Puncak (literally Peak or Summit) or the Puncak Pass is a mountain pass in the Bogor Raya region of Western Java, Indonesia. The designation 'Puncak' is also used for the wider mountain region around the pass, which is a popular tourism destination.
The region around the Puncak Pass has been developed for its tea plantations during the Dutch colonial time. After the construction of the Great Post Road in the early 19th century, the area became more easily accessible from the cities of Buitenzorg (present-day Bogor) and Batavia (Jakarta) and the upper class, that was looking for the cooler mountain air, started to built Swiss-type chalets in the area.
Also after Indonesian independence the Puncak region has remained a popular tourism destination, and it is especially a popular weekend getaway for the citizens of the Greater Jakarta metropolitan area. The region therefore has an abundance of hotels, villas, and mountain resorts. During weekends and holidays the roads of Puncak, as well as the highway from Jakarta via Bogor to Puncak, are very congested. A large number of foreign tourists come from the Middle East. Many of them stay for months with its big families, so many people, mainly in Cisarua on the western side of the pass, can speak Arabic. Arabic signs on hotels and money changers' shops and also Arab restaurants with Arabic-language menus can be found easily in Cisarua which nowadays is known as 'Arab Village'. For Middle East tourists visiting Indonesia, Puncak is a must and the popularity of Puncak leads Bali.
The mountains on the south side of the pass are the Gede and Pangrango volcanoes. Since 1980, the mountain area has been designated a nature reserve as Mount Gede Pangrango National Park. There are various options for recreation in the national park area.
Taman Bunga Nusantara, Jl. Mariwati KM. 7, Kawungluwuk, +62 263 581 617. M-F 08:00-17:00, Sa Su 08:00-17:30. Public park of over 23 hectares, with flower gardens from around the world, a maze, giant clock and a tower. There is also a leisure park called Alam Imajinasi next to the gardens, with many attractions especially for children. For an additional fee you an go around the flower gardens in the 'dotto train' or 'garden tram' each Rp50,000. The cheapest mass vehicle for explore the garden is Wira-wiri Rp5,000. Greenhouse ticket Rp5,000. Rp40,000 entrance ticket, kids under 4 years old are free.- Cipanas Palace, Jl. Raya Cipanas. One of the six presidential palaces of Indonesia, in a garden of about 26 hectares. The building was constructed by a Dutch landlord in 1740. Already during that time, Puncak was a recreation area for the Dutch elite, and governor-general Van Imhoff stayed several times in the palace (1743-1750). Also at the end of the colonial time in the 1930s and 1940s several governor-generals of the Dutch East Indies used the palace as a family residence. Since Indonesian independence, the building is officially one of the presidential palaces. The first president Soekarno used it for one of his weddings, and sometimes the palace is used to receive foreign dignitaries.
- Telaga Warna, Tugu Utara (near the highest point of the mountain pass. Beautiful green-coloured lake set in a landscape of rain forest, and near the tea plantations. You can just enjoy the view, or go around the lake by boat or pedalo.
Taman Bunga Nusantara, Jl. Mariwati KM. 7, Kawungluwuk, +62 263 581 617. M-F 08:00-17:00, Sa Su 08:00-17:30. Public park of over 23 hectares, with flower gardens from around the world, a maze, giant clock and a tower. There is also a leisure park called Alam Imajinasi next to the gardens, with many attractions especially for children. For an additional fee you an go around the flower gardens in the 'dotto train' or 'garden tram' each Rp50,000. The cheapest mass vehicle for explore the garden is Wira-wiri Rp5,000. Greenhouse ticket Rp5,000. Rp40,000 entrance ticket, kids under 4 years old are free.
Cipanas Palace, Jl. Raya Cipanas. One of the six presidential palaces of Indonesia, in a garden of about 26 hectares. The building was constructed by a Dutch landlord in 1740. Already during that time, Puncak was a recreation area for the Dutch elite, and governor-general Van Imhoff stayed several times in the palace (1743-1750). Also at the end of the colonial time in the 1930s and 1940s several governor-generals of the Dutch East Indies used the palace as a family residence. Since Indonesian independence, the building is officially one of the presidential palaces. The first president Soekarno used it for one of his weddings, and sometimes the palace is used to receive foreign dignitaries.
