Baluran National Park

An Open Savannah Park On The North East Coast Of Java Known As The Africa Of Java; A Landscape Of Dry Grassland Beneath A Dormant Volcano That Looks Nothing Like The Rest Of The Island · Banyuwangi, East Java

Java is rainforest, rice terrace and volcano, and then there is Baluran. On the island's north-east corner, in the rain shadow of MOUNT BALURAN, sits an expanse of OPEN DRY SAVANNAH - brown grass, scattered flat-topped trees, and herds of BANTENG, the wild cattle of South East Asia, grazing in the open with a volcano behind them. IT IS CALLED AFRICA VAN JAVA and for once the nickname is fair rather than promotional. The BEKOL savannah is the centre of it; beyond it the road runs to BAMA BEACH, where macaques fish in the shallows. IT IS NOT A SECURE LANDSCAPE. ACACIA NILOTICA, planted decades ago as a firebreak, has spread across the grassland and is steadily converting savannah to scrub, and holding it back is the park's central and expensive problem. GO IN THE DRY SEASON - in the wet months it is simply green, indistinguishable from the rest of Java, and visitors who come in February leave wondering what anyone was talking about.

Baluran, Situbondo and Banyuwangi Regencies, East Java, Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia

OPEN IN DAYLIGHT with a park entry fee and a separate vehicle charge; FOREIGNER RATES DIFFER FROM DOMESTIC ONES and WEEKEND RATES ARE HIGHER. THE MAIN ROAD RUNS TWELVE KILOMETRES FROM THE BATANGAN GATE ON THE COAST ROAD TO BEKOL SAVANNAH and on to BAMA BEACH; it is drivable in an ordinary car though rough in places. WILDLIFE IS BEST AT DAWN AND IN THE LAST HOUR OF LIGHT, which means arriving at opening or staying in the simple park accommodation at Bekol. THE SAVANNAH LOOKS AFRICAN ONLY IN THE DRY SEASON, ROUGHLY JUNE TO OCTOBER - in the wet months it is green and the effect disappears entirely. GUIDES ARE AVAILABLE AT THE GATE. The park sits on the Situbondo to Banyuwangi road, which makes it an easy stop on the way to or from Ijen.

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