Cianjur

With 29 hectares, the biggest megalithic site in Southeast Asia. It is thought that the site was completed by 5000 BC, and possibly even much earlier. This means that, according to the surveys, the site is older than the Egyptian pyramids, and larger than the Borobudur temple. Gunung Padang ('Mount Padang') encompasses andesite rocks, which have only partly been excavated by archeologists. This means that there are still large structures to up to 15 metres below the surface, including large chambers. There are two stairways to access the site. The old one is very steep, and there is a newer one that is easier and longer. It must be noted that a group of leading Indonesian scientists has questioned the methods of the archeologists on the site, and some presume the site consists of the remainders of an ancient volcano, and that it is not man-made.

Mount Manangel is the mountain that is closest to the town of Cianjur - about 7 km from the town. It is 1200 m above sea level. Starting at the edges of the town, you can walk across the flowing paddy fields, through villages to the foot of the mountain until you reach a waterfall that will get you refreshed if you fancy taking a swim at Cibodas’ waterfalls. Hike for 2½ hours then you’ll see a lake of Jangari and town of Cianjur with very green expanse of paddy fields, offering some stunning views. If you are lucky, you may even see wild monkeys, but they are still intimidated by our arrival, and will run away fast when people try to get too close! On the top of mountain there is a stone with a footprint which was left there in ancient times. At the end of hiking, the track will be going down and much easier.