Situated on the eastern end of Java, Indonesia, Baluran National Park experiences a rather dry climate and comprises savannah, mangrove forests, lowland forests and mountain forests, with Mt Baluran being the focus of attention in this tourist area.
The park occupies 23,713 hectares of land plus 4,155 hectares of sea and is the only region on Java that features natural savannah deserts; these cover some 10,000 hectares and are also referred to as ‘Java’s little bit of Africa‘. Around nine miles from the main entrance, you will find the beautiful white Bama beach fringed with corals. The now non-active volcano of Mt Baluran is Baluran’s major draw, boasting up to 4,091-foot high crater walls that enclose the nearly 2,000-foot deep caldera.
Baluran National Park protects a number of endangered animals, including the Javanese wild ox (banteng), Asian wild dog (dhole), barking deer, feral water buffalo, green peafowl, and, in particular, leopard and fishing cat as the main felines here. Other common sightings are leaf monkeys, monitor lizards, fruit bats, squirrels, civets and the Javanese warty pig. Bird watchers will be overwhelmed by the partly endangered 155 species