Ciater is a town in the Parahyangan mountain region of Western Java, Indonesia. The town is known for its volcanic hot springs.

Understand

The town and district of Ciater is located on the northeastern side of the Tangkuban Perahu volcano. Ciater is part of the regency of Subang, and located about 25 km south of the regency capital Subang. The town of Lembang (a suburb of Bandung) is about 15 km south of Ciater.

Get in

Ciater is along the north-south trunk road between Subang and Bandung, with smaller roads also available to the west (Purwakarta) and east (Sumedang). Because the area is mountainous, average travel speeds are slow. The drive from Bandung to Ciater is about 30 km and takes slightly less than an hour in optimal traffic conditions, but because of common traffic congestion in Bandung and Lembang, it takes often significantly longer.

Ciater can be reached by public transport from Bandung or from Subang. There are regular elf public minivans between the cities, that pass Ciater on the way. In Bandung, the elf minivans depart from the Ledeng bus terminal along Jl. Setiabudi street, in Northwest Bandung. Another option is to take a ¾ bus (i.e. a bus that is slightly smaller than a regular bus). These buses run on the route from Leuwi Panjang bus terminal in South Bandung, via Ciater and Subang, to Indramayu. There are no fixed bus stops in Ciater, so you need to notify the driver when you want to get off.

See

Ciater is on the northeastern side of the Tangkuban Perahu volcano. The volcano crater itself is covered in the article on Lembang. The town of Ciater itself, however, is known for its volcanic hot springs and the related hot spring resorts.

Do

• 

  Hot spring pool in Ciater.

  1 Gracia Spa Hot Spring (Kawah Ratu Pool), Jalan Blok Dawuan, ☏ +62 817 219 997. Open 24 hours. Hot spring pools of 36-39°C. Rp75,000 (if not staying at the resort). (updated Sep 2016)
• 2 Sari Ater Natural Hot Spring, Jl. Raya Ciater, ☏ +62 260 471 700. Hot spring pools open 24 hours, other recreational facilities during daylight hours. Hot spring pools with temperatures up to 42.5°C. There is a pool with terrace and restaurant, but also natural 'river' pools with waterfalls that have beautiful lights in the night. Sari Ater also has various other recreational facilities, such as archery, ATV riding, horse riding, and paintball. Entrance from Rp28,000 with additional charges for some of the pools. (updated Sep 2016)

Buy

The regency of Subang is known for its pineapple plantations. Pineapples (Indonesian: nanas) can be bought in hundreds of roadside stalls along the main roads in the regency. The road from Ciater to the north, 1 Jalan Palasari Dua - Babakan Gunung, has a row of dozens of pineapple stalls (many of them also sell other fruits). In the next village to the north, Jalancagak, even has a pineapple statue, 1 Tugu Nanas.

Eat

• 1 Rumah Makan Sari Mawar, Jalan Palasari Dua - Babakan Gunung, ☏ +62 260 470 084. Daily 7:00-17:30. Sundanese restaurant open for breakfast and lunch. (updated Oct 2016)

Sleep

The various hot spring resorts in Ciater also offer accommodation. In addition, there are various other hotels and rental villas.

• 1 Puspa Sari Hotel, Jalan Raya Ciater No. 40, ☏ +62 260 470 894. Check-in: 13:00, check-out: 12:00. Budget hotel in the town centre. Double rooms from Rp350,000 per night. (updated Sep 2016)
• 2 Sari Ater Hotel & Resort, Jl. Raya Ciater, ☏ +62 260 471 700. Hotel rooms, bungalows, and villas. Double rooms from Rp850,000 per night. (updated Sep 2016)

Go next

• Lembang — mountain town on the southeastern side of the Tangkuban Perahu volcano
• Bandung — provincial capital of West Java, nicknamed the 'Paris of Java'