By Landolfo Mancini 
Ciletuh GeoPark is a picturesque valley in West Java that is full of great waterfalls and other great sights.
This region is a UNESCO-designated global GeoPark and has some of the best waterfalls in Indonesia, but most international tourists have never heard of it.
We spent several days here and were glad that we were there! The location is quite remote, but it’s worth a visit if you like waterfalls and hidden gems.
In this guide you will learn how to visit Ciletuh, where to stay and what to see there!
How To Get To Ciletuh GeoPark
The ciletuh GeoPark is located in the extreme southwest of the province of West Java.
It is not close to big cities, so you will have to drive a little. It is a 2.5-hour drive from Sukabumi, 4 hours from Jakarta or 6 hours from Bandung.
We traveled here from Bandung and then went to Jakarta. In any matter, the roads leading to the GeoPark are mostly in good condition.
We hired a private driver from Bandung to take us to the GeoPark in his van, but you could also ride a motorcycle very well, and it would be affordable.
The Best Activities And Attractions In The Ciletuh GeoPark
* Curug Puncak Manik Waterfall
This is the first waterfall we visited in the Ciletuh area, and you will probably pass it on your drive to the GeoPark.
It is a hike of 45 to 60 minutes each way with a steep descent, but they are working to improve the trail so that it is more manageable. When you reach the stream, you need to cross and go to the left. It was knee-deep when we were there.
It is a 100 meter high twin waterfall. On the way we saw a rare falcon, a huge centipede and other interesting things. A local showed us the way and helped us take pictures, so we gave him a tip of 50,000 rupees.
* Curug Awang Waterfall
This is another waterfall near Puncak Manik. It is not so high,but it runs on a wide cliff. It is 5 minutes walk to the observation deck or 10 minutes to the top and another 5 or 10 minutes if you go down.
This waterfall was already drying up during our visit, which was a shame, but I’m sure it would be very impressive if more water flows.
Curug Tengah Waterfall
This is an unusual-looking waterfall, which you can get to from the same parking lot as Curug Awang. The waterfall was beautiful and big even in April.
It takes 10 minutes on foot to see the waterfalls, but there is no easy way down and it would probably take another 30 minutes to walk down.
We decided to stay on top and take a drone photo instead.
Curug Cikaso Waterfall
This is a beautiful turquoise waterfall, which takes an hour and a half by car outside the main area of Ciletuh. It is worth a visit.
To reach the waterfalls, there is a short and easy 10-minute hike on a paved path through picturesque rice terraces. You can also go by boat along the stream, although we did not see much interest, as they wanted to make us pay more for it.
The best time to photograph this is at the beginning of the dry season. If you come in the middle of the rainy season, it will probably be heavy brown water and you will not see the beautiful turquoise color.
The lighting is best early in the morning or maybe after at night. You can swim here, and we saw small fish and crabs near the waterfall. Great!
* Cigangsa Curug Waterfall
It is a large waterfall surrounded by rice terraces. It is a 1-hour drive from the main area of Ciletuh, in the same direction as the Cikaso waterfall, so you can visit these two places together.
Once you are there, you only have a 2-minute walk to the waterfall, but another 5 or 10 minutes to reach the bottom if you want to see it up close.
This waterfall most likely dries up from May, so it will not look so impressive after that. It was almost dry when we left in April.
Main beach
The main beach of Ciletuh is not exactly spectacular, but worth a visit. It is listed on Google Maps as a “white sandy beach”, but in fact it has brown or black sand with beautiful views and sunsets.
You can even see the Cimarinjung Waterfall in the distance while sitting on the beach.
Locals come here to ride dirt bikes and paragliding, which was fun. Unfortunately, there was a lot of garbage on the beach when we were there.
Curug Cimarinjung waterfall
It is a beautiful and unique waterfall that is located in the center of Ciletuh and can be reached in less than 5 minutes on a mostly paved path. There was also a strong throughput at the end of April.
You can get pretty close, but the rocks near the waterfalls are slippery, so be careful. It was one of my favorite waterfalls in the area.
Curug Cikanteh Waterfall
Cikanteh is one of the largest waterfalls in Indonesia. It really is a giant and in my opinion the most impressive waterfall in Ciletuh.
Locals will tell you that a guide is needed for the hike, even if this is not the matter at all. It only takes 10 or 15 minutes. The path is clear and easy and completely unobtrusive, except for crossing a bamboo bridge.
However, a guide can be helpful if you are climbing the second level of the waterfall, which is a short hike but steep and not clearly signposted. Most people see the waterfall only from below, but it’s worth walking over it to see it up close. This is very impressive.
The locals will also ask for a donation, which will serve as an entrance fee. We donated 10,000 and paid 50,000 to a tour guide to take a lot of photos and show us the summit.
Photos in Cikanteh are best if they are shaded in the sun in the early morning or in the afternoon. We caught a big rainbow here in the after afternoon!
Curug sodong Waterfall
This one is located right at the Cikanteh parking lot, so you can see it without having to hike. It is a twin waterfall that is bigger than it looks in the photos, although it shrinks a bit in the dry season.