The Glagah Beach, from Lagoon Scenery to Agro Tourism

When you come to Glagah Beach, you will directly find plain coastal land. This gives you an opportunity to get wide view of all directions. Looking straight ahead, you will see the long horizon uniting the ocean and the sky. The beauty of the bending coastal line will satisfy your view when you look either westward or eastward.
Both the plain coastal land and the long coastal line also give you some alternative locations to see the beauty of the coastal scenery. Every location seems to have different nuance even though they are located in the same area. In each location, you can enjoy the overall view of the beautiful beach without boundaries of huge coral reefs.
The first location to get best view of the coastal area is the one that is planned to become a harbor in the future. You will find the place when you follow a 'PP' sign at the fist turn after the ticket post. The full-of-harmony meeting point between the river stream and the ocean waves can be seen by climbing to the view post in the location.
From the first location to some hundreds meters westwards, you can find a loog with the water flowing to the river estuary. This lagoon divides the coastal area into two, the one with coastal plants and weeds and the other place with the sand dune that directly borders on the sea. You can cross to the sand dune area through a connecting bridge that is located close to the river estuary.
Walking further to the west, you can see the activities of local people and some people fishing. When YogYES visited, they are standing in shoulders along the coastal line holding their fishing rods. The slightly sloping area gives much fish for local fishermen. Some kiosks sell seafood with various menus worth trying.
In addition to the beautiful coastal scenery, Glagah Beach also has various beach tourism facilities. One of them is the motocross circuit that is located at the seaside that will satisfy hobbyists of this sport. Meanwhile, the asphalted road connectiong the Glagah Beach and other beaches can be utilized for fun bike activity.
You can even enjoy the agro tourism facility by visiting Kusumo Wanadri plantation. There, you can observe the cultivation process of medication herbs such as dragon fruit and Roselle flower. Besides, you can also hire the bamboo-boat (in Javanese language: gethek), canoe, and rowing duck that you can use to explore the lagoon or you can just cross the wooden bridge to come to the sand dune area at the seaside.
When you feel tired after taking a long walk, you can take arrest in cross-legged sitting hut in the area of Kusumo Wanadri plantation. Some exotic menus and beverages are worth trying. You can try fresh dragon fruit juice and is famous for its efficacy to heal some illnesses, or you may order Roselle flower syrup that will quench your thirst and neutralize various toxins in your body.
In order to enjoy the entire beautiful Glagah scenery, you can take either one of the two alternatives roads. First, go southwards via Bantul road and turn right to Bantul - Purworejo road after you come to Palbapang. Second, go westwards via Yogyakarta - Wates - Purworejo road and turn left after finding a signboard directing to Glagah Beach. You would better drive your own vehicle to reach the access more easily.
The trip to this beach is not as difficult as reaching the beaches in Gunung Kidul area. The road is flat and not much so climbs that you can reach the beaches while relaxing your mind. The road leading to Purworejo city also connects Glagah beach with other beaches in Kulon Progo Regency. In other words, you can kill two birds with one stone.

