Fresh Air The Mountainous Area
Beyond Jakarta
By taking a short trip from the blare and traffic of Jakarta, tourist can find a retreat offering fresh climate, green scenery and accommodations.
At 1.450 meters high, Puncak is a choice place to visit from Jakarta during the weekend. Apart from the invigorating temperature of 20-22 degrees Centigrade, the area offers attractions such as leisurely walks along tracks that snake on mountain slopes covered with tea plantations.
Trees and tea plantation are scattered along the left and right sides of the winding road leading from Jakarta to Puncak. In the early morning, women picking tea leaves can be seen. These women are clad in colorful cloth and sarongs with different motifs. They also wear masks to protect themselves from the sun's rays.
Visitors can walk around the area accompanied by a local guide. Among the companies offering the services of a guide is PT Gunung Mas. The company manages many tea plantations as well as conducts tours of tea plantations and the nearby villages in Puncak. Not only is there beautiful scenery in Puncak but there are restaurants, hotels, and recreational parks. Furthermore, one can find vendors under blue tents selling hot chili-roasted corn and boiled corn.
Visitors can sit under a shady hut and order corn of different tastes such as spicy, sweet or even a mix of the two. Several years ago, there were only several vendors, but at present, there are even traditional restaurants serving snacks such as toasted bread, soto, bandrek (traditional ginger drink served hot) and satay (small pieces of roasted meat), and many oters. Also displayed for sale by villagers are accessories made from tea roots and other kinds of wood as well as colorful orchids and flowers.
If you wish to fulfill a dream of flying like a bird above the blue sky, Puncak is the best place for that fulfillment. On Saturday or Sunday, Puncak's blue sky is dotted with the colorful canopies of paragliders.
To reach the paragliding area, head in the direction of the road leading to the Gunung Mas. A signboard will direct you to the paragliding area at the top of a hill.
Paragliding is popular as it can be practiced more easily than hang gliding. Hang gliding equipment cannot be carried by one person; on the other hand, paragliding equipment weighs only six to ten kilo so it is fairly mobile. Paragliding is also easier to learn, requiring only a few hours of lesson as compared to hang gliding, which takes four to five days to learn.
Another attraction in the area is the Telaga Warna (or Colored Lake) in the Gunung Mas tea estate. Its water surface appears colorful from the refraction of light.
Going further east, one reaches the village of Cisarua, with small waterfalls, scenic picnic spots, eateries and trails.
Nearby is the Taman Safari Indonesia which is home for 2.300 animals of 230 species from almost the entire world. In the park, herbivorous animals such as deer, giraffe and zebra as well as carnivores such as tiger. Lion and tiger roam freely/ Visitors must stay in their vehicles during a tour of the area. There are feeding areas where visitors can feed the animal with peanuts, bananas and fruits from their vehicles. At night, visitors must travel in the park's buses.
After having spent several days in Puncak, it is time to buy something on the way home.
Fresh fruits such as melon, watermelon, various kinds of banana are displayed attractively by vendors along the road. Carrot, mustard and cabbage are among the vegetable sold.