Banyuwangi is beautiful area in East Java, Indonesia with beaches, oceans and legendary lakes. You can expect eco-tourism and outdoor activities as well.
Banyuwangi
Banyuwangi famous for its beautiful beaches, is particularly famous for the legend of a queen who turned dirty lake water to crystal clear and fragrant by jumping in to prove her innocence. The name ‘banyuwangi’ originates from the word ‘banyu‘ and ‘wangi‘, which means fragrant water in local tongue.
With a population of 108, 166 it is the 16th biggest city in East Java. A large variety of cultures co-exist, from the Osing race, the Madura race, Javanese race with a minority population of Balinese, Mandar people and Bugis people. Osing race are in fact the original settlers of Banyuwangi who can be considered the sub-race of Javanese people.
While in Banyuwangi, don’t forget to enjoy its different forms of ancient arts from 0art performances such as the kuntulan, gandrung, jaranan, barong, janger and seblang.
Where to visit in Banyuwangi
Djawatan
One of the most famed places you can visit in Banyuwangi is the Djawatan forest, which presents an eerie resemblance to the ancient forest from the Lord of the Rings. The forest is wide and lush with trees, a rare and beautiful sight in places where forests are beginning to disappear.
This forest is an especially prime location to take pictures for instagram selfies to pre-wedding shots. However the popularity of this area makes the area crowded a most of the time. Luckily all you need to do is pay for the parking lot, and you can take as many pictures as you want here!
All you need to bring when arriving here is a camera, your best smile and some money for the parking fee!
Pantai Plengkung
This beach has always been a favorite must visit destination after arriving at Banyuwangi. It is also known as the ‘G-Land’, due to the fact that it is near the Grajangan Bay or the ‘G’ from the word ‘Great’.
What makes this destination famous are the large waves that surfers are very fond of. Many people would in fact visit this area specifically to surf. Alternatively, you can soak or swim in the water to enjoy the beach.
Desa Wisata Osing Kemiren
To experience the full extent of Banyuwangi culture, you must visit the Desa Wisata Kemiren, as they are the original settlers of the area. Visitors are able to look at various attractions in the village including the harvest festival, in which they show their gratitude for a bountiful harvest.
You can also visit the miniature versions of the traditional houses in the north side of the village. Looking at the houses are not the only thing you can enjoy but also the traditional art forms of the people around it to show the full extend of their culture. There are even swimming pools, playgrounds as well as a museum showing the historical items that were used in the past. With just Rp 5.000, you will be able to enjoy every bit of the facility.
Visitors should also try the Kopi Using Desa Adat Kemiren Banyuwangi-taste the signature coffee of the using race. You will also be able to see the coffee making process, the filtering process until the serving process.
Gunung Raung
Raung Mountain is the second tallest caldera in Indonesia. Being able to reach this mountain is therefore a large accomplishment for those who are visiting the area. However for those who are planning to climb this mountain, both your mental state and body should be ready. This is because this mountain is one of the challenging ones to climb. Finally, you can choose between the four peaks above the mountain from Puncak 17, Puncak Tusuk Gigi, dan Puncak Sejati that is combined into one. Each peak offers their own beautiful scenery for visitors to enjoy.
Don’t forget to bring your licenses and documentation, check your water supply, check your location, bring adequate supplies,
Mangrove Bedul Eco-Tourism
Interested in more eco tourism? You can visit the Mangrove Bedul Eco-tourism, where you can visit an eco park filled with mangrove trees. Since the park is also kept beautiful and pure, there are numerous wild animals that can be seen in the park from monkeys, antlers, deers, wild boars, turtles and lizards.
Sailing the boats at the Bedul-Sungai Kere tour will be one of the best experiences as it offers a wonderful view of the overall park (you can ride it by paying Rp 200k for 10-20 people). Another activity you can do is to fish at the nearby beaches.
There is also the Bedul-Pantai Cungur for bird-watching, which is perfect for photography enthusiasts. Join this tour by paying Rp 260k for a maximum of 10 people. Animal-lovers will be able to visit the turtle conservatory where you will be able to see the turtles hatch for Rp 500k for maximum 10 people. Whether you are an animal lover or want to take long walks, you have a choice between various tours to enjoy here.
