White Crater Bandung

Hi, guys!

I am leaving for a one week vacation tomorrow to Seoul, Korea and I want to share one last post before I leave. Visited White Crater or also known to us, Kawah Putih, last week. As you can see from the pics, the places is gorgeous and it's actually my 1st time here! It's embarrassing I know.

White Crater located not in the city of Bandung itself, but in Mt. Patuha, about two hours drive from the city. To get there, the best way is to rent a car and hire a local driver. You can just rent it for a day since it is mostly a day trip. There is also Rancaupas where you can play with deers which is in the same area. About 20mins drive from White Crater. Other than that, there really isn't that much else.

The crater has been inactive since 1600 so it is very safe but the sulphur itself is very acidic I'd say make sure to avoid the crater. Definitely NOT for swimming or dipping your toes. The lake is about 2000 meters above sea level hence it is chilly. Believe me, you want to bring a jacket. I was wearing a skirt and despite it looks great in pics, I did feel a little bit cold and had a runny nose the entire time I was there. The things you do for the gram, am I rite?

After two hours drive, we get to the gate and proceed to ground parking lot. There are small stalls where you can eat noodles and hot drinks and of course a toilet. But before you get to that magnificent view, you need to drive 5 kilometres from the gate on a winding road amongst the woods like that pic above. You can use your own car or you can ride with others in a provided van. You need to pay again for the ride plus the entrance ticket. My husband and I drove in our own car and two adult tickets + car equals Rp 250,000 or around US$17. 

The 5 km rides took about 20mins to the above parking lot. There's another cleaner public toilet but you do need to pay Rp 2,000 (about 20 cents US$). From the parking lot, you'll walk for a little bit and then went down the stairs. The stairs were about 3 flights of floors so it wasn't hard, but climbing back up did made me catch my breath. If you're traveling with people older than 60, they might need a few breaks climbing up. But the stairs were well kept and the handrail goes all the way so it shouldn't be too  much of a problem. Just make sure you wear comfy walking shoes. You don't need to pay any more ticket once you're in the crater but there is an additional fee (Rp 10,000 or around US$1) to get into the middle of the lake via a bridge (see in pic number 2).

As you can see, the place is rather crowded and I went there on a public holiday around 10AM. I'd say it was half Indonesians and half international tourists. My husband and I actually chatted with a Malaysian uncle when he asked us about our drone. I also heard tons of Mandarins here and there. But then again, half of Indonesian Chinese speaks Mandarin so . . .

Despite it being a little bit crowded, taking clean photos is not impossible. Oh, as soon as you reach the end of the stairs, there will be people offering to take couple or group photos for you. I'm not sure how much that cost but that sounds like a fun thing to do! The photographers can transfer the photos to your phone so you don't need to wait for it to print out. And.. you can transfer as much photos as you like! Ah ... technology, I love thee.

The ground is well . . . ground. There's no paving whatsoever once you finished from the stairs. I bumped my ankle to a stone and it's still a little blue. I am clumsy but I'm proud to say that I didn't fall. Not even once. So if you go here with a kid or an elderly, make sure to keep an eye on them at all times since it is very possible to stumble on stones. Also, make sure to step on yellow-ing ground with caution. The acid gets in the ground making it soft; the ground below you might collapse. Oh, the sulphur might also makes your throat itches and coughing is normal. There is a little stall that sells masks on the above parking lot and I'd say the mask really really help. If you do feel dizzy or nauseous, quickly proceed back to the parking lot. If you're pregnant, definitely avoid going here.

Other than all of the cautions and warning, this lake is a must visit if you haven't already! It is stunning and if you're lucky, you might catch misty fog making the scenery looks even more mysterious and magical. My husband and I had a nice time and don't forget to see our drone video below!

Thank you so much for reading and wishing everyone a great week ahead!