Wediombo Beach, Fishing from the Coral Hill

The imagination of very wide, white-sand beach that enables you to see different angles of the beach will rise when you hear the mention of Wediombo (wedi=sand, ombo=wide) Beach. Nonetheless, Wediombo Beach actually does not have such wide spread of sands. The west and east parts of the beach are planked by coral hills so that the spread of the sands is not as wide as the one in Parangtritis, Glagah, and possibly Kuta beaches.
In fact, local people tell that the name of this beach that was given by the predecessors does not represent the real situation. Some people say that more appropriate name for this beach is Teluk Ombo (The Wide Bay), since the beach looks like a wide bay. There are two flanking coral hills with the seawater protrudes to the land but it is wider that common bays.
Apart from the inappropriate name, however, Wediombo still provides extraordinary beach view. The seawater looks clear blue; it is different from other beaches of which seawater looks greenish resulted from water pollution. The white sands with ornaments of the seashells are maintained well. The atmosphere of the beach is quiet so that it becomes the right place to get out of noisiness.
Wediombo is located in Jepitu village of Girisubo Sub-District in Gunung Kidul Regency. If you have come to Siung Beach, you will easily reach this beach. You only have to get back to a T-junction in Tepus before the road leading to Siung Beach, then turn right following the road until you get to a sign board asking you to turn right to get to Wediombo.
The location of this beach is far lower that the surrounding lands. You have to get down by the stairs in order to reach the beach and enjoy the panorama. While descending the stairs, you will be able to see the field, houses and mangrove vegetation on your left and right sides. Some people are seen carrying herbs for their cattle or taking care of the cattle in its stall.
In addition to the enchanting coastal panorama, Wediombo offers a unique tour experience, if not an extreme one, namely fishing from the height of the coral cliff. This kind of tour originating from the fishing habit of local people is popular with fishing hobbyists from Yogyakarta and Wonogiri. The main objective is, according to local people to YogYES, to catch big fish.
It is not easy to reach the fishing location at the top of the coral cliff. We have to walk eastwards through the shore; climbing steep and slippery cliff and sometimes the waves will hit us before arriving at the cliff that directly faces the deep ocean. For those who have been familiar with the route, it will take them one-hour walk.
The difficult way to the cliff, however, is paid well. Big fish are sometimes caught by the hobbyists. At least they will catch fish that local people name it panjo fish. The fish of which size is as big as man's arm are of two kinds, the cylindrical one that exist more during dry season and the flat one during the rainy season.
The baits are small fish that can even be collected at the seashore. We can use either fishing pole or fishnet to catch the small fish. It's cheap and easy, isn't it?
For those who do not dare to get to the top of the cliff, they might just buy the fish they the fishermen catch. They sell the panjo fish at IDR 3,000 one fish, or IDR 20,000 for a string of fish containing 5-6 fish. Some local people are willing to cook them for you if you wish. Otherwise, you can take them home as a gift for your family.
Cooked panjo fish are also available. Served with rice and condiment from chili pepper, fried Panjo fish is sold at IDR 7,000 only. The rice is served in the traditional container called bakul and the condiment is on traditional saucer called cobek. The portion is big enough for two persons. YogYES tried this menu in a warong located close to the parking area. Fried sea urchin that tastes like fried chicken is also available if you want to try.
At certain occasions, you can see Ngalangi ceremony that is held by local people. This ceremony takes place once in a year, just like the labuhan besar ceremony, of which objective is to express the gratitude to God for what have been granted and asking for good fortune for the future. The fortune is mainly good catches in sufficient quantity to fulfill daily needs.
The procession of the ceremony is unique; it begins by spreading gawar - the fishnet made from wawar tree. This kind of fishnet was used to catch fish before the present nylon fishnet. The gawar is spread out from Kedongkowok hill to the area of the rise and fall of the tides in order to trap the fish that are washed away by the waves and that cannot get back to the sea.
When seawater falls, the fish are collected. People are then busy cleaning and cooking the fish. Some of the fish are returned to the sea with some rice ans offerings. Most part of the dish is shared to the families. This ceremony is known as kenduri besar or great shared-meals as the form of local wisdom that fish are livelihood for all people.
In addition to Ngalangi ceremony, the enchantment of the beach can be enjoyed everyday. The entrance fee is only IDR 5,000 for two persons. If you want to spend the night and gather with some of your friends, you can use a small hut located close to the warongs alongside the beach. It is so refreshing to be in this beach

Drini Beach

Drini beach which lies in Ngestirejo village, Tanjungsari sub district, about 1 km away in the east of Sepanjang Beach. The special character of this beach is the coral island with Drini trees on it. As is said, poisonous snakes avoid the wood of this Drini tree.

Kukup Beach

Kukup Beach is a white sandy beach lies in Kemadang village, Tanjungsari sub district, about 1 km away in the east of Baron beach, it has a pathway trough the hill up to Baron beach and also a coral island, which is connected by a senggol bridge.
This beach is rich in sea life and also famous of its various kinds of beautiful fish in sea aquarium or various kinds of beautiful fish sold by the merchants along the beach. There are hall (pendopo), cottage and other facilities in this area. Just like in Baron beach, this beach also performs a sea offering ceremony every Syuro.

