Guci Hot Springs

Guci sits at about twelve hundred metres on the northern flank of Slamet, the highest volcano in Central Java, and the springs there come up hot and sulphurous and are distributed through the village into something like thirteen public bathing points plus private pools attached to guesthouses. The distinctive one is Pancuran Tiga Belas, a set of thirteen spouts where hot water falls from a height and bathers stand under it, and there is a waterfall of thermal water in the woods behind. Tradition attributes the springs' discovery to a wali, one of the saints credited with spreading Islam in Java, and the water is treated locally as healing. The area is cool, wooded and popular with domestic visitors, with horse riding, strawberry stalls and camping alongside the bathing.

What you actually see

• Thirteen hot spouts - the Pancuran Tiga Belas where bathers stand under falling water.
• A thermal waterfall - hot water dropping in the woods behind the village.
• Public and private pools - thirteen bathing points plus guesthouse pools.
• Slamet's flank - the highest Central Javan volcano above the village.

When to go

May to September; weekdays to avoid the crowds. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Weekends and holidays are packed with domestic visitors and the public pools get very crowded. The sulphur smell is strong. Modest swimwear is expected in the public pools.

Nearby

Mount Slamet rises above; Tegal and the north coast are below.