Pangandaran: Boats tour Green Canyon and Cliff Jumping Green Valley

Pangandaran, a place to remember: Banana pancake with chocolate for breakfast, a breathtaking boats tour through the Green Canyon, and a lot of fun at body rafting in the Green valley.

It is already after midnight when I finally arrive in Pangandaran. I am exhausted after almost 10 hours on the bus. I want to eat and to sleep and do not want to talk to anyone. However, as usual in Asia, many taxi drivers and people want to sell all kinds of souvenirs and food. I ignore them all and walk down the street, hoping that it is in the right direction. After 400 meters, I arrive at an archway where I have to pay a small entrance fee and fill in my name in a big, old book. Before me, people from all over the world already have signed.

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I am lucky and find a nice hostel very quickly. A double room including breakfast costs only 90.000 IDR. For breakfast, I can choose between Toasts with eggs or jam and banana pancake with chocolate. Along with it, I get mixed fruit juice and coffee or tea. After a few hours of sleep, I take a banana pancake. I really enjoy eating something different than Mie Goreng Ayam or Nasi Goreng (Fried Noodles with chicken or Fried Rice).  I get the food served on a nice terrace with a view of the beach.

Green Canyon

Strengthened, I decide to rent a motorbike. I want to go to the Green Canyon, one highlight of my trip through Java. I start at my hotel and drive along the coast. I see many beautiful beaches and stop time by time to take some photos. The Canyon is only 31 kilometers away from Pangandaran; however, I need more than one hour to get there because the streets are partly pretty bad.

Arrived at the Canyon, I rent a boat with a driver for 125.000 IDR. From the starting point, we drive the river up for about 20 minutes until we reach the Canyon. It is an amazing place. The water is flowing between huge walls of hills. I want to see more and pay another 50.000 IDR for half an hour of swimming. Together with a guide, I climb up a small waterfall and swim deeper into the Canyon. I jump from a 5-meter high rock rising from the canyon floor into a deep pool below. It is a lot of fun and definitely a place worth it to visit.

We swim back to the waterfall and want to take the boat back. However, the boat is not there. I have two options: I have to wait for the boat or swim one kilometer out of the Canyon. I decide to swim back between the boats and become an unwanted tourist attraction. Many people take photos of me and cheer me enthusiasm on. In Bali, I already met many local people who wanted to take a photo with me. However, here in Java, it is even more extreme as there are barely international tourists.

Cliff Jumping Green Valley

Today I want to go by scooter to “Citumang,” which is compared to the Green Canyon rather unknown. The English name is Green Valley, and it is 15 kilometers outside Pangandaran. It is slightly more difficult to get there but definitely worth it. There are barely any tourists, and there is no need for expensive boats or tours.

I nevertheless decide to make a one hour guided tour which is actually a kind of body rafting and costs 120.000 IDR (about 9 Euros) for two persons. Therefore we get our own guide and someone who accompanies us for taking pictures. We first swim to a small cave. The guide asks me if I want to jump from the cliff. I do not really listen to him when he tells me how high it is and follow him climbing up the rock face. He jumps first … and me …. Well, it is much higher than I have expected. I ask the guide again …  8 meters.

While I am standing at the cliff, a group of local tourists is taking pictures and encouraging me to jump. I have no chance. I wanted to jump … so I have to jump. There is No Way Out. I take my courage in both hands. It is a good feeling to have outgrown my fear, and I am a little bit proud that I did it.

From the Cave, we jump down some waterfalls and swim relaxed back to the starting point. It was so much fun and a nice way to discover the Green Valley.

Are you also planning to go to Java, Indonesia? Trip Idea: Java in 10 days