Baduy tribe
Written on March 2021
A Perfect Escape: In harmony with nature, no electricity, no phones. A true "National Geographic" experience just a few hours from Jakarta.
With a total population of about 11 000 people, the Baduy tribe is still isolated from the outside world. They still adhere to the customs of the ancestors and refuse to use electricity and technology.
When entering the Baduy village you feel a very different atmosphere, everything is in harmony with the environment and nature.
A Perfect Escape: In harmony with nature, no electricity, no phones. A true "National Geographic" experience just a few hours from Jakarta.
With a total population of about 11 000 people, the Baduy tribe is still isolated from the outside world. They still adhere to the customs of the ancestors and refuse to use electricity and technology.
When entering the Baduy village you feel a very different atmosphere, everything is in harmony with the environment and nature.
Baduy is divided into two parts, Outer Baduy (Baduy Luar) and Inner Baduy (Baduy Dalam), and consists of 65 villages (3 Inner, 62 Outer). To reach those places, the only mode of transportation is walking.
Only Asian-looking tourists can visit Inner Baduy Village. Unfortunately, foreigners are not allowed to get into the Inner Baduy area, only to the Outer part.
Several rules must be obeyed in the Inner Baduy. One of them is not to take pictures or record videos. Visitors are also prohibited from using soap, shampoo, or toothpaste while bathing in the river. (You can take pictures in Outer Baduy). No electricity, no phones.
Inner Baduy people wear white and black clothes, no footwear, they have to walk (no vehicle) to reach one place to another. They learn to walk in the wood since they are 3 years old. Outer Baduy people have more freedom. But they respect their tradition, following Sunda Wiwitan, which is basically in harmony with nature.
The culture is so strong that they rejected the government's offer on funding or development projects, such as building proper toilets or modern schools for them. The reason is so simple: Letting the government doing once means permitting them to do other projects that may destroy the natural ecosystem.
They are monogamous, no quarrel, no divorce. They eat and drink almost everything except lamb and pork, but they don't grow or raise all. They use no chemicals, like soap, toothpaste, fertilizer. No bathroom, they use the water from the nearby river. Baduy people have fair and clean skin, slim, and tall, considered good looking.
It has been tradition that women work at home, while men work on farms or forest. Formal education is still a taboo in the traditional Baduy community. As a result, very few Baduy people are able to read or write.
Language
Baduy have its own language, which is different from Bahasa Indonesia. Here are some examples.
English – Indonesian - Baduy
Forest – Hutan- Leuweung
Garden – Kebun – Kebon
River – Sungai - Wahangan
Baduy community lives in harmony with nature. Below are some of their rules.
Our guides: pak Iwan and pak Wahyudi
How we did it
We all took a Covid test one day before our trip. (Preferably go after pandemic is over)
We went to Baduy village for 1 day only. We didn't stay overnight because of Covid. Our friend has been there few years ago, stayed for 1 night and said that it was very interesting experience to sleep there. Without electricity it is very quite and peaceful. Everyone goes to sleep early and wake up early.
We left Jakarta at 5 am by our own car (we read that you can get there by train). We have no idea how people could find this place before without GPS. We were using Google Maps, but not all the time (as it uses a lot of battery), so we got lost 2x.
At 8:30 am we arrived at Ciboleger, a popular place to start trekking, where we met our 3 guides (2 guides from the agency and a local guide - an outer Baduy). We booked them in advance via Kratatau Tour.
In total, we made an 8 km loop thru Outer Baduy villages. It took us around 6-7 hours as we walked slowly enjoying the scenery of villages, rice barns, traditional houses, farmers, watching Baduy women doing local weaving and handicraft, observing local children playing with kites, and at the end shopping for handicrafts.
You can make a shorter trip (just to see the first villages) or longer trip (up to Inner villages, if you are Asian), or stay a night.
Our guides brought lunch and drinks for us.
It is rather an easy trek, only about 1 km was slippery and so more difficult.
At 3:20 pm we came back to Ciboleger. It took us about 4 hours to get home by car, as on the way we stopped at Petrified Wood Factory.
We didn’t meet any other tourists (it was Weekday and during the Covid pandemic), but in normal time, it might be busy over the weekend.
