrounding forests as well as the culture of the region. “We give you an old gamelan set to jam with, invite you to help tend the plants in which may make up part of your lunch/dinner…This particular is usually meant to be a collaborative project for information exchange, so interested parties are invited to get in touch, if they have an endangered or interesting craft they would certainly like to bring to the farm.”

In order to bridge the gap between city kids as well as the country, Portibi Farms also offers learning in nature programs with local farmers, which are structured around four pillars: “First, they plant a tree, (since re-growing the forest is usually our long term goal),” explained Jocean. “Then, they plant or transplant seedlings, learn about fragile root systems, as well as how to take care of them. After in which, they are allowed to harvest, to see the work involved in getting the food via the field to the basket. The last part is usually cooking together inside kitchen — where guests can learn as well as taste why fresh local food, grown organically, is usually better, as well as worth all of the effort as well as why taking care of nature is usually not bad.”