Banyuwangi

About Banyuwangi

At the far eastern tip of Java, where a narrow strait is all that separates the island from Bali, Banyuwangi likes to call itself the Sunrise of Java. The town and its sprawling regency were once the heart of Blambangan, the last Hindu kingdom on Java, and its Osing people still keep their own dialect, music and Gandrung dance.

Most travellers come for the volcanoes and the wild coast. Before dawn, hikers climb Ijen to see the eerie blue flames of burning sulphur and the turquoise crater lake, while the national parks of Alas Purwo and Meru Betiri hide surf breaks, turtle-nesting beaches and grazing banteng. Closer to town, the old trees of Djawatan Forest, the waterfalls on the road to Ijen and the beaches at Pulau Merah and Teluk Hijau fill the days in between.

Banyuwangi is also a cultural stop in its own right. The Osing village of Kemiren welcomes visitors with coffee and traditional houses, the annual Ethno Carnival fills the streets with costumes, and spicy sego tempong is the local lunch. Ferries to Bali leave from Ketapang harbour around the clock.