Baduy visitor rules: what you can and cannot do

Rules across the whole customary area

• Sign the guest book and respect your guide and host.
• No alcohol or drugs.
• No radios or guitars, and no air rifles.
• No hunting, catching animals, picking plants, or damaging the environment.
• Do not litter, least of all in the river. Take your rubbish home.
• Make sure cooking fires are fully out.
• Stay out of the forbidden forest.

Extra rules in Inner Baduy

• No photos or video at all. Keep your camera and phone at the bottom of your bag.
• Electronics off. There is no signal or electricity anyway.
• No soap, shampoo or toothpaste. Villagers wash in the same river, so chemicals would pollute it.
• No toilets. Wash and relieve yourself at the river, with separate spots for men and women.
• Keep quiet, especially at night.

Can I take photos in Outer Baduy?

Yes. Still ask before photographing people up close, especially children and women weaving. Do not photograph the inside of a house without the host's consent.

Foreign visitors

In October 2025 the customary council banned foreign visitors from Inner Baduy and Gajeboh. Foreign visitors are still welcome in Outer Baduy, accompanied by a Baduy guide. That is why our Inner Baduy package is for Indonesian citizens only.

Inner Baduy closes during Kawalu

At the start of every year Inner Baduy closes to visitors for about three months for the Kawalu ritual. Outer Baduy stays open. Details are in a separate guide.

If someone breaks the rules

Visitors who do not follow the rules can be asked to leave the area. On our trips, a participant who breaks the rules can be asked to leave without a refund. Not because we are strict for the sake of it, but because what is at stake is the villagers' trust in the next visitors.

Also read

• Outer Baduy or Inner Baduy? The differences and how to choose
• When is Inner Baduy closed? Kawalu explained, with dates