national park
Mount Ciremai National Park is centred on the Ciremai (or Ceremai, Cereme) volcano in the East Parahyangan region of Western Java, Indonesia.
Although the mountain and surrounding area were already designated as protected forest area, only since 2004 it is a national park.
Mount Ciremai is a symmetrical stratovolcano, with a caldera with a diameter of about 5 km at the summit. The latest volcanic eruption took place in 1937. With an altitude of 3,078 m, it is the highest mountain of Western Java, and with a prominence of 2,792 m the mountain dominates the wider surroundings, as there are no high mountains nearby.
Typical vegetation include the Sumatran pine and Javan chestnut-oak. In the national park, you can find leopards, barking deer, and several types of pythons, as well as the endangered Javan surili monkey and Javan hawk-eagle.
Just as the surrounding regions on Java island, the national park experiences a tropical monsoon climate. On higher altitudes it is of course much cooler than in the lowlands, with temperatures near the summit usually 18-22°C.
The national park is about 30 km southwest of the city of Cirebon. The nearest airport is in Bandung, but from the larger airport of Jakarta it is also relatively easy to reach the national park, because almost the entire route (until Cirebon) has tolled motorways. Cirebon can also be reached by train or bus, or take a bus to Kuningan (on the eastern side) or Majalengka (on the western side).
The mountain can be climbed from three sides.
A fee must be paid to enter the national park and climb the volcano. Buying the permit is possible at the three points of entrance (pos pendakian or 'climbing post'). The tariff is approximately Rp50,000.