Mount Ciremai National Park

Mount Ciremai National Park is centred on the Ciremai (or Ceremai, Cereme) volcano in the East Parahyangan region of Western Java, Indonesia.

Understand

History

View of Mount Ciremai in the early 20th century.

Although the mountain and surrounding area were already designated as protected forest area, only since 2004 it is a national park.

Landscape

Mount Ciremai is a symmetrical stratovolcano, with a caldera with a diameter of about 5 km at the summit. The latest volcanic eruption took place in 1937. With an altitude of 3,078 m, it is the highest mountain of Western Java, and with a prominence of 2,792 m the mountain dominates the wider surroundings, as there are no high mountains nearby.

Flora and fauna

Typical vegetation include the Sumatran pine and Javan chestnut-oak. In the national park, you can find leopards, barking deer, and several types of pythons, as well as the endangered Javan surili monkey and Javan hawk-eagle.

Climate

Just as the surrounding regions on Java island, the national park experiences a tropical monsoon climate. On higher altitudes it is of course much cooler than in the lowlands, with temperatures near the summit usually 18-22°C.

Get in

The national park is about 30 km southwest of the city of Cirebon. The nearest airport is in Bandung, but from the larger airport of Jakarta it is also relatively easy to reach the national park, because almost the entire route (until Cirebon) has tolled motorways. Cirebon can also be reached by train or bus, or take a bus to Kuningan (on the eastern side) or Majalengka (on the western side).

The mountain can be climbed from three sides.

• East - the eastern trail starts at the village of Linggajati, with the trailhead about 2 km west of the village at 1 Pos Cibunar Linggajati.
• Southeast - the trail starts in the village of Palutungan, near the town of Kuningan, at 2 Pos Palutungan.
• West - starting in the village of Apuy, about 20 km from the town of Majalengka, at 3 Pos Apuy.

Fees and permits

A fee must be paid to enter the national park and climb the volcano. Buying the permit is possible at the three points of entrance (pos pendakian or 'climbing post'). The tariff is approximately Rp50,000.

Sleep

Go next

• Linggajati — the village on the eastern side of the park is also known as the location of Linggadjati Agreement of 1946 (now a museum).
• Cirebon — the 'city of shrimps' on the Java Sea coast is the nearest major city.
• Kuningan and Majalengka are other nearby towns with facilities such as shopping centres, hotels, and restaurants.