Garut Tourism Tourism Travel Guide

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Garut Tourism Travel Guide and Tourist Information.

Garut is an Old Dutch hill station and a characteristic Sundanese town in the highlands, surrounded by mountains, volcanoes, and crystal clear lakes. The area of Garut Regency is 3,065.19 km² (1,183.48 mi²). Geographically, it lies between 6°57'34' – 7°44'57' South latitude and 107°24'34' – 108°7'34' East longitude.

Garut Regency bordered by:
- Eastern side: Tasikmalaya Regency
- Western side: Cianjur and Bandung Regency
- Northern side: Sumedang Regency
- Southern side: Indian Ocean

Based on topology, Garut Regency is divided into two territories:
- Northern Garut consists of highlands which constitute the largest rice fields in Garut
- Southern Garut mostly consists of sloping land and twelve rivers which flow south, emptying into the Indian Ocean

Garut tourism object are covered by nature tourism and cultural tourism such as beaches, lakes, mountains, fauna, arts attraction and historical places. The typology of land fertility is various because of being influenced by mountains, river stream and coastal lowland territories. With the mentioned condition the potency of Garut Regency’s territory dominated by agricultural businesses especially plantation, food plant, animal husbandry followed by forest resources. Lakes and a hot water place supported by fresh and cool air are much enjoyed by local tourist or those being out Garut Regency even foreign tourist instead. So it is reasonable enough at if Garut Regency had the call of “Swiss Van Java” in the Dutch Colonial Period.

Garut has a specific cultural tourism attraction, the "Ram Fight". Two strong male Ram, with big, long and strong horns are made to fight against each other in the center of a arena, usually in a field, accompanied by "Kendang Pencak" music. There are three centers for ram high performances: in the sub-districts of Bayongbong, Leles and Samarang. The participants mostly come from the surrounding place.

Garut tourism travel guide and tourist information popular destination :

Helaran Tradisional Art Festival.
Helaran arts performance is a show from of several kinds of traditional arts which ever existed and developed in Garut either still intact, original or having been developed and then visualized by walking in procession in the street. Helaran is held every March in coincidence with the anniversary of Garut city.

Lake Bagendit.
Not far from Cangkuang Temple and just 1Km north of Garut is the small Lake Bagendit (Situ Bagendi). It is situated in the Kind of tranquil Country side that is so typical of this area.
Local legend has it that in the year 1812 a rich but greedy man by the name of Bagendit traveled here and perished in a terrible storm. One Version of the story say that the mandied in the jungle, was eaten by animal, and thet the lake formed after in incident. Another version has it that Bagendit died when his boat capsized on the lake.

Cangkuang Temple.
Dating back to Java's Hindu periode, the Cangkuang Temple is one of West Java's oldest monuments. Beautifully situated near Leles north of Garut, Cangkuang is a magical visit back to old Sundanese roots.
Cangkuang Temple is the old preserved building in West Java. Estimate of when it was built vary between the seventh and tenth century A.D, during the time of the Sunda kingdom of Galuh, remains of which can bee seen at Karang Kamulyaan. Dutch Archeological Service first reported the collapsed remains of the temple in 1914, but not until the 60's was the site more closely investigated. The temple door faces the rising sun. Inside is a statue of Siva itting on a cow, leading one to believe that the temple was devoted to Siva during Java's Hindu era. Prior to reconstruction, the site was a place of worship and pilgrims often came here to lift one of the stones to obtain good luck.

Ciburuy Sanctuary.
Ciburuy Sancturay lies at Ciburuy compound, Pamalangan village, Bayongbong sub-district. It is about 3.5 km from sub-district central to the south east direction. From Garut downtown its distance is about 17 km, can be reached by car. The area of sanctuary is approximately 1 ha surround by many kinds of big and small trees. The panorama is beautiful, peaceful atmosphere with cool air.
The uniqueness of Ciburuy sanctuary is that resembles a mini museums in which the inheritance heirlooms are laid away. There are traditional houses there, which are Bumi Padaleman, Bumi Pataman and rice barn. Bumi Padaleman is used for keeping things in the forms of manuscripts of palm leaves and nipa. Meanwhile Bumi Pataman is used for keeping sharp thing such as keris, cleavers, tridents and arts took that is Gong Renteng which became the pioneer of degung arts now. The historical and archaeological heirlooms at Ciburuy derived from megalithic and classic periods. The ritual ceremony performed on Wednesday night at 7.30 pm, the 3rd week of Muharam is called Seba ceremony.

