The captivating natural enchantment of Pacitan

By R. Agus Bakti

PACITAN, East Java (JP): "Selamat Datang di Kota Seribu Gua", (Welcome to the Town of A Thousand Caves). That is the greeting written on the billboards put up at major roads entering the regency, which borders Central Java.

Although Pacitan's land area is relatively small, only 1,119 square kilometers, it has many captivating tourist attractions, including its beautiful caves.

According to Hari Setyobudiono, head of the Pacitan Regency Tourism Agency, its natural attractions provide a large contribution to the local government budget.

"Most of the tourists who come here are domestic ones," Hari explained.

Hari said that to increase the number of foreign tourists, he was cooperating with the Yogyakarta tourism agency. The reason being, Yogyakarta had tourist attractions with similar characteristics to those in Pacitan, particularly in Gunung Kidul, some 50 kilometers east of Yogyakarta.

In addition, the route usually taken to get to Pacitan is through Yogyakarta -- Wonosari - Wonogiri - Pacitan.

With the limestone deposits in Pacitan, teak and secondary crops (such as maize, soybean, sorghum), are mostly grown.

Pacitan is developing tourism based on nature, cultural and historical tours. But the nature tours have been the most popular, with caves and beaches being the prime attractions.

Caves

The best known caves are Gua Gong and Gua Tabuhan while the most popular beaches are Teleng Ria, Tamperan and Srau.

Gua Gong lies about 30 km to the southwest of Pacitan town in the coastal village of Bomo, which is surrounded by hills.

Roads leading to the cave are generally in a good shape. If you depart from Pacitan, you can take a bus plying the Pacitan- Wonogiri-Solo (Surakarta) route. Get off at Pasar Punung (Punung market) and take a public minibus to the cave which is only six kilometers away.

In you are traveling in a group, your bus will have to be parked at the market and the journey continued by smaller vehicle.

Gua Gong has been touted as the most beautiful cave in Indonesia, and even in southeast Asia as reported by some researchers.

Although it was discovered 61 years ago, the cave was officially opened to the public only in 1995. It boasts stalactites and stalagmites of incredible size.

The scene inside the 256 meter cave is magical. The distance between the floor and the ceiling is around 70 meters. Narrow trails have been built inside the cave and hand rails have been provided for the visitors' safety.

The spectacular stalactites and stalagmites are a popular backdrop for photographs.

A visitor, mbah Slamet, 88, a senior Yogyakarta court servant who was on a family outing to the cave, said that in the past believers in Javanese mysticism used the place for meditation.

"It is good to introduce one's offspring and relatives to this place," said Slamet, whose visit was part of a family get- together called arisan, a regular family gathering in which those involved contribute to and take turns at winning an aggregate sum of money.

Gua Tabuhan, about five kilometers north of Gua Gong, is another famous cave in Pacitan. Located in Wareng village in Punung subdistrict, the cave also has breathtaking stalactites and stalagmites and produces great echoes.

Legend has it that Gua Tabuhan was the hiding place of Sentot Alibasyah, one of the military commanders of Prince Diponegoro, who waged war against the Dutch colonial administration between 1825 and 1830.

The cave is smaller than Gua Gong and its walls are black due to the kerosene torches that people carry on their visits.

Some local residents have formed a musical group called Kelompok Ngudi Laras Selo Argo (Searching Stone Mountain Rhythm). Their forte is producing music from special stones in the cave. They charge visitors Rp 20,000 for five songs.

Beaches

Pacitan boasts beautiful, clean beaches washed by the Indian Ocean. The best known is Teleng Ria beach.

Teleng Ria is dubbed Piston's version of Jakarta's famed Ancol beach and is located at the foot of a gap in the green hills.

Swimming in the sea is forbidden as the Indian Ocean's waves are too big and strong to brave. But some people are nevertheless to be seen cavorting in the shallows.

If you like fishing, Serau beach, about 35 kilometers from Pacitan town is a good place to visit. The coast here consists of low cliffs where you can perch while casting out your line.

Another popular beach is Klayar, which is blessed with beautiful white sand. The main attraction here is a line of rocks called Seruling Laut (the Sea Flute), where the effect of the waves hitting the rocks produces sounds like those from a flute.

Despite its tremendous potential, Pacitan lacks support facilities like hotels. Only a few are available now. Outside the town, only Teleng Ria beach has accommodation.

Pacitan is increasingly popular and visitors come from nearby tourist destinations such as Surakarta and Yogyakarta.

If you start the trip from Yogyakarta in the west, the bus will take you through Gunung Kidul regency with the road winding its way through beautiful hills. Upon entering East Java, the main scenery consists of the teak forests of Donorojo.