Telaga Warna, Tugu Utara (near the highest point of the mountain pass. Beautiful green-coloured lake set in a landscape of rain forest, and near the tea plantations. You can just enjoy the view, or go around the lake by boat or pedalo.
Taman Safari Indonesia, Jl. Raya Puncak No.601, Cisarua, +62 251 250 000. M-F 10:00-18:00, Sa Su 09:00-19:00. Zoo, with car safari trail that allows cars and tourist buses to see and/or feed elephants, zebras, goats, hippos and more, hiking trails, petting zoo. Buy carrots from the many vendors by the side of the road leading up to the zoo before your get there to feed to the animals. Inside the zoo there are more animals to see, shows to view such as the 'Wild-Wild West' the Lion show and the Sea-Lion Show. Ride the elephants and ponies. Rides and restaurants/food outlets. The cheapest souvenir shop you will ever find with good quality souvenirs. It is one of the biggest zoo in Indonesia. It also has accommodation in the form of caravans, traditional house or lodge. The entrance ticket fee to the complex for domestic tourist is Rp85,000 for adults and Rp70,000 for children under 6 years old, while for foreign tourist this is Rp150,000 and Rp130,000 respectively; For Night Safari (only several hours) it is more expensive than during day time.- Wisata Agro Gunung Mas, Jl. Raya Puncak, KM. 87 (Off the main road to the Puncak pass from Bogor. See how tea is processed - get to the plantation early to see the factory actually in operation. Sit in the cafe and enjoy a cup of tea before walking or driving around the tracks to view the tea growing with the mountains as a backdrop. You can also go horse-riding around the tea plantations, but watch out for locals trying to rip you off. Rp6,000; Factory tour Rp7,500; Guide for tour Rp40,000 for a group up to 15 people.
- Kebun Raya Cibodas, Jl. Kebun Raya Cibodas, Sindanglaya, +62 263 511 385. Daily 08:00-17:00. Lush and landscaped historical park adjacent to a national forest. This place has plenty of wonderful hiking trails, some leading to waterfalls and a few to hotsprings. One of the longest path lead to the top of Mt. Gede caldera with its widespanning desert.
- Taman Wisata Matahari, Jl. Raya Puncak KM. 77, Cisarua, +62 251 825 8505. M-F 08:00-16:00, Sa Sun 08:00-17:00. There are water-play attractions: water slides, water giant bucket, water toys (aquabrella, aquacup, aquaslides, aquagate, aquaballs), wave pool, outbound area + rafting, foodcourt, souvenir shop, gazebo, guest house & vestibule. The view of Puncak while having fun at this waterpark can be a terrific and unforgettable experience. Weekdays Rp20,000, weekends Rp25,000.
Taman Safari Indonesia, Jl. Raya Puncak No.601, Cisarua, +62 251 250 000. M-F 10:00-18:00, Sa Su 09:00-19:00. Zoo, with car safari trail that allows cars and tourist buses to see and/or feed elephants, zebras, goats, hippos and more, hiking trails, petting zoo. Buy carrots from the many vendors by the side of the road leading up to the zoo before your get there to feed to the animals. Inside the zoo there are more animals to see, shows to view such as the 'Wild-Wild West' the Lion show and the Sea-Lion Show. Ride the elephants and ponies. Rides and restaurants/food outlets. The cheapest souvenir shop you will ever find with good quality souvenirs. It is one of the biggest zoo in [[Indonesia]]. It also has accommodation in the form of caravans, traditional house or lodge. The entrance ticket fee to the complex for domestic tourist is Rp85,000 for adults and Rp70,000 for children under 6 years old, while for foreign tourist this is Rp150,000 and Rp130,000 respectively; For Night Safari (only several hours) it is more expensive than during day time.
