Gunungkidul Travel Guide

Yogyakarta is blessed with unrivaled natural scenery. Gunung Kidul as one of its districts also contributed a number of tourism areas that make the name of Yogyakarta becoming worldwide. Who would have thought if the area that was dry apparently save the potential of extraordinary natural beauty? Gunung Kidul Wonosari which was just a nameof karst mountain, turned into the best-selling tourist destinations visited in the city of Jogja.

Becoming  the most popular destinations, turning this district into a crowded place. You may be wondering what makes Gunungkidul Yogyakarta famous? Gunungkidul points of interest is that even though this place is a barren karst mountains in every long drought, but it keeps so many beaches, that even some of them still do not have big names because of newly discovered ones. The region also has a fairly long coastline. Gunungkidul beach like Krakal, Timang, Pok Tunggal, and etc, are the best Gunungkidul attractions. But some of the other may be waterfalls, caves, and hills.

This Gunungkidul Jogja was the bottom of the ocean which was later lifted to the mainland due to volcanic and tectonic activity. So that in this karst hills can be found fossils of ancient sea creatures. In the cave basins there are many discoveries about the life of homo sapiens in ancient times. Now, we will see some popular tourism in Gunungkidul.

Read also : Yogyakarta Travel Guide

Places to visit and see in Gunungkidul

1. Sri Gethuk Waterfall

This is one of the famous waterfalls in Jogja which is located in Bleberan village. Sri Gethuk will be the perfect destination for your trip. This tourism offers you the beauty of what we call as nature. The waterfall and cliffs create a landscape that is so natural and refreshing. Rustling waterfalls will accompany a relaxing moment in this place. You can also swim in the river beneath the waterfall. If afraid of drowning, you can rent life vest (2000 rupiahs) because the water is deep enough.

To approach this waterfall you have to rent a small boat for 10.000 rupiah. This boat will not only escort you to the waterfall but also to get around the river. The entrance fee is cheap, only about 7000 rupiahs. Waterfall and river in Sri Gethuk never dry because it has three springs from Ngandong, Dong poh, and Ngumbul.

2. Jomblang Cave

Jomblang cave is the most popular in Jogjakarta which is a vertical type cave. Its popularity spread as it has been used for shooting. What makes it well known is the beauty of panorama inside the cave. There is forest around it and many kind of vegetations are well preserved here. To get inside Jomblang, you need to do rapelling. It has height for about 80 m, but if you are not expert in that kind of adventure, you can walk down the cave first and then do rapelling with height only 50 m. Inside Jomblang, you can see what people call as The Heaven’s light. It is a marvelous sun light that come into Jomblang cave through the hole. To see this you need to come here before 10 a.m and pay 450.000 rupiahs to get down to the cave.

Read also : Jomblang Cave Tour

3. Pindul Cave

To see the beauty of Gunungkidul can also by getting down to the watering cave like in Pindul cave. The journey that will be taken quite far because from the mouth of the cave has been covered with water. Cave tubing here will use the tire and life jacket as a safety, while inside the cave it is suggested that you follow all the guides to avoid anything unpleasant. During the 40 to 60 minute journey you will go through the caves or places in the Pindul. The cave tubing here is very pleasant and the guides are also very friendly. Cave conditions is also well maintained.

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4. Kalisuci Cave

Located in Pacarejo village, Gunungkidul, Kalisuci cave is another destination for cave tubing beside Pindul. This Kalisuci is actually the first cave tubing in Indonesia. But because at that time cave tubing is not a popular activity, so Kalisuci is not famous, until finally Pindul open cave tubing as a part of its tourism. What is interesting from Kalisuci, is the flow of the river that more bigger than in Pindul, so the tour becomes more challenging. The water here is never dry and always more swift when the rainy season. A 1 to 2 hour journey is required to travel the destinations such as Holy Cave, Luweng Senglat, Luweng Geleng, Goa Mburi Omah. The entrance fee is 70.000 rupiahs.

