When you arrive by air or via ferry from Bali, separated from Java by a slender straight into the east of this latter, you will be happy to visit the Indonesian city of Banyuwangi. The easternmost point of Java Island or known as “the Sunrise of Java.” At its own sun-dappled best, the experiences you can take on from Banyuwangi rival everything you’ll see in Bali or Yogyakarta. Folle the list below to plan a Banyuwangi adventure of your own.
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1. Trekking Kawah Ijen Volcano, Indonesia
The three-kilometer hiking trail between the base camp of Paltuding, the scenic crater lake of Kawah Ijen feels like a reversed walk from ground to Hell. In the sense that Hell is 2,443 meters above sea level and encircles a spooky turquoise-colored lake.
Kawah Ijen is an active volcanic crater, using a battery-acid lake and fumaroles emitting the sulfur, which permeates the atmosphere and chokes the unwary. It is possible to feel that the acrid odor on your sinuses is long until you find the crater, making face masks and respirators essential when trying a climb.
2. Pulau Merah, Banyuwangi’s Most Scenic Beach
The sandy bottom and tame waves could make Pulau Merah an excellent place for newbie surfers. If the backdrop weren’t so distracting: a hill juts out of the sea a few meters from the shore. The area is isolated from the mainland through the high tide. The island permits access during low tide, allowing visitors to examine the shore’s namesake (“Red Island,” due to the mountain’s red soil) up close.
The friendly waves which now buffet Pulau Merah reach no higher than five meters at their worst, particularly between the summit surfing seasons in April and between September to December. A sandy bottom — the same fine cream-to-brown sand which cushions feet are walking on the shore — seals the deal for novices, inviting wipeouts without fear of injury.
3. Baluran National Park, A Piece of Africa in Java
Baluran’s apartment, tree-fringed Bekol Savannah, seems for all the world like a chunk of Africa transplanted into Indonesia. The scrubby bushes, the lone acacia trees which interrupt the nearly uniformly flat landscape — the wrong sort of wildlife breaks the illusion. No giraffes, lions, or wildebeest here in Bekol Savannah: only groups of Java rusa deer and Java banteng (buffalo) grazing or jostling each other around the watering holes.
4. Plengkung Beach, Surfing at “G-Land”
Grajagan Bay makes up the western-facing section of this Alas Purwo nature reserve. It is no cakewalk to get to some point inside the nature park. Still, specialist surfers from all over the world do it anyway, to cross G-Land their bucket off the listing.
After setting up camp in Plengkung Beach, surfers paddle around to G-Land’s surf break. The waves reach heights of four to half an hour, creating long barrels that consumers yearn to ride through. Professional surfers call G-Land the planet’s second-best wave. They are beaten only by Hawaii due to the latter’s all-year-round journey (G-Land’s surfing season between April and August).
5. Banyuwangi Batik, A Colorful Bolt of Local Culture
Buying batik in Banyuwangi is not only a fantastic way of bringing a piece of your travels back home with you. Your batik purchases channel tourism earnings right to the local companies that need that capital the most. Buying batik also puts you in touch with a cultural touchstone held very near and dear to sailors’ hearts.
Banyuwangi’s batik compares very favorably with the merchandise created further west in Central Java, and the natives know it. Schoolchildren and government workers wear batik one or more times weekly for their respective uniforms. At Banyuwangi, government officials proudly wear batiks using all the Gaja Oling motif. It is a repeating pattern of question-mark-shaped floral blooms that is unique to Banyuwangi.
6. Sukamade Beach, The Large Turtle Hatching Grounds
Sukamade Beach is the giant turtle’s last, best hope for survival: a pristine stretch of coastline within the Meru Betiri National Park, situated about 60 miles southwest of Banyuwangi town. On full moon nights, people can observe magic happen here, with turtles emerging from the surf and placing their eggs right on the shore.
Even though this might occur at any given night, egg-laying peak season occurs between November and March. The majority of the turtles arrive at around 7:30 pm. Paddling slowly up past the high-tide line and laying a hundred or so eggs each into their respective holes.
Ready to start your vacation to Banyuwangi? Visit desire-experience.com, and don’t overlook the magic!
