The captivating natural enchantment of Pacitan

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.