Go back to Asia.

Letjen Of The Fall, Java.

Raja Ampat, West Papua.

The main goal for this trip was to meet up with Shirley’s brother, Freddy, whom we have not seen in quite some time. Conveniently, Freddy was working in Sorong in Indonesia’s West Papua which is the jumping off point for the famous Raja Ampat archipelago. And so the plan for the beach part of the vacation was clear. Less clear was the climbing portion. We debated going somewhere else in Asia to get some rock mileage in but ultimately decided to see what Indonesia had to offer. Frankly, Indonesia is the one country that is fascinating enough to visit even without any meaningful climbing options.

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Harau Valley, Sumatra.

Guha Pawon, Java.

We zeroed in on two rock climbing destinations: The Harau Valley in West Sumatra and some crags in West Java. The former did not look promising to us given that it’s overwhelmingly single pitch sport climbing; something we consider to lie just above bouldering but well below hiking in the hierarchy of modes of “mountain enjoyment”. However, the photos of the area looked appealing and so we contacted the local climber, Joulee, to see if she’d be willing to take us around and to show us some climbs.

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Citatah 125, Java.

Harau Valley.

Some of the crags in the west of Java looked more promising: bolted, multi-pitch lines on either andesite or limestone formations. For this part, we got in touch with Dadan, a climbing guide, who kindly agreed to arrange all the logistics for us (airport-to-airport).

We would spend two full days in Sumatra, three full days in Java, and the balance in Raja Ampat: a pan Indonesia, west-to-east sample platter. With the required travel time, this would add up to two weeks.

I have to say that spending time with Joulee and then with Dadan (his Youtube channel is here) were some of the highlights this trip!  Great people and we can’t recommend their services in organizing climbing trips enough.

Details

Tuan Nyonya.

Raja Ampat.

• Harau Valley Part One
• Harau Valley Part Two
• Harau Valley Part Three
• West Java Part One
• West Java Part Two
• West Java Part Three
• Raja Ampat Part One
• Raja Ampat Part Two
• Raja Ampat Part Three
• Jakarta Food Tour

Videos

Harau Valley, West Sumatra

Harau Valley.

Harau Valley.

• Harau Valley Cragging.
• Abdi Homestay In Harau Valley.
• Harau Valley From A Rickshaw.
• Harau Valley From The Viewpoint.

West Java

Bandung.

Citatah 125.

• Citatah 90: Shirley On Pitch 3 Of Tuan Nyonya. Video by Dadan.
• Citatah 90: Leading Pitch 4 Of Tuan Nyonya. Video by Dadan.
• Citatah 90: Shirley Following Pitch 4 Of Tuan Nyonya. Video by Dadan.
• Citatah 125: Welcome To The Jungle.
• Citatah 125: Views From Base Of Final Headwall.
• Citatah 125: Stumped By The Final Exit Move. Video by Dadan.

Raja Ampat, West Papua

Raja Ampat.

Raja Ampat.

• Dolphin Sighting.
• Piaynemo Pano.
• Another Piaynemo Pano.
• Watching Dinner Preparations At Turtle Homestay.
• Going In.
• A Curious Fish.
• A Turtle Feeding.
• A Turtle Swimming.
• A Large Turtle Breathing.
• Dugongs a.k.a. Sea Cows. Highlight Of Trip!
• Chasing A Large Fish.

Overview

Indonesia 2025. In and out via Jakarta. First leg was to Harau Valley in Sumatra; followed by a return to Java; then on to Sorong and Raja Ampat in Papua. Green lines are flights. Red lines are surface travel. Click for some perspective courtesy of Wikimedia (October 2025).

Go to Harau Valley Part One.
Go back to Asia.