A pale turquoise crater lake high on Mount Patuha, ringed by bleached white earth.
Kawah Putih, the White Crater, is a sulphuric crater lake on Mount Patuha south of Bandung near Ciwidey, and it does not look like anywhere else in Java. The water shifts between milky turquoise, pale green and flat grey depending on the light and the sulphur content on the day, and the ground and dead tree stumps around the shore have been bleached white by the acid, which is where the name comes from. A short path and a set of viewing decks bring you right down to the water's edge, so this is a very low-effort site for a very striking payoff.
The catch is the air. The crater gives off strong sulphur fumes at the shoreline and the standard advice is to keep your time at the water short rather than settling in for an afternoon. Anyone with asthma, another respiratory condition or a heart problem should stay back from the edge and limit exposure. A scarf or a mask over the nose and mouth takes the edge off it and most visitors end up wanting one.
It is one of the busiest day trips out of Bandung, which shapes the whole experience. Weekends and public holidays bring heavy crowds and slow traffic on the mountain road up, and the decks nearest the water can be shoulder to shoulder. Come early on a weekday and it is a different place entirely.
The site is managed by Perhutani and operates a two-stage entry: you buy a ticket at the lower gate, then either ride the shuttle up to the crater or pay a considerably higher charge to take your own vehicle up.
Cara ke sana
Kawah Putih is about 50 km south of Bandung near Ciwidey, and the drive takes as long as Bandung's traffic and the winding mountain road decide it will, so allow a good chunk of the morning rather than a fixed figure. Most people come by private car or on an organised tour. You arrive at the lower entrance and then transfer up to the crater rim, either on the site shuttle, known locally as the ontang-anting, or by paying a premium to drive your own vehicle up the forest road. As of early 2026 the published rates were around IDR 90,000 for a foreign visitor's entry, or around IDR 122,000 for entry combined with the shuttle, with the shuttle alone about IDR 32,000 return and taking a private vehicle up around IDR 179,000. Domestic entry was around IDR 31,000. Prices are flat rather than split between weekdays and weekends, unlike Tangkuban Perahu, and some sources quote figures around ten per cent lower, so carry a margin in cash.
Masa terbaik
Early on a weekday in the dry season, roughly April to October, gives the clearest water, the thinnest crowds and the most reliable road conditions. Mornings are cooler and the colours read better in soft light, and you get up and down ahead of the worst of the traffic. Heavy rain dulls the lake's colour and makes the paths slippery. Reported closing times vary between sources, generally somewhere in the late afternoon, so do not plan on a late arrival; sunrise packages operating from the nearby Sunan Ibu viewpoint start considerably earlier.
Baik untuk diketahui
Bring a light jacket, because the crater sits high and cool, and a scarf or mask to soften the sulphur. Keep your time at the shoreline short and step back up the path if you start to feel it in your throat or chest. Budget cash for two or three separate payments: the entrance itself, then the shuttle or the upper parking charge, then ordinary parking on top. Card facilities are not something to count on. There is no swimming, no wading and no touching the water: it is strongly acidic and the rule is absolute rather than advisory.
As of early 2026, around IDR 90,000 for a foreign visitor's entry, or about IDR 122,000 combined with the shuttle to the crater. The shuttle alone was around IDR 32,000 return and taking a private vehicle up around IDR 179,000. Domestic entry was around IDR 31,000. Some sources quote figures roughly ten per cent lower, so bring extra cash.
The fumes at the shoreline are strong and the standard advice is to keep your time at the water's edge short. Healthy visitors are generally fine for a brief look, but anyone with asthma, another respiratory condition or a heart problem should stay well back and limit exposure.
No. It is a strongly acidic sulphuric crater lake and entering the water is not permitted under any circumstances. You view and photograph it from the shore and the viewing decks.
The site shuttle that runs from the lower entrance gate up to the crater car park. You either take it or pay a considerably higher charge to drive your own vehicle up the forest road.
Not long at the water itself, given the fumes. Most visits amount to an hour or so in total including the shuttle up and down, which is why it is usually paired with the Ciwidey tea estates on the same road to make the drive worthwhile.
Early on a weekday in the dry season. Weekends and public holidays bring heavy crowds onto the viewing decks and slow traffic on the mountain road from Bandung.
Tambahkannya ke dalam laluan merentasi Indonesia dan kami akan kira masa perjalanan dan kos antara setiap hentian.
Bina perjalanan anda
