Tea gardens
Gunung Mas and the green hills.
Baqotun0023 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · JoshyDinda — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Emille Ilmansyah from Jakarta, Indonesia — CC BY-SA 2.0 · 69farhan_ — CC BY-SA 4.0
The highest point on the mountain road between Bogor and Cianjur, at around fifteen hundred metres, where green tea plantations cover the hills as far as the eye can see and the air is cool and fresh after Jakarta's heat. For decades Puncak has been a summer retreat for the capital's residents and then for Arab tourists, so much so that nearby Cisarua has a quarter known as the Arab village, with Arabic signs and restaurants. The best-known spot is the Gunung Mas tea estate, where visitors walk between the rows of tea and taste it in cafes with views, and paragliders launch from its hills. On the road stands the large At-Ta'awun mosque overlooking the valley, one of Puncak's landmarks and a prayer stop for travellers, along with many restaurants and cafes on the mountain. The area is free to visit, the tea estate charges a token fee, and paragliding and activities cost extra. An important note: the Puncak road jams at weekends, and police run it one-way at set times, so check the schedule. Come on a weekday morning to see the plantations before the mist that usually covers the hills in the afternoon. Combine the area with nearby Taman Safari and Telaga Warna lake.
Gunung Mas and the green hills.
A large mosque over the valley.
From the tea estate's hills.
Top of the Bogor-Cianjur road, about 80 km south of Jakarta
Avoid Friday mornings, Sunday afternoons and public holidays, and leave Jakarta very early. At weekends police run the road one-way uphill in the morning and downhill in the afternoon, so plan around it.
