For the past few years, Tebing Keraton (lit. “The Royal Cliff”) has become one among the most popular tourist destinations in Bandung, largely due to its “instagrammable” view of the lush green Maribaya valley beneath. Geologically, it is a part of Lembang Fault that stretches 29 km from east to west, in the north of Bandung City; it is the eastern peak of Maribaya valley, which was carved by Cikapundung river across the fault for eons. It is also a mere 17 km uphill trip from the city, making it a great destination for half-day leisure cycling.
It was a sunny Friday; I left home at 6.15. The first 9 km trip up to McD Simpang was easy. From there, the climb became gradually steeper, especially after a short rolldown bonus past Terminal Dago. On weekends and holidays, the route was packed by cyclists, as it was the most popular uphill cycling destination in Bandung. Since becoming famous in 2014, Tebing Keraton has become a blessing as well as a curse to cyclists; in one hand, it has forced local government to seal most part of the otherwise rocky, gravelly steep road, making it easier for cyclists to climb it, while in another, it has made the track packed with tourist’s cars and motorcycles as well.
Few segments of the track, however, were still unsealed. Upper half of Tanjakan Putus Asa (lit. “The Climb of Desperation”), especially the one across the pine forest after Warung Nangka, was still rocky and loose, giving cyclists and tourists hard time negotiating it. So was the last 1 km road to Tebing Keraton. The last 200 m of steep rocky climb was especially harsh and slippery, that it was wiser for me to push the bike instead of trying to ride it through.
The struggle through the climbs was paid in spades when I finally reached my primary destination. Unlike weekends and holidays, there were only few tourists visiting Tebing Keraton that Friday. It was easy for me to snap clear picture of the lush green valley underneath, both to the north and to the south, as well as the view to the northwest, where Mount Tangkubanparahu and Burangrang standing side by side.
After several minutes of relaxing, I descended back to Bumi Herbal Dago, a favorite hangout place for weekend cyclists after negotiating long climbs from the city. Lemon Cincau and fried snacks were among my favorite treats there, they have never failed to satisfy me, even after gradual price inflation and quality deflation for the past few years.
It was still sunny when I continued my journey back home through Caringin Tilu. Unlike the uphill track from the city, the road was snaking along the contour of the hilly terrain, interspersed with climbs and rolldowns. I was lucky—the mostly unpaved road was dry instead of muddy like usual. Still, it was rather desolate; even on weekends and holidays, only locals and few cyclists would take the road.
Caringin Tilu itself was quite a popular destination among local tourists looking for local dining experience with clear view to the city in the south. My final destination, however, was J2C/Tamiya, a 4 km groomed offroad trail across local plantations and settlements. It was quite popular among MTB lovers in Bandung due to its relative proximity to the city compared to other trails. Even so, I didn’t meet other mountainbiker along the path. The thrill of speeding along the singletrack became a perfect dessert before I got back home and end the trip.
Cycling Trip Stats:- Distance: 37.1 km
- Total Ascent: 932 m
- Max Elevation: 1,294 m
- Moving Time: 2:39:33
- Average Speed: 14 km/h
- % Unpaved: 14%
- % Singletrack: 9%
- % Rideable: 99%
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