Tangkuban Perahu

Located close to Bandung, the capital of West Java, the active volcano with its ash-grey crater looks like a painting when you first see it. The word Tangkuban Perahu actually means ‘inverted boat’ as the locals believe that the mountain looks like one. This volcano is associated with the legend of unrequited love between Sangkuriang and Dayang Sumbi. Sangkuriang inadvertently fell in love with Dayang Sumbi without knowing that she is his mother (Dayang Sumbi has been granted the wish of immortal youth). When she realised the same, she decided to break the relationship. She gave him the task of creating a huge lake, a dam and a boat to sail across it overnight and later created the illusion of dawn just as he was about to complete this daunting task. In frustration, Sangkuriang kicked his boat and it apparently became this mountain, resembling an inverted boat. The legend only adds to the quaint atmosphere of this place which looks like a little tourist village.