Welcome to Baluran National Park | West Java


In stark contrast to the lush green scenery found elsewhere on the
island of Java, the Baluran National Park, located on the east-most

edge of Java, consists predominantly of open savannahs, where

wildlife roams free. Here one can watch grazing, the large Javan

water buffaloes called “banteng”, small Java mouse-deer is known as

“kancil”, peacocks strutting about displaying their colorful

plumage, eagles flying overhead and macaques fishing for crabs with

their tails.

Coverning 250 sq km, the Park forms part of the district of

Situbondo, in the province of East Java, comprising lowland forests,

mangrove forests and 40% swathes of fertile savannahs, they provide

abundant food for the animals. Here also are many typical Java trees

like the Java tamarind and the pecan nut trees.

Discovered by Dutchman A.H.Loredeboer, in 1937 it was designated

Wildlife Refuge by the Dutch colonial authorities, and in 1980

Indonesia designated this as a National Park. At the center of this

large Park stands the extinct Baluran volcano, watching over its

pristine environment dominated by the dry east wind, Baluran

receives on average only 3 months of rain. The rainy season in East

Java being between Novembers through April, peaking in December and

January, while the dry season lasts from April through October.

During the dry season, the land parches and water becomes scarce,

while when it rains, water slides over the black alluvial land with

little being absorbed, forming water pools especially along the

Park’s southern part that connects Talpat with Bama Beach. When you

visit Baluran during the rainy season, you will see ample water

holes, but during this time the Banteng and the wild bulls prefer to

wander in the forests, although other animals like peacocks, mouse

deer, and wildfowl do come out and can still be observed.

Baluran National Park boasts 444 species of trees, some unique to

the area like the widoro bukol (Ziziphus rotundifolia), mimba

(Azadirachta indica), and pilang (Acacia leucophloea). These plants

are able to adapt to dry conditions when others have long wilted.

Other trees also remaining green are the candle trees or kemiri

(Aleurites moluccana), gebang (Corypha utan), api-api (Avicennia

sp.), the tamarind tree (Tamarindus indica), gadung (Dioscorea

hispida), kendal (Cordia obliqua), manting (Syzygium polyanthum),

and kepuh (Sterculia foetida).

The Park is habitat to 26 mammal species among which are the banteng

(Bos javanicus), wild water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis), the ajag

(Cuon alpinus javanicus), the muncak deer (Muntiacus muntjak), the

rusa (Cervus timorensis), leopards (Panthera pardus), the mouse deer

(Tragulus javanicus), and mangrove cats (Prionailurus viverrinus).

The Banteng are specific to Baluran and are therefore the Park’s

mascot.

Additionally, Baluran is habitat to 155 types of birds, among which

are the rare fire kite (Hirundo rustica), the red forest fowl

(Gallus gallus), kangkareng (Anthracoceros convecus), hornbills

(Buceros rhinoceros), tuwuk or asian tuwur (Eudynamys scolopacea),

peacocks (Pavo muticus), and herons (Leptoptilos javanicus).

A safari trip to Baluran is indeed a precious journey.

Get There
To reach the Baluran National Park from Surabaya, capital of East

Java, traveling overland takes around 6 hours. Baluran is located

partly in the district of Situbondo and partly in the district of

Banyuwangi. The Park covers a total area of 22,500 hectares

comprising coastal forests and grassland and is protected by three

mountains, namely Mt. Baluran, Mt. Merapi (not to be confused with

Mt. Merapi near Yogyakarta) and the Ijen volcano.

From Surabaya driving via the northern coastal road east you will

pass the towns of Pasuruan, Probolinggo, and Situbondo. After

Banyuputih, the road turns south. Do not take the road further east

to the village of Bilik. Before you reach the village of Wongsorejo

turn left and you will see the sign: Visitor Center. This is the

entrance gate to Baluran Park.

Alternatively, you can also drive from Sitobondo to Bangandengan.

Some 60 km distance. The Baluran National Park is in fact on the

highway connecting Surabaya with the city of Banyuwangi from where

ferries take cars and passengers to Bali’s west coast. So that

Baluran is also easily accessible from Bali.

Now that Garuda and Wings Air also fly daily to Banyuwangi from

Surabaya and Denpasar, Bali, you can take the short route from

Banyuwangi to Batangan some 35 km away, and then on to Bekol which

is 12 km from here and takes around 45 minutes.


#wonderfulindonesia2022 #indonesiatravel #balurannatonalpark

Music by : Bensound - Tenderness

Please Subscribe, Like, Comment and Share!

свернуть