Kawah Ijen
Another very famous nature destination is Kawah Ijen, one of the mysteries of nature in Indonesia. It is the one and only active volcano in Indonesia that spews out blue fire when witnessed in the middle of the night. Sulfur compressed at high pressure below the ground is spilled outside and consumes oxygen creating blue fire rather than the regular shade of red. Other than the beautiful blue fires, you will also be able to take pictures of the infamous turquoise lake suspended in the crater of the volcano.
That also meant the area is very dangerous to the human body as it spews out sulfur fumes. Bring a gas mask while visiting the area-many reported difficulty breathing and blurred vision after arriving in the area.
Tourists who arrive there on a weekday need to pay the amount of Rp 5k and Rp 7, 5k on a weekend. Foreign tourists are charged at Rp 150k on a weekday and Rp 175k on a weekend.
Savana Sadengan
For a taste for the African Savannah, visit the Savana Sadengan. Despite being the ideal area for animals to graze, it was created when trees were felled from a large area of land. Grass has since grown on the land akin to Savannah, for the animals.
Here you will find numerous animals in their natural habitat from bulls, Javanese peacocks, deer, birds and eagles. The recommended timing to watch the animals is in the morning from 6 am to 9 am and close to the evening at 15. 30 to 17. 30. Peacocks can be seen at 6 to 10 in the morning as they tend to avoid the sun when it gets too hot.
We recommend you to bring binocular to get a clearer look and climb onto the watchtower. Those interested in conducting research can even stay in a room behind the security post and watch the animals from a distance in the Savannah.
Pantai Teluk Hijau
One of the most famous beaches in Banyuwangi with its beautiful scenery and clear blue water. The beautiful color of the water, the soft white sandy beach all make this the go-to destination that people love to visit. There are also rocks set neatly to one side, which is one of the mysteries of nature as it’s set completely randomly by nature.
Even more convenient is it’s freshwater waterfalls named the ‘teluk hijau waterfall’. It has the height of 21 meters, making it ideal for washing off the seawater.
Swimming is prohibited to prevent people getting hurt by the rocks, but there are still a lot of things to do at the beach. Fishing, camping and sitting by the rocks are just some of the things that you can do while visiting the beach. Visitors are charged around Rp 5k to fully enjoy the beach.
Pantai Sukamade
There are a many eco-tourism opportunities at Banyuwangi, Sukamade beach being one of it. Turtles are endangered creatures and their existence has always been threatened on this beach. From carnivorous wild animals and poachers, their eggs are in danger. Protection of the population is done by building and maintaining the conservatory at night.
It has now been made into an area where tourists will be able to watch and educate themselves on the conservatory process of turtles in the Sukamade beach. The process starts at night, where these creatures arrive, dig and lay eggs at night. Eggs are then taken to the conservatory to be stored and taken care of until the eggs are grown and ready to be released to the wild.
Animal lovers can sleep in one of the sleeping areas provided, in order to watch the turtles lay eggs at night.
Getting Around
There are a variety of transportations in Banyuwangi from buses, jeeps, motorcycles and more. You can choose amongst all of these transportations, all according to how many people are joining your group and what provides you the most amount of comfort.
By bus, you can reach the main bus station in Banyuwangi at Ketapang ferry terminal. From the station, you can ride the regular yellow colored bemos and shuttle buses that run into the city and elsewhere in the vicinity. Otherwise, you can use the becaks to ride around town.
Private Jeeps are also available for use in Banyuwangi. These transportation is especially suited for independent trips up to the Ijen Crater or to explore the remote parts of the south eastern coastal National parks.
Regular cars are also available for rent, whether from the airport, through your hotel or travel agent. Having a comfortable and sturdy vehicle is especially good when you plan to visit mountain regions or savannah, although roads in Banyuwangi are generally in good condition.
You can also rent motorbikes at the Karangasem train station. We recommend negotiating the price starting from 75,000 to 80,000 IDR but it is possible to bring the cost down to 55,000 – 60,000 range.
Bike rental can be done at the motorbike renter, one such example is the Tripoli Tours located across the street from the Blambangan Terminal. (Jl. Jenderal Basuki Rahmat No. 77, Banyuwangi)
Getting to Banyuwangi
Indonesia’s second largest city, Surabaya is connected directly by a number of international airlines. You can then connect on Garuda Indonesia or Lion Air flights from Surabaya to Banyuwangi’s Blimbingsari Airport. There are also daily flights from Bali to Banyuwangi.
The city of Banyuwangi is located around 239 km east of Surabaya, capital of the province of East Java. You can travel to Banyuwangi by car or by train.
Surfers who are heading over to G-Land are doing so from Bali and transportation to the camps is part of their surf package. Independently, you can reach G-Land with a bus from Sri tanjung terminal to Benculuk (about 1 hour). Here, you can change and catch another bus to Grajagan (about 30 minutes).
Those who are travelling overland from Bali can catch the ferry at Gilimanuk from Bali’s western area to the port of Ketapang at Banyuwangi. Another way is to engage in a road trip from Surabaya or any other large city in East Java to Banyuwangi.
Those who are travelling from Gilimanuk in Bali to Ketapang every 30 minutes, operated 24 hours a day. The journey will take about 45 minutes, although the loading and unloading process can take much longer. Foor passengers are obligated to pay a price of Rp 8,000. You can contact the operator at +62 333 413730. If you are one to arrive in the evening and wish to take a break in your journey, stay in some of the homestays, just a short walk away from the ferry terminal. If not, locals can point the way if you don’t sport a sign.
Trains are another alternative transport that you can use to travel to Banyuwangi. Head over to the Banyuwangi Train Station or call at +62 333 510396 near to the Ketapang ferry port, about 300 m to the northwest. you can choose between the business, executive class and economy-class train cars. You can head over to Banyuwangi from Surabaya, Malang and Probolinggo.
You can also travel by Bus, where you can head to the main bus terminal, the Sri Tanjung which you can call at +62 333 510635. Located 2 km south of Ketapang port and brawijaya (karang ente) terminal which is coincidentally the nearest one to city center. Since Surabaya is about 285 km away by road, the distance is about 6 hours.
Via airport, you can head over to the Blimbingsari which is located around 15km south of city center. The nearest possible way is to travel to and fro Surabaya by using Wings Air and Garuda around 50 minutes.Since there are no public transport, you will have to pay about Rp 100,000 with a taxi to reach the airport from the city center.
Accomodation
- Ijen Resort & villas, Address: Randu Agung Village, Licin, Banyuwangi I Phone: +62-361289046 I E-mail: reservation.asmara@ijendiscovery.com I Website: https://www.ijenresortandvillas.com/
- Ketapang Indah Hotel, Address: Jalan Gatot Subroto KM 6, Banyuwangi I Phone: +62 (0333) 422280
- Hotel Blambangan, Address: Jl.Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo No. 4, Kepatihan, Banyuwangi I Phone: +62-333411222
- Didu’s Homestay Bed and Breakfast, Address: Dusun Watulo RT01/RW01 Desa Rejosari Kecamatan Glagah, Banyuwangi I Phone: +62-0852-8088-6938
- Paddy Hills Homestay, Address: Jl.Kemiren, Lingk/kel Banjarsari. Kec, Glagah., Dusun Watu Ulo, Rejosari, Glagah, Kabupaten Banyuwangi, Jawa Timur I Phone: +62-81234523230
- Villa Solong, Address: Lingkungan Sukowidi, Klatak, Kalipuro, Banyuwangi Regency, East Java I Phone: +62-87757898660
- Adinda Homestay, Address: Tukangkayu, Banyuwangi Sub-District, Banyuwangi Regency, East Java I Phone: +62-81236391528
- eL Royale Hotel & Resort Banyuwangi, Address: Jl. Raya Jember KM 7 Pakistaji, Dusun Krajan, Dadapan, Kabat, Kabupaten Banyuwangi, Jawa Timur I Phone: +62-3333382999 I E-mail: reservation.bwi@el-hotels.com I Website: https://banyuwangi.el-hotels.com/
- Grand Harvest Resort and Villas, Address: Dusun Krajan, Tamansari, Licin, Banyuwangi Regency, East Java, I Phone: +62-3333384031 I E-mail: info@grandharvestresort.com I Website: https://www.grandharvestresort.com/
- Bangsring Breeze Resort, Address: Jalan Raya Situbondo Km. 17, Wongsorejo, Kabupaten Banyuwangi, Jawa Timur, 68453, Indonesia I Phone: +6282331264847, +6285258666412, +6289696593706 I E-mail: Einfo@bangsringbreeze.com I Website: https://www.bangsringbreeze.com/
- Hotel Santika Banyuwangi, Address: Jl. Let. Jend. S. Parman No. 15, Banyuwangi, Jawa Timur, Phone: +62-333-4465123 I E-mail: reservation@banyuwangi.santika.com I Website: http://www.santika.com/indonesia/banyuwangi/hotel-santika-banyuwangi/
