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Deep in the hills of West Java lies a mystery, an oddly shaped hill full of strange shaped stones arranged into terraces. Gunung Padang is, depending who you ask, the world's oldest pyramid, evidence of extraterrestrials or just a fascinating archeological site. There’s lots of debate on which interpretation is correct, so we decided to make the trip from the West Javan capital of Bandung and see Gunung Padang for ourselves.

What Is Gunung Padang?

That is a very controversial question. On one side of the debate, Gunung Padang is the world's oldest mega structure, a massive pyramid that predates the pyramids of Giza by millennia. It is the first known organised mass construction anywhere in the world. The researchers at Gunung Padang claim the site to be over 25000 years old, for context Stonehenge is only a few thousand years old and the oldest human city of Göbekli Tepe is a little over 10000 years old. If correct, Gunung Padang would be the oldest evidence of advanced civilisation found anywhere in the world. The researchers claim it is a mega pyramid, mostly still covered by the surrounding forests and hillside, and would have required construction techniques far in advance of what we understand humans of the time to be capable of. They believe there to be complex structures, and deep subterranean chambers buried within the pyramid.

Stones stretch away up the side of the "pyramid" at Gunung Padang, West Java.

However, there are two sides to this debate and the international archeological community are… sceptical to say the least. They agree that it is an important site but disagree with pretty much everything else. It may not be a pyramid at all, it definitely wasn’t built by some hyper-advanced civilization that has since disappeared and it may in fact be largely naturally formed. They certainly do not agree with the Indonesia archaeological team's methods or conclusions as to its age. Pottery fragments in the area range from 1900 to 2000 years ago and they feel this is more in line with the likely truth. For a more thorough breakdown of the debate have a look at this article.

What Gunung Padang is to you or me though, is a fascinating, beautiful site buried deep in the rolling hills of West Java, far from the big cities and, when we visited, far from any tourist crowds.

What Is Gunung Padang Like To Visit?

The site is spread over several levels, and after parking up we climbed a steep set of stairs though dense foliage and emerged into the archaeological park.

An uneven stone staircase leads up a forested hill towards the Gunung Padang site. — *The steep stone staircase leading to Gunung Padang!*

Gunung Padang is made of hundreds of thousands of hexagonal volcanic rocks arranged into five terraces stretching up the side of an extinct volcano. It is a striking site and unlike anything we have seen before.

Each level is slightly different with outlines of what once may have been structures dotting the green terraces. The area is rife with local legends, chief of which is the story that the whole edifice is the result of King Silliwangi’s attempt at building a palace in a day. The place is held as a sacred site for the local Sundanese people and there are mythical rocks with magical properties placed throughout the site.

A stepped pile of hexagonal stones rises up the hillside, forming one of the "pyramid's" slopes at Gunung Padang

At the top level you have great views down the park across the lower terraces, it’s a lovely place to pause and get some photos. There are also a small collection of shops and stalls selling refreshments and meals.

Jellie take a selfie atop the ruins of Gunung Padan in Western Java, Indonesia

The top should not be the end of your expedition however! Behind the stalls is a narrow path. We followed this path out the back of the ruins and (after clambering over a collapsed shop) came out onto some absolutely stunning rice terraces. The path winds between the terraces and the view just stretches out across the green steps down the mountainside and away into the distance, it is a beautiful spot. If this was in Bali or somewhere more touristy, there would be a queue, a mascot and possibly some selfie swings, but here on the slopes of Gunung Padang there was just us and the view.

Golden green rice terraces stretch away to the horizon in West Java.

How To Get To Gunung Padang?

There is no "easy way" to get to Gunung Padang.

There is a train station at Lampegan but this will drop you a good long way down a steeply inclined road from the site itself. Google tells us that it is a one hour fifty walk of around seven kilometres, we have obviously not tested this! If you do walk, please let us know in the comments how it goes. Lampegan train station sits on the line between Bandung and Sukabumi. Although if you're coming from the Bandung side you may need to change at Cipatat.

A view from the top of Gunung Padang. Stone structures stretch down the mountainside and away to a view accross the valley. In the centre a large tree dominates the view.

The easiest way to get to Gunung Padang is to drive. Either self drive if you've rented a car (get good GPS) or splash the cash like we did and hire a driver.

We paid 800,000 IDR (£41.60 or $52.80) for a driver to pick us up at our accommodation in Bandung, drive us the three plus hours to the site, wait for us while we explored and then drive us back. As a bonus we also stopped for one of the best lunches we had in our whole Javanese adventure! Roadside warungs are not to be underestimated.

There are many operators offering this service throughout Bandung and you might be able to get this cheaper than we did. Check out this link to book your driver and car in advance:

How Long Do You Need To Spend Visiting Gunung Padang?

Despite photographers best efforts to convince us otherwise, the actual megalithic site of Gunung Padang is not that large. After you've climbed the stairs there are 5 layers of terraces and a short walk to a viewpoint. All in all, aim for two hours, more if you've brought a picnic.

How Much Does It Cost - Entrance Fees For Gunung Padang?

Tickets for Gunung Padang are extremely reasonable, with tickets to the archaeological site costing just 5000 IDR each (£0.26 or $0.33).

There is also another ticket you will need to buy at the same time, which seemed to be some form of park fee but again this was super cheap at 5000 IDR each (£0.26 or $0.33). It was unclear whether this ticket had anything to do with us being in a car, either way it hardly broke the bank.

Total entrance cost per person 10,000 IDR (£0.52 or $0.66).

Jellie pose for a GoPro selfie on top of the ruins of Gunung Padang, West Java.

What Facilities Are At The Site?

Car Parking

There is limited car parking at the bottom of the hill right next to the entrance.

Toilets

There are toilets available at both the top and bottom of the site. We didn't use them so can't comment on their squatty or otherwise nature.

Food And Drink

There are some small shops and warungs scattered around the car park and at the top of the site next to the viewpoint trail. Food choice is limited to instant noodles, fried rice and dried snacks.

As a note here, you've probably already noticed that you will spend more time travelling to the site than at it, but this doesn't change our recommendation. The drive to the site is a treat in itself. As the urban sprawl falls away as you leave Bandung, you start to journey through rice fields, villages and eventually up some winding mountain roads that are surrounded by tea plantations. It's almost worth it just for the journey!