Cipanas Hot Spring.
Cipanas tourist resort area lies on the slope of Mount Guntur at Tarogong sub-district. It is about 6km from Garut downtown This natural tourist resort constitutes a mountain range with beautiful panorama and breeze air.
There is a hot springs that very effective for health (cure rheumatism) which is the main attraction for both domestic and international tourist. Beside that, Cipanas also offers many kinds of tourism activities such as swimming in hot water pools, hiking and paragliding on Mount Guntur. On weekend or public holiday this place will be crowded by domestic tourist.

Dodombaan (Ram Fighting Dexterity Art).
This is a people game accompanied by Kendang Pencak and specific dances traditional arts for making atmosphere more lively. Ram Fighting Dexterity has esthetical value at the time the rams take preparations and their heads collide each other. Besides that fighting ram have strong, beautiful, energetic bodies and nice movement while fighting.
This event is usually performed in June, August and December in three places that is : Ngamplang, Cangkuang and Ranca Bango.

Godog Holy Graveyard.
Sunan Godog is well known with the call of Prabu Kiansantang who lived in the fifteenth century A.D at the same time of the Kingdom ruled by Prabu Siliwangi who was a Hindu. He had two children; one of them was Kiansantang being famous for his supernatural powers. He has included the spreader of Islam Religion I Java Island religion in Garut’s region, Sunan Rohmat returned to Godog and settled there until his death.
Now this resort is much visited by pilgrims and a tourist resort of Godog Graveyard lying at Lebak Agung Village, Karangpawitan sub-district. As for the attractions being at Godog Graveyard are a grave considered sacred and the heirlooms as the inheritance of the past being well treated such as: chopping, knives, cresses. Those things are washed once a year with flowers water and rubbed with perfume in order not to be rusty. It is usually performed every Mulud 12 th called “Ngalungsur” ceremony or Pajang Jimat all at once as a ritual attraction.

Kamojang Crater.
Kamojang Crater surrounded by forest which is netled in the mountain range separating the Bandung basin from the Garut plain. Huge stell pipe criscross the area and supply natural steam to a geothermal power plant nearby. You can see and approach the puddle of boiling, steaming mud. Hissing team rises in columns up into the trees, creating an eerie sight. You walk past another patch of bubling mud and reach a captured outlet of roaring steam. Further up you can find more geysers and another bubling pond.

Mount Papandayan.
Mount Papandayan is located about 30 km from Garut and about 90 km to the south-east of Bandung and its highly unstable volcano. Its first recorded explosion was in August 1772, when it blew one cubic kilometer of its cone into the sky, killing 3000 people and burying 40 villages around the volcano. Exploring Papandayan's active crater offers you a very unusual experience. A descent of rough lava and black ash is punctuated by bright yellow pockets of sulphur, while hissing acid rivulets and hot mud pools making outlandish belching noises compound the alien effects.
Kawah Mas in english Golden Crater is the Papandayan's 150 meter-wide central dome, here roaring fumaroles, sounding like jet engines exude scorhing vapor, and the residual heat from previous eruptions glows ominously in the volcano's interior. It's a 20 minutes walk to the middle of the crater from the car park. From the top you get a good view into Papandayan's acid-spewing throat.
Watch your step in this area; the ground is uneven and dotted with percolating mud pools.

Snake Dance (Pencak Ular).
It is traditional arts from Samarang sub-district. Pencak Ular is not different from existing Pencak Silat, but besides demonstrating the styles of silat, the silat players brings poisonous snakes in their attractions. Other specialty is that the players can tame the snakes even invulnerable towards their bite.

Lais.
Lais arts was taken from someone's name who was very skilled in climbing up coconut trees name "Laisan" daily called Mr. Lais. Lais has been recognized since Dutch colonization era, its place is at Nangka Pait, Sukawening sub-district, Garut Regency. The attraction shown is firstly the player climbs up bamboo then moves to length of rope while dancing and turning in the sky without wearing safety belt accompanied by music of dog-dog, drum, kempul and trumpet.

Rancabuaya Beach.
Rancabuaya Beach is a traditional fisherman settlement which will be developed to become one of the tourist destinations and a beautiful resting place. This beach is located at Caringin sub-district, 102 km from downtown of Garut. The slopping beach adorned with coral clusters and coconut trees in the side of the road to the beach make peaceful atmosphere.

Talaga Bodas Crater.
This is a nice and a beautiful place for hiking and being familiar with nature more closely. Talaga Bodas is very fascinating especially the characteristic of the crater having from of lake and constitutes sulfur exploitation project. This resort is much visited by touris to soak in hot spring implying sulfur which is very effective for health (cure skin disease). The beautiful surrounding natural panorama is covered by much kind of plantations and admirable tropical trees. Talaga Bodas Crater located about 19.5 km from Garut downtown.