Standing on the Rim of Kawah Ratu

On a reasonably clear day, from Kawah Ratu, the main crater, you can see not only the mountain range to the east, with Mt. Bukit Tunggul as its highest peak (2,209 m), but also two other volcanoes in a northeasterly direction. The lower and nearer one is Mt. Tampomas (1,684 m), just north of Sumedang some 40 km away. To the right and about 90 km away is Mt. Ciremai. Close to Cirebon on the north coast. At 3,307 m, Mt. Ciremai is West Java’s tallest mountain. At the foot of Ciater Tea Plantation covering the rolling hills. Farther to your left area the northern coastal plains of Java, may even be able to see the Java Sea beyond.

Kawah Ratu, which means “Queen’s Crater,” is today just a big gray hole which sometimes has a pool of water at its center. Do you see the sulphur vapor rising from a fissure near the bottom? Still now, poisonous gases sometimes accumulate in Kawah Ratu, thus making it somewhat of a risk to descend to the crater floor.

Beyond the saddle-shaped depression on the far side of Kawah Ratu is the still active Kawah Upas, the oldest crater on the mountain. It too has pockets of poisonous gases at times. On the very far western cliff your see a spot where all vegetation has been destroyed by constantly rising sulphurous vapor. On the crater walls, note the various layers of material consisting of rock, sand, and pebbles. Over time, newer craters have formed again and again in a rather consistent shift from west to east. The most well-known of these is the Domas Crater (see below), but also there are other, smaller ones in the jungle on the mountain’s northeastern flank.