Wisata Agro Gunung Mas, Jl. Raya Puncak, KM. 87 (Off the main road to the Puncak pass from Bogor. See how tea is processed - get to the plantation early to see the factory actually in operation. Sit in the cafe and enjoy a cup of tea before walking or driving around the tracks to view the tea growing with the mountains as a backdrop. You can also go horse-riding around the tea plantations, but watch out for locals trying to rip you off. Rp6,000; Factory tour Rp7,500; Guide for tour Rp40,000 for a group up to 15 people.
Kebun Raya Cibodas, Jl. Kebun Raya Cibodas, Sindanglaya, +62 263 511 385. Daily 08:00-17:00. Lush and landscaped historical park adjacent to a national forest. This place has plenty of wonderful hiking trails, some leading to waterfalls and a few to hotsprings. One of the longest path lead to the top of Mt. Gede caldera with its widespanning desert.
Taman Wisata Matahari, Jl. Raya Puncak KM. 77, Cisarua, +62 251 825 8505. M-F 08:00-16:00, Sa Sun 08:00-17:00. There are water-play attractions: water slides, water giant bucket, water toys (aquabrella, aquacup, aquaslides, aquagate, aquaballs), wave pool, outbound area + rafting, foodcourt, souvenir shop, gazebo, guest house & vestibule. The view of Puncak while having fun at this waterpark can be a terrific and unforgettable experience. Weekdays Rp20,000, weekends Rp25,000.
Along Jalan Raya Cipanas, the main road on the eastern side of the mountain pass, there are lots of nurseries offering flowers and other decorative plants. They are generally cheap, but you will need to negotiate with the vendor for a good price. In addition, there are several factory outlet stores selling branded clothes for discounted prices.
- Kampoeng Brasco, Jalan Kampung Hanjawar No. 1, Desa Palasari, Cipanas. 09:00-22:00. Clothing store.
- dse Factory Outlet, Jl. Raya Cimacan No.39, Cimacan, Cipanas, +62 263 511 787. Clothing store.
Kampoeng Brasco, Jalan Kampung Hanjawar No. 1, Desa Palasari, Cipanas. 09:00-22:00. Clothing store.
dse Factory Outlet, Jl. Raya Cimacan No.39, Cimacan, Cipanas, +62 263 511 787. Clothing store.
- Puncak Pass Restaurant, Jl. Raya Puncak KM. 90 (at the highest point of the pass. The Hotel and Restaurant is on the highest point of Jl. Raya Puncak. Grab the sweet Poffertjes and hot ginger tea, in Dutch colonial style.
- Restoran Rindu Alam, Jl. Raya Puncak, Desa Tugu Utara. Daily 08:00-22:00. Sundanese Restaurant
- Raffles Restaurant, JL. Taman Safari, No. 6, Cisarua, +62 251 825 7060. Daily 09:00-21:00. Various types of food, including Sundanese, other Indonesian food, other Asian food, and European dishes.
- Sate Shinta III, Jl. Raya Cipanas No. 20, +62 263 512 041. Daily 07:00-23:00. Serves lamb, chicken and rabbit skewers.
Moreover, some of the hotels listed in Sleep below have restaurants.
Puncak Pass Restaurant, Jl. Raya Puncak KM. 90 (at the highest point of the pass. The Hotel and Restaurant is on the highest point of Jl. Raya Puncak. Grab the sweet Poffertjes and hot ginger tea, in Dutch colonial style.
Restoran Rindu Alam, Jl. Raya Puncak, Desa Tugu Utara. Daily 08:00-22:00. Sundanese Restaurant
Raffles Restaurant, JL. Taman Safari, No. 6, Cisarua, +62 251 825 7060. Daily 09:00-21:00. Various types of food, including Sundanese, other Indonesian food, other Asian food, and European dishes.
Sate Shinta III, Jl. Raya Cipanas No. 20, +62 263 512 041. Daily 07:00-23:00. Serves lamb, chicken and rabbit skewers.
Cafés that sell alcoholic drinks are not common, but usually you can buy a Bintang beer at least in the larger hotels and resorts.