Parangkusumo, the Love Beach in Yogyakarta

Upon entering the gate of Parangkusumo Beach, you will immediately feel the sacred nuance of the beach that is located around 30 kilometers south of Yogyakarta city and it is believed to be the entrance gate to the south ocean. You will soon smell the fragrance of flowers and incense as the materials of an offering; the nuance you will find nowhere but in this beach.
The sacredness of the place feels more distinct when you look at the scattered flowers and sets of offerings on the Love Stone that is located in Puri Cepuri complex where Panembahan Senopati and Queen of the South met and made an agreement. At that time, Senopati was meditating on the bigger stone in the north when Queen of the South approached him and sat on the smaller stone in the south.
The meeting between the two authorities had influence on the relationship between Yogyakarta Kingdom and Bale Sokodhomas Kingdom. It began when Senopati was perfecting his supernatural powers by doing the ritual of tapa ngeli or carrying himself away in the river. Arriving at a certain phase of his meditation, suddenly there was storm on the beach, trees were yanked out by its roots, the seawater was boiling and fish were thrown to the land.
The occurrence compelled the Queen of the South to show up on the surface of the ocean to see Senopati. Senopati expressed his ideal to govern Mataram and asked the Queen of South for her help. The Queen promised him the help with the conditions that Senopati and his descendants would be willing to become her husbands. Senopati took the conditions with the request that the marriage should not bear children.
The agreement made Yogyakarta Kingdom as one of Mataram frictions to have close relationship with the Kingdom of the South Ocean. The proof of such a relationship is the labuhan alit (giving an offering by throwing out certain things to the sea) that is done annually. One part of the labuhan ceremony is planting parts of Sultan's nails, hair and clothes in the area of Puri Cepuri. Please check with Yogyakarta tourism calendar in YogYES.com for this labuhan rite.
The meditation of Senopati that bore useful fruits caused many people to believe that any requests will be answered if they are said by the Love Stone. It is not surprising, therefore, hundreds of people from different classes and religions come to the place on certain days they consider sacred. Going in pilgrimage to the Love Stone is also believed to help someone to release heavy burdens from him and to give new life spirit.
In addition to the Love Stone and the labuhan procession, you can also enjoy the beauty of the beach and the breeze of the seashore on a horse-cart. You only have to pay IDR 20,000 for the pleasant ride.
There are many warongs where you can buy meals and drinks. Quite big numbers of visitors makes this area crowded every day, even until late at night. Some of them even spend the night in this beach to say their prayer. If you want to share the spiritual experience in Parangkusumo Beach, you can join the pilgrims praying.

Parangtritis, the Most Popular Beach in Yogyakarta

In addition to being the most popular beach in Yogyakarta, Parangtritis is worth visiting since it is closely related to such tourism objects as the Sultan Palace in Yogyakarta city, Parangkusumo Beach to the west of it, and the Merapi area at the north part of Yogyakarta. Located around 27 kilometers from the city center, Parangtritis Beach is also part of the Queen of South's authority.
The naming of the beach has its own history. Hundreds years ago, someone named Dipokusumo, who was a fugitive of Majapahit Kingdom, came to this area to meditate. When he saw water dripping from the crack of the coral reef, he named this area 'parangtritis', originating from the word parang (stone) and tumaritis (water drops). The beach close to the area was then named the same.
Parangtritis is a beach full of myths, which is believed to be the manifestation of the unity among Merapi Mountain, Yogyakarta Kingdom, and Parangtritis Beach. The legend tells that Panembahan Senopati and Sunan Kalijaga once met in this place after completing their meditation. Panembahan Senopati was reminded of being a humble ruler despite his supernatural powers.
The primary attraction of this beach is its natural view. The enchantment of the coastal scenery can be seen from different angles to give you different experiences. When you are standing at the seashore, you will see the wide ocean with the high waves and steeply mountainside on the east side.
To get the view from the site, just walk or hire the horse-cart westwards and you look southwards when you have reached the place. You may get to the place by riding a horse that you shall rent at negotiable price.
After enjoying the scenery of Parangtritis beach from the seashore, you can leave for Langse Cave for a different experience. On the earth road leading to the cave, you can look westwards to see Parangtritis from different angle. The high waves rushing to the shore will look silvery under the sun, and will look golden by the sunset time. YogYES got the opportunity to see this exotic view during its visit a couple of days ago.
Before reaching Langse Cave, we suggest that you pay a visit to the graveyard of Syeh Bela Belu that will give you spiritual experience. Usually, many pilgrims come on certain days such as certain Tuesday that is called Kliwon on Javanese calendar as one of the five Javanese days of the week.
From the graveyard, you may challenge yourself to continue your journey to Langse Cave that you have to go on foot to get to the cave that is 3 kilometers away through as high as 400 meters mountainside at the slope of almost 900. To get into the cave that is also called the Queen of South cave, you have to get the permission from the tomb guard. According to the guard of Depok Beach several times entered the cave when he was young, we will get beautiful view of the south ocean at the mouth of the cave that directly faces the ocean.
On the fifth day of the fifth month of Chinese calendar, you will be able to see Peh Cun ceremony procession in Parangtritis. Peh Cun, originating from the word Peh that means oar and Cun that means boat, is Chinese expression of gratitude to God. This rite is also meant to commemorate Khut Gwan (Qi Yuan), a loyal patriot as well as a minister who was once betrayed by his colleague so that he committed a suicide.
Peh Cun ceremony is unique since there is no festival of dragon-decorated boats rowing like in other regions, instead there is an attraction of standing egg. The attraction begin at 11:00 a.m. and by afternoon, according to the myth, the egg will stand upright with no means of support are needed. By 01:00 p.m., however, the egg will suddenly fall down and no one can erect it anymore.To get to Parangtritis Beach, you can take either one of the two routes. One is the route of Yogyakarta-Imogiri-Siluk-Parangtritis with the river and coral reel scenery on the way. The other is Yogyakarta-Parangtritis route that is easier to take with quite smooth road. It is suggested that you do not wear green clothes to respect local people who believe that green clothes will bring misfortune.