What to bring
Trekking or sport shoes, repellent, sunblock, hat, raincoat, camera, water, snack, hand sanitizer, wet towels, covid test results (if going during the pandemic). Leave in the car: Complete change of clothes and shoes, towel, deodorant (there is a simple shower in Ciboleger).
Price
2.5 mio for 5 pax, incl 3 guides (1 local, 2 from Krakatau tour agency - one of them spoke English), lunch, water, entrance permits. No transport (we arrived with own car), no overnight (we didn't sleep in Baduy village).
2.5 - 8.5 mio per pax for 2D/1N, incl transport from Jakarta and 1 night in Baduy village. Price depends on nr of pax. (www.krakatau-tour.com)
If you are on budget, you can try to find a local guide directly in Terminal Cibolegar or if you speak Bahasa Indonesia, you might try to contact pak Wahyudi directly (contact below).
Guides
Pak Wahyudi - +62 857 7501 4439 - Baduy, speaks Bahasa Indonesia only, no English
Pak Iwan Ade: +62 823 1237 0999 - from Krakatau tour agency, speaks some English, kind, but his specialization in not Baduy tour (he could translate pak Wahyudi)
Krakatau Tour can organize many tours, very reliable, Pak Roman - +62 813-8666-8811, www.krakatau-tour.com.
We all took a Covid test one day before our trip. (Preferably go after pandemic is over)
We went to Baduy village for 1 day only. We didn't stay overnight because of Covid. Our friend has been there few years ago, stayed for 1 night and said that it was very interesting experience to sleep there. Without electricity it is very quite and peaceful. Everyone goes to sleep early and wake up early.
We left Jakarta at 5 am by our own car (we read that you can get there by train). We have no idea how people could find this place before without GPS. We were using Google Maps, but not all the time (as it uses a lot of battery), so we got lost 2x.
At 8:30 am we arrived at Ciboleger, a popular place to start trekking, where we met our 3 guides (2 guides from the agency and a local guide - an outer Baduy). We booked them in advance via Kratatau Tour.
In total, we made an 8 km loop thru Outer Baduy villages. It took us around 6-7 hours as we walked slowly enjoying the scenery of villages, rice barns, traditional houses, farmers, watching Baduy women doing local weaving and handicraft, observing local children playing with kites, and at the end shopping for handicrafts.
You can make a shorter trip (just to see the first villages) or longer trip (up to Inner villages, if you are Asian), or stay a night.
Our guides brought lunch and drinks for us.
It is rather an easy trek, only about 1 km was slippery and so more difficult.
At 3:20 pm we came back to Ciboleger. It took us about 4 hours to get home by car, as on the way we stopped at Petrified Wood Factory.
We didn’t meet any other tourists (it was Weekday and during the Covid pandemic), but in normal time, it might be busy over the weekend.
What to bring
Trekking or sport shoes, repellent, sunblock, hat, raincoat, camera, water, snack, hand sanitizer, wet towels, covid test results (if going during the pandemic). Leave in the car: Complete change of clothes and shoes, towel, deodorant (there is a simple shower in Ciboleger).
Price
2.5 mio for 5 pax, incl 3 guides (1 local, 2 from Krakatau tour agency - one of them spoke English), lunch, water, entrance permits. No transport (we arrived with own car), no overnight (we didn't sleep in Baduy village).
2.5 - 8.5 mio per pax for 2D/1N, incl transport from Jakarta and 1 night in Baduy village. Price depends on nr of pax. (www.krakatau-tour.com)
If you are on budget, you can try to find a local guide directly in Terminal Cibolegar or if you speak Bahasa Indonesia, you might try to contact pak Wahyudi directly (contact below).
Guides
Pak Wahyudi - +62 857 7501 4439 - Baduy, speaks Bahasa Indonesia only, no English
Pak Iwan Ade: +62 823 1237 0999 - from Krakatau tour agency, speaks some English, kind, but his specialization in not Baduy tour (he could translate pak Wahyudi)
Krakatau Tour can organize many tours, very reliable, Pak Roman - +62 813-8666-8811, www.krakatau-tour.com.
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Maps and Rules source: www.schematicscholar.org
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