Gunung Kidul

Gunung Kidul is a regency in Central Java, part of the Yogyakarta Special Region, Indonesia.

Understand

Gunung Kidul is in a karst region, known for the beautiful beaches.

Get in

Take a bus or ride a scooter/drive from Yogyakarta to Wonosari.

Get around

Ideally you come with a scooter or a car, as the beaches are far apart.

See

Beaches

At least there are 100 beaches in Gunungkidul. List from west to east.

Drini Beach view

Purwosari district

• Parangendog Beach (Pantai Parangendog). 
• Watugupit Beach (Pantai Watugupit). 
• Klampok Beach (Pantai Klampok). 
• Bekah Beach (Pantai Bekah). 

Panggang district

• Ngunggah Beach (Pantai Ngunggah). 
• Grigak Beach (Pantai Grigak). 
• Celeng Tibo Beach (Pantai Celeng Tibo). 
• Kesirat Beach (Pantai Kesirat). 
• Ngreslangu Beach (Pantai Ngreslangu). 
• Clungup Beach (Pantai Clungup). 
• Wohkudu Beach (Pantai Wohkudu). 
• Nungguran Beach (Pantai Nungguran). 
• Kepek Beach (Pantai Kepek). 

Saptosari district

• 1 Ngobaran Beach (Pantai Ngobaran). This is a pure beach with a number of marine attractions to explore. When the tide is low in the morning the visitors can join the local fishermen to collect seaweed or go fishing for stranded fish between the reefs at the beach. Some believe that somewhere in the beach lie the remains of King Brawijaya's fort and his men “Sabdo Palon Ngoyogenggong”. This beach includes a cave, which leads its explorers to a striking underground stream. If you go to Ngrenehan Beach for the grilled fish just drop by Ngobaran Beach, it has a high cliff and is around 2 km from Ngrenehan Beach. Many sea animal species are present in the coral reef and inter-tidal zones, ranging from sea urchin, starfish, to various types of cockleshells.  
• 2 Ngrenehan Beach (Pantai Ngrenehan), Kanigoro Village, Saptosari (about 30 km south of Wonosari). A small bay surrounded by rocky hills that has fascinating panorama and swirling waves hitting white sandy beach and rocky edge of the hills. The local fishermen can prepare fresh or grilled fish for visitors.  

Tanjungsari district

• 3 Baron Beach (Pantai Baron). The beach is flanked by two cliffs and there is a fisherman's village.  
• 4 Kukup Beach (Pantai Kukup). 
• 5 Sepanjang Beach (Pantai Sepanjang). 
• 6 Drini Beach (Pantai Drini). 
• 7 Krakal Beach (Pantai Krakal). Krakal has sandy beaches, which attracts with white beaches, jagged rocks and high waves. But, you have to cut back on the facilities and the swimming facilities, since the full force of the Indian Ocean usually does not allow more than splashing around on the beaches.  

Tepus district

• 8 Sundak Beach (Pantai Sundak). 
• 9 Indrayanti Beach (Pantai Indrayanti). 
• 10 Pok Tunggal Beach (Pantai Pok Tunggal). 
• 11 Jogan Beach (Pantai Jogan). Oceanfront destination featuring a viewing platform by a waterfall flowing onto a rocky shoreline. 
• 12 Siung Beach (Pantai Siung). 

Do

Jomblang Cave

The traditional gondola on Timang Beach

Cave boating

• 1 Tanding Cave (Goa Tanding), Gelaran 2, Seropan, Bejiharjo, Kec. Karangmojo. 6AM-4PM. Cave known for striking rock formations, with raft rides available on an underground river. 

Cave tubing

• 2 Pindul Cave (Goa Pindul), Jalan Goa Pindul Gelaran 2, RT.3/RW.16, Bejiharjo, Karangmojo. 7AM-4PM. Pindul Cave is a cave formed by karst with an underground river located about 7 kilometres south of the city centre Wonosari, Gunung Kidul. It is known for the cave tubing that visitors can do and is done with tires that float above the underground river inside the cave, this activity is known as cave tubing. 
• 3 Kalisuci Cave Tubing, Jetis, Pacarejo, Semanu. 8AM-4PM. Tube ride through caves & a karst canyon. 

Rappeling (Abseiling)

• 4 Jomblang Cave (Goa Jomblang), Jetis, Pacarejo, Semanu. 9AM-2PM. Jomblang Cave is a vertical collapse doline-type cave.  

Ride traditional gondola

• 5 Gondola Pantai Timang (Timang Beach), Pantai, Purwodadi, Tepus. 6AM-5PM. Crossing the sea to a rock where the local fisherman looks for the lobster. 

Buy

Extreme snack

Buy a snack made from fried grasshoppers or locals called walang goreng.

• 1 Pusat Oleh-oleh Gunungkidul Walang Goreng Gareng, Selang, Wonosari. (updated Aug 2022)

Local snack

Gatot, a snack made from cassava

There are snacks made from cassava which has become a specialty in Gunung Kidul, Gatot and Tiwul. Also, Peyek Rumput Laut is made from seaweed.

• 2 Gathot Thiwul Yu Tum, Jl. Pramuka No.36, Pandansari, Wonosari. (updated Aug 2022)

Eat

Gunung Kidul has many local traditional dishes like kicikan (beef with local spices), and some foods made from tempeh such as puli tempe, tempe manding, jangan lombok ijo etc.

• 1 Pasar Pahing Karangmojo, Karangmojo. Kicikan. 
• 2 Puli Tempe Mbak Iken, Proliman, Ponjong. Puli tempe. 
• 3 Lesehan Nasi Merah Pari Gogo, Munggi, Semanu. Red rice with jangan lombok ijo. 

Near Timang Beach, there are also seafood restaurants, especially lobster.

• 4 Pak Sis Lobster Restaurant (Kedai Lobster Pak Sis), Timang, Purwodadi. Lobster and other seafood. 

There is an oversupply of restaurants that run along the coastal roads of Krakal, Sundak and Indrayanti. The cuisine is traditionally Indonesian, mostly simple warungs that specifically offer fish and seafood. The following can be recommended:

• Idrayanti Resto. Right on the Idrayanti beach with a sea view. (updated May 2020)
• Rock Garden Resto (on the curve between Sundak and Idrayanti). One of the better places in the area. (updated May 2020)

Drink

As a regency with numerous beaches, the whole coconut drink is very common in Gunung Kidul. The price is in the range of Rp10,000-20,000.

Sleep

• 1 Baron Hill Resort Gunung Kidul RedPartner, Jl Mercusuar Tanjung Baron, Rejosari, Kemadang, ☏ +62 816 681 991. Wooden cottage with a swimming pool on the cliff. Rp517,644. (updated Aug 2022)
• 2 Edge Resort Yogyakarta, Jl. Gua Langse, Area Hutan, Giricahyo, ☏ +62 812 277 31085. Check-in: 15:00. There is a swimming pool facing the coastline. From Rp1,566,000. (updated Aug 2022)
• Rock Garden Homestay, Jl. Raya Pantai Sundak, ☏ +62 822 253 17339, nomadtour@hotmail.com. Homestay located between Sundak and Indrayanti, clean and spacious rooms. Price: including breakfast Rp200,000-300,000. (updated May 2020)
• Sumantri Cottages. (updated May 2020)

Connect

The telephone area code of Gunung Kidul is 0274.

Go next

• Yogyakarta
• Parangtritis
• Wonogiri