Mount Gede Pangrango National Park is a protected area located in West Java, Indonesia. The park is centered around two volcanoes, Mount Gede and Mount Pangrango, and covers an area of 150 square kilometers.

The park was created from existing protected areas, including Cibodas Botanical Gardens, Cimungkat Nature Reserve, Situgunung Recreational Park, and Mount Gede Pangrango Nature Reserve. Over the past 100 years, the park has been the location of important studies about nature and conservation. In 1977, UNESCO added it to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

Topography and ecology

Mount Gede (2,958 m) and Pangrango (3,019 m) are twin volcanoes. The two peaks are connected by a high pass called Kandang Badak (2,400 m). The slopes of the mountains are very steep, and fast-moving streams cut through them, creating deep valleys and long ridges.

The park includes lower and upper mountain forests and high mountain forests. These areas have been studied carefully. North of Mount Gede is a field of Javanese Edelweiss (Anaphalis javanica). The park is home to many species found only there, though this may be because of the large amount of research conducted over many years.

Mount Gede Pangrango National Park is the source area for four river basins in the region. Three of these basins are the Cisadane River Basin, Ciliwung River Basin, and Citarum River Basin. Their main rivers flow toward the northern coast of Java and reach the Java Sea. Meanwhile, the main river of the Cimandiri River Basin flows toward the southern coast of Java and drains into the Indian Ocean.

Flora and fauna

Gunung Gede-Pangrango is home to 251 of the 450 bird species found in Java. These include endangered species such as the Javan hawk-eagle and the Javan scops owl.

The park is also home to several endangered mammal species. Among these are primates like the silvery gibbon, the Javan surili, and the Javan lutung. Other mammals found in the park include the Javan leopard, leopard cat, Indian muntjac, Java mouse-deer, Sumatran dhole, Malayan porcupine, Sunda stink badger, yellow-throated marten, and Bartels's rat.

Tourism

Visitors often enter the park through one of four gates: Cibodas, Gunung Putri, and Selabintana, which lead to the mountain peaks; the Situ Gunung gate provides access to a lake area mainly used for family activities. The Cibodas gate is the most commonly used entrance and is where the park's main office is located. From Jakarta, the park is about a two-hour drive, typically passing through the Cibodas Botanical Gardens.