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The most famous site in the Pangandaran area is the unmissable Green Canyon . Groups of tourists take noisy motorboats, or infinitely more appealing rowing boats up Sungai Cijulang to the entrance to a narrow gorge, from where you clamber over the rocks and swim through the pools upriver into the canyon. Wear a swimsuit and sun block. Boats take about six people and can be haggled down to Rp75,000. To get to the jetty, take a bus west from Pangandaran and ask to be let off at Green Canyon or Cukang Taneuh, which is right by the turn-off for Batu Keras. Alternatively, Pangandaran tour operators do packages for Rp40,000 per person; try Dastina Holidays, Jl Bulak Laut 2 (tel 0265/630239). The Cituman Dam is a place of stunning beauty with several waterfalls, distinctive limestone shapes and caves, and surrounded by thick forest. Either rent a motorbike, or take a minibus 8km west of town to the easily missed signpost, at the turn-off for Cituman Dam (on the right-hand side of the road), then hire an ojek to take you the remaining 3km (15min; Rp1500). Nearby Gunung Tiga park also has great views, bat caves and a beautiful river and cavern system. Take the same route as for Cituman, but ask for an ojek to Gunung Tiga. For the waterfalls, walk up the hill at the end of the rough road, and continue for about 500m. Just before the peak, there's a tiny path to the right down through the coconut palms - follow this all the way downhill to the river. The water has several glorious blue pools and, upstream, there's a magnificent cave you can swim into. Down the coast to the west of Pangandaran, you can watch giant green, hawksbill, loggerhead and brown sea turtles feeding near the flat rock bed in front of the beach of Sindang Kerta village. To get there catch a minibus to Cijulang (30min; Rp750), then another bus to Cikalong (morning only; 1hr 30min-2hr; Rp2000), before catching an ojek for the seven-kilometre ride to Sindang Kerta (Rp1500). Batu Keras is a popular beach spot and surfers' enclave 35km west of Pangandaran. From September to February there's a good right-handed reef break here. Sharks are very regular visitors to this bay and it's not uncommon to see a long black fin as it cruises around the point. There are several places to stay at Batu Keras. The Dadang homestay on Jalan Genteng Parakan (under $5) is a lovely, clean place, run by a young surfie couple. Alanas losmen is on the beachfront at Jl Legok Pari 336 (tel 0811/230442; under $5) and is an unashamed surfers' hangout: they rent out surfboards at Rp25,000 a day.
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