Depok Beach, Enjoy Seafood Cuisine from Fresh Fish

Among other beaches in Yogyakarta, Depok Beach is apparently the only beach that is designed to become the center of culinary tourism to enjoy various seafood menus. Some of the warongs were intentionally designed to face the ocean so that visitors can enjoy the waves rushing to the shore while having delicious meals.
The warongs and the activities of the fishermen have been improving since 10 years ago. The story tells that around 1997 some fishermen from Cilacap area found Depok Beach to be a good place to put their catches ashore. The fishermen with good catches of fish inspired the local people who made their living as farmers to catch fish.
Some people of the coastal community began to become tekong, local term for fishermen. The tekongs go to sea with their motorboats. Catching fish is done almost throughout the year, except certain days that are considered sacred, namely Tuesday and Friday of Kliwon (one of the five Javanese days of the week). The tekongs make good catches except June to September when fish are rare.
With such big quantity of catches, local people opened a center for fish landing that later was completed with a center for fish trading called Mina Bahari 45. Fishermen from other areas can even sell their catches there. When YogYES paid a visit, this fish trading center was occupied by many visitors.
With the increasing number of visitors to the beach that is located 1.5 kilometers from Parangtritis Beach, seafood warongs were opened accordingly. Generally, the warongs offer traditional nuance. The buildings are simple with traditional shape of roofs called limasan, while the seating is arranged for cross-legged on mats with small tables for eating. Simple, they are clean and comfortable.
Various seafood cuisines are worth trying. The most popular fish dish at reasonable price is tuna, at IDR 8,000 per/kg, consisting of 5-6 fish. Other kinds of fish are white kakap and red kakap that sell around IDR 17,000 - IDR 25,000 per kilogram. Quite expensive fish is bawal that sells at IDR 27,000 - IDR 60,000 per kilogram. In addition to fish, there are also crabs, lobsters and squids.
Seafood is usually served grilled or fried. You can choose fresh fish, other catches yourself, and then you go to one of the warongs to have them cooked. YogYES tried to have half a kilogram of tuna fish cooked and had them with a glass of tea that totally cost IDR 22,000 only.
After having good meals, you may leave Depok Beach for Parangkusumo and Parangtritis Beaches by turning right when you get to the asphalted road. On the way, you will see the amazing sand dunes as the only such a view in South-East Asia and it is rarely found in tropical areas. The wide sandy area looks like desert.
It takes thousands of years for the formation of the sand dunes through unique process. Some forms of them are barchan dune, comb dune, parabolic dune and longitudinal dune. Now, only barchan and longitudinal ones are present. The wind of the sea and the steep mountain slope in the east caused the sands, resulted from the activity of Merapi Mountain, at the bank of the river to blow away to the shore to form the sand dunes.
In order to get the place where you can enjoy having seafood while admiring the sand dunes, you can take the same road leading you from Yogyakarta to Parangtritis. Just before arriving the ticket box to Parangtritis Beach, you turn right through small-asphalted road. The entrance ticket to Depok Beach is IDR 4,000 for two people and one motorcycle. If you go by a car, you pay IDR 5,000 for the car plus additional fare per person.

Baron Beach

Baron beach lies in Kemandang Village, Tanjungsari sub district about 23 km in the South of Wonosari city. Baron beach is the first beach that would be found in the junction of Baron, Kukup, Sepanjang, Drini, Krakal and Sundak beaches area.
In Baron beach there is a mouth of Underground River that can be used for bathing after playing in the beach. The visitors can also enjoy various kinds of low prices seafood or fresh fish and Baron's special menu namely Kakap fish soup. There is limestone hill on can reach the place by passing through a path. Visitors could have a magnificent view of the beach, about 10 kilometers in the West of Baron beach there are Parang Racuk hill with mountain slopes, it challenge you to do some adventures.Every syuro month (the first month of Javanese calendar), the fisherman societies organize Labuhan, sea offering ceremony, to express their gratitude to the God for the abundant fish harvest and for the welfare in fishing).