Read also : Kalisuci Cavetubing Tour

5. Nglanggeran Volcano

Want to see ancient volcano in Jogja? Just come to Gunungkidul at Nglanggeran Volcano tourism. It is an ancient volcano area, which situated in Nglanggeran village. It also has another name that is Gunung Api Purba. You can go hiking untill you reach the top and see the beauty of Jogja from there. The entrance fee is only 7000 rupiahs. Cheap enough to get the best feeling of hiking. Facilities such as wood stairs have been made to ease the hiking. Camping can be an experience that ends the excitement of climbing this mountain.

6. Bukit Bintang

Another unique destination in Gunungkidul is Bukit Bintang. Here you can hang out while looking at the star scattered landscape. Named Bukit Bintang because in this hill you can look at the city lights below your feet whose sparkle and flickering like a star. In this place also you can have dinner with family or loved ones in the restaurant. The air is so fresh and the access is easy since it is located on the main route of Yogyakarta-Wonosari street.

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Things to do in Gunungkidul

Gunungkidul known as an interesting place for visitors due to the karst or limestone area. Below are things to do in Gunungkidul area :

• Caving
• Trekking
• Rafting & Canoeing
• Cavetubing
• Rivertubing
• Climbing & Rappeling
• Camping
• Offroad

Gunungkidul White Sandy Beach

1. Sepanjang Beach

Want to see Kuta beach in Jogja? Yes, you can! Just go to Sepanjang Beach in Tanjungsari, Wonosari, Gunungkidul regency. If you go here, the advantage you get is that you can go to other beaches that located near Sepanjang such as, Kukup beach, Sanglen, Watu Kodok, and Drini. The distance is only about 1 to 8 km. This Sepanjang beach becomes popular because the nuance is same as Kuta Bali beach.

Then what can you do here? You can relieve your stress by walking in the white sand and play with the water as much as you can. Other uniqueness is that there are still sea animals that are easily found here such as fish, algae, starfish, shellfish, and sea urchins.

This beach also has the longest coastal area than other beach.  If the water is receding, you can see beautiful coral that still looks beautiful. Access to the beach is quite easy and the parking lot is spacious. There is no entrance fee, but you have to pay levy at Gunungkidul Beach Entrance about 10.000 rupiah.

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2. Ngandong Beach

Next is Ngandong beach, which is one of the hidden beaches in Gunungkidul. Though this beach is not famous yet, but it has incomparable beauty. It is a very exotic beach located in Sidoarjo village, Tepus, Gunungkidul. The route to this hidden beach is not easy. The streets are rather rocky, but after coming to this beach, the peace and solitude that exist will replace the fatigue on the way.

Ngandong is still very clean. White sand combined with the natural scenery of karst cliffs and coral reef that can sometimes be seen if the water is receding, is precisely the main attraction of the beach. Around this beach is the village of the fishermen. Some of their ships may be visible and you can usually rent the boat to experience a sea trip with the fisherman. There is no entrance fee but you have to pay for parking in Ngandong.

3. Timang Beach

Popular for its adventurous gondola, this beach is quite unique because it is not famous for its coastal scenery but because the story of the fishermen who had to struggle to cross the coral reef using a very simple gondola made of wood and plastic ropes. This coral reef is called Pulau Timang. Here fishermen can get lots of fish catches and especially lobsters.

Influenced by this dangerous idea, this small and risky gondola becomes a tourism interests. Visitors often want to feel how to cross with this gondola. No need to worry because if you cross the island of Timang is equipped with security equipment in the gondola. Because of that the price to cross the coral reef reaching 200.000 rupiah.

4. Ngrenehan Beach

Ngrenehan Beach also includes a beach that is not so crowded visitors. This can be used to calm the stress because the scenery is also quite soothing. In contrast to other beaches that are bright white sand, Ngrenehan beach actually has a yellowish white sand. But the grain is softer that it is comfortable on the foot. Playing water here is fun because you can also see the activities of fishermen who bring fish that you can buy directly. This beach is famous as a fishermen village.

5. Pok Tunggal Beach

Named with Pok Tunggal, this beach has a very iconic panorama. It is the only one Duras tree in the seaside, which gave the idea of Pok Tunggal name. For you who like off-road route, you can try to visit this beach because before you can enter it, you need to pass steep streets. But whenever you arrived in the beach, all tired will be payed off.

Because the beach is quite hidden, cleanliness certainly no doubt. You can do sunbathing or sitting on the beach using umbrellas that can be rented only with 20.000 rupiah. In addition, you can spend the night using a dome tent that can also be rented here for 60,000 rupiah. You can satisfy yourself by looking at the sunset or burning bonfire while cooking fish.

6. Jogan Beach

Have you ever seen a waterfall by the beach? If not, try to come to Jogan beach. On this beach you can find incredible scenery, waterfall empties into the ocean. But if you want to come here it is better during the rainy season, so the water debit is going up and you can enjoy the real view of the coastal waterfall. To reach this area you need to struggle first because the road is not easy. But once you get there, you can see a comparable scenery. Entrance fee is 10.000 rupiah. To be able to feel the beauty of the waterfall that empties into this beach you have to go down the beach with rapelling or canyoning techniques.

7. Nglambor Beach

If it is asked where is the best place for snorkeling in Jogja, people would answer Nglambor beach? Why this beach? Because it is the first beach in Jogja that offer the visitor snorkeling activity. In this beach the coral reef is still healthy and looks well preserved so snorkeling is very recommended for you. It does not require deep sea to find the fish that accompany your snorkeling.

Other unique things about this place are that the beach is flanked by two bays and has a large coral reef on the beach that protects it from the big waves. Here you can camp with friends and family. Entrance fee is 5000 rupiah includes parking, while for snorkeling equipment pay 50.000 rupiah.

8. Wohkudu Beach

Just by taking two hours from Jogja, you will be able to find beautiful beach that is Wohkudu beach. To meet this exotic place, you must walk for about 10 minutes along the path. This road is often covered by bushes so you can feel down the hidden paradise in Gunungkidul.

Wohkudu beach is small. It is an area of 20-30 meters. On both sides flanked by a large coral reef that increasingly adds to the hidden impression of this beach. Underneath the coral is a cave that is used to hide from sunlight exposure.

9. Siung Beach

Just like other beaches in Gunungkidul, Siung beach has a vast expanse of white sand complete with marine biota that is still healthy. Just by paying entrance fee of 10,000 rupiah, you can already feel an unforgettable experience here. You can see the fishermen who go to sea and come home with fish. These fresh fish you can buy in the market near the beach, or eat it in the restaurant around the beach. To get a cheaper price you can buy fish directly from the fisherman. Like on other beaches, you can camp and stay overnight or also try climbing on the cliffs that is in around the beach. This activity is also famous among tourists.

10. Sadranan Beach

Snorkling is one of the activities that can be done when visiting the beach. One of the famous spots for snorkeling is Sadranan beach. Some protected fish will accompany your snorkeling. The good time for snorkeling is at the morning around 6 to 8 a.m, then afternoon at 4 to 6 p.m. It costs 50,000 to rent the equipment.

Facilities here are also complete as well as toilets, gazebos, and restaurants. If you want to sunbathe on the edge you can rent an umbrella at a price of 25.000 rupiah. This beach location is in the hamlet Pulegundes II, Sidoharjo village, Gunungkidul.

11. Krakal Beach

Krakal beach is a pretty famous beach in Jogja even before the other new beaches. But now, this beach name is being lifted back because there is surfing tour. Many foreign tourists come here to surf. This place has good waves and the usual waited waves is Reef Break which is a big wave good for surfing. Because it is quite dangerous, beginners are not recommended to try to surf in this wave.

In addition to surfing you can also surround the beach and recognize the beauty of clear sea water, white sand, coral reefs that can be seen on the beach, and Damselfish that live in the coastal reefs. The entrance fee is 10.000 rupiahs.

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