Ciater Hot Springs

The springs at Ciater come up on the northern flank of Tangkuban Perahu at around forty-five degrees, mineral-rich and sulphurous, and they have been developed into a resort complex of pools set among the Ciater tea plantation - the water is channelled through a sequence so it cools as it goes, with the hottest at the top and family swimming pools below, plus private rooms with individual tubs. The sulphur smell is strong and the water stains. Around the complex are the tea gardens, which are worked and can be walked, along with strawberry picking farms that have spread through the area. It is a domestic weekend destination in the main, on the road between Lembang and Subang, and it fills on Saturdays and Sundays with families from Bandung and Jakarta.

What you actually see

• Volcanic sulphur water - fed from Tangkuban Perahu at around forty-five degrees.
• Graded pools - hottest at the source, cooling down the sequence.
• Tea gardens around - the working Ciater plantation surrounding the complex.
• Strawberry farms - the pick-your-own operations along the road.

When to go

All year; weekdays to avoid the crowds. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Weekends are packed with domestic visitors. The sulphur smell is strong and clings to skin and swimwear. It is a developed resort, not a natural pool in the forest.

Nearby

Tangkuban Perahu is up the road; Lembang and Bandung are south.