Sentul Highlands Escape

Occasionally you really need to escape the bustle of Jakarta.

Last weekend we did a half day hike with idguides to the Sentul Highlands just to the south of Jakarta. We managed to convince the twins that getting up early on a Sunday was a good idea and drove down the motorway in the direction of Bogor. It only took us about 45  minutes early on a Sunday to get down to the Sentul City Giant Mall to meet our guide. He hopped in the car and drove with us for  about 25 minutes drive past  golf course estates that make up this outskirts suburb of Jakarta, then through small villages on tiny roads in our big car to our destination.

There we were met by two new guides who walked with us. We crossed a small bridge over  a gushing river that in no way resembled the dank canals of Jakarta.

The way up was through a village on the hillside linked to the outside by a small steep concrete path just wide enough for a motorbike. On either side were the village fields where rice, chillies and many other crops were grown.

The path was muddy and our guides helped us through, but it was easier to give up and just walk through a small creek at one point.

We walked up through these plantations to the hill sides where there were pine trees that they tapped for resin. On the steep slopes they often planted cassava. The path here was quite steep and Alison who was a few days into a cold that had laid me out for a week struggled, but endured.

At the top there were good views further into the highlands. We saw a few other guided groups up here, but mostly it was nice and quiet.

One of our guides here scrambled up a tree and gathered us some fruit from a tree by the path. I think they called it capi, once we worked out what bit to eat they were quite good. We then stopped for a rest by a house in a clearing where a few kids practised their tree climbing skills for when they become guides.

We circled round and down and finished with a coffee in a shelter overlooking the fields where they had strings with noise makers attached to attempt to drive away the birds.

It was a good walk and a fairly easy and quick way to get out of the city. You do have to book and its not particularly cheap but all the guides are from the local villages we walk through and it seems a good way of supporting them.