Ngongap Beach offers tranquility and beauty
Ngongap Beach offers tranquility and beauty
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.