JP/17/NGON

JP/17/NGON

Ngongap Beach offers tranquility, beautiful scenery

Bambang M Contributor/Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta

Traveling along the meandering road to Ngongap Beach in Gunungkidul, some 80 kilometers southeast of Yogyakarta, can be a tiring experience. But all of the fatigue washes away with the first glimpse of the beach, with its beautiful scenery and tranquil surroundings.

Set between greenish hills, the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean beckon bathers. White-stomached eagles perch on the branches of a tree, greeting visitors to this beautiful spot.

Ngongap Beach is one of the most southern spots of the Asian continent.

Running for several kilometers, Ngongap Beach is different from most of the beaches on the southern coast of Yogyakarta province. While most beaches in the area slope slightly, Ngongap is fenced in by the small hills of Gunungkidul's karst area.

"It is one of a kind. You cannot find such karst hills anywhere else in the world," geologist ET Paripurno of the National Development University in Yogyakarta said.

Standing on a hill some 90 meters above the beach, you can watch the waves lap against the foot of the hills. Sea spray arcs into the air as the waves hit the hills, and as the sun hits the spray rainbows shimmer in the air.

On the beach are clusters of small separated "islands" that are home to nesting birds.

"It is really beautiful here," Susi, an employee at a star- rated hotel in Yogyakarta, cried as she stepped onto the beach for the first time.

The relative remoteness of the beach makes it more tranquil and cleaner than the more frequently visited beaches. It is a good place to contemplate and escape the city's hustle and bustle.

It is this serenity that also attracts different species of birds, who live and nest at the beach. One is the Buntut sate bird (Phaeton lepturus).

From the top of the hills visitors can watch the birds maneuver above the see as they look for food. Hilly beaches like Ngongap are the best spots for watching birds in Yogyakarta.

"Although they have nests on the hillsides, they can sleep while floating on the surface of the sea," Lim Wen Sim, a bird- watcher from Yogyakarta, commented.

Alap-alap sapi birds (Falco moluccensis) fly above the hills looking for food before returning to their nests, which are holes in the hillsides.

Other birds that live and nest in the area include the Dara laut tengkuk hitam (Sterna sumatrana), Cekakak sungai (Todirhamphus chloris) and the Kutilang (pycnonotus aurigaster).

There are also sea creatures in the area. Sitting on the edge of a hill, if you are lucky, you can spot turtles like the Penyu hijau, Chelonia mydas or Penyu lekang (Lepidochelys olivacea) poke their heads above the surface of the sea, take a breath and then sink below the waters again.

Such scenes are rarely found on slightly sloping beaches like Parangtritis or Parangkusumo, which are located in the same general area.

"You also sometimes see sharks swimming right below the surface of the sea here," Lim Wen Sim said.

What is concerning is that some visitors catch the turtles, which are protected because of their globally declining population numbers.

"I once saw someone catch a turtle and kill it right here," Lim Wen Sim said.

Up on a hill is a roomy Javanese joglo-style building where locals perform rituals before harvesting swallow nests from the hillside. Visitors can now use the building to shelter from sun and enjoy the scenic panorama.

South of the building is a large rock from which hangs a long rope ladder that leads to the caves where the swallow nests are found. Looking at the rope ladder it is easy to imagine the bravery of the men who collect the nests.

Without any safety equipment, they climb down the ladder into the caves below. Just one wrong step on the ladder can send you smashing into the rock or crashing into the sea below.

Spending a night at Ngongap is also worth a try. To enjoy the experience, however, you have to bring a tent and camping equipment because there are no hotels nearby.

As the sun sets in the west, you can also do some fishing. If you manage to catch a kakap merah, you can enjoy a meal of grilled fish on the beach.

There, in the quiet of the night, the sound of waves slapping up against the rocks is much louder than during the day. The cries of night birds accompanies you as you drift off to sleep.

When the sun rises in the east early in the morning, the chirping of beach birds begins to take over. The turquoise water starts to glitter as the sunshine reflects off its surface. Just another day of natural beauty waiting to be enjoyed.