Things to Do & Must-See Attractions in West Java

Sibling to the hugely popular Waterbom Bali, Waterbom Jakarta is a North Jakarta water park. Occupying around 9 acres (4 hectares) of landscaped grounds in Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK), it offers slides, artificial waves, a lazy river, and areas for younger kids. There are a range of food options as well as gazebos for rent.

Indonesia’s first outpost of the children’s edutainment concept that’s taken the world by storm, KidZania Jakarta occupies over 80,000 square feet (7,500 square meters) of space in South Jakarta. Younger kids will thrill to the opportunity to role-play careers from firefighter and doctor to beauty therapist in a miniature model city.

Jakarta’s favorite recreation area, Ancol Dreamland (Taman Impian Ancol) occupies a slice of waterfront. First opened in the 1960s, the site houses beaches, hotels, a gondola, food options, and tourist attractions. Some of the best-known are: Fantasy World (Dunia Fantasi), Ocean Dream Samudra, Sea World Ancol, and Atlantis Water Adventures.

Ancol Ocean Dream Samudra, an “edutainment” theme park, centers on dolphins but is home to creatures including sea lions and penguins. In addition to animal and stunt shows, the park has a 4D cinema and an underwater theater with shows featuring dolphins and divers. Children will enjoy the small selection of rides and the bird park.

Home to animals from pandas to Komodo dragons, Taman Safari Bogor (Bogor Safari Park) is one of West Java’s most popular animal attractions. It offers safaris, live performances, a range of adventurous theme-park rides, and animal-photo opportunities. Conservation and animal-welfare standards are better here than at many Indonesian zoos.

Set in Puncak, high in the cool West Java hills around Bogor, the Gunung Mas Tea Plantation dates back to the Dutch colonial era. Today, the 6,000-acre (2,428-hectare) site is owned by the Indonesian government. Visitors can tour the tea factory and plantation and also opt for hiking, horseback riding, and even paragliding in season.

Once a cool hill-station escape from Jakarta, today Bogor feels more like a suburb of its sister city. Best known for the Bogor Botanical Gardens, which date back over 200 years, it also offers some splendid colonial-era architecture and makes a great jumping-off point for the lush greenery and tea plantations of West Java’s Puncak Highlands.

A charming escape from downtown Jakarta, the Bogor Botanical Gardens (Kebun Raya) are some of southeast Asia’s oldest educational gardens, officially opening in 1817. More than 15,000 species of plants, including hundreds of palm species, deck 215 acres (87 hectares) of lush green grounds amid the cool, rainy highlands of West Java.

South of Bandung in West Java, eerie mists cloud dead trees around the pallid waters of an acid crater lake: Kawah Putih (White Crater). More pale turquoise than technically white, Kawah Putih fills the caldera of an extinct volcano. The water is far too acid for swimming, but you can walk out onto a jetty to photograph the unusual site.

Lush, green, and at the heart of Halimun Salak National Park, Mt. Salak (Gunung Salak) is one of West Java’s most accessible volcanoes. The summit at 7,254 feet (2,211 meters) is an overnight trip for most. But the waterfalls on its lower slopes—including Nangka, Luhur, Daun, and Kawung—can be hiked in just half a day.