Kawah Putih, the “White Crater”

South of Bandung you find the Kawah Putih, which literally means “white crater”.
Compared to Tangkuban Perahu and the Ciater hot springs, Kawah Putih volcano and the Kawah Rengganis hot springs are less visited. Kawah Putih is a sulfur lake in one of the two craters of the Patuha volcano. Patuha stands for “pak tua” which means “old man”. In the villages around the Patuha it was believed that the Patuha is the oldest mountain and that the spirits of the ancestors gather here. The mountain is 2450 meter high. A walking trail leads you to the summit of the Patuha.

Next to the Patuha you find the Sunan Ibu. This mountain is 2326 meters high, and easy to climb because you start high (2200 meters).

The colors of the landscape are unreal: the water is azure blue / turquoise and the sand is yellow. Because the lake is high in the mountains, it is cool here. You can walk in the lake on a wooden platform.
The water contains so much sulfur that it is poisonous. In the past, sulfur was extracted here and the remains of the old factory can still be found. The lake was described long ago by Dr. Franz Wilhelm Junghuhn (1809-1864). He noticed that birds do not fly over the lake. The lake feels like a fairy tale.

IIt is possible to climb up for a nice view and make a beautiful walk on the mountain to Sunan Ibu. On one side you see a tea plantation, on the other side the sulfar lake.  Early in the morning you can watch the sun rise over the sulphur lake from Sunan Ibu. You have to get up early, but it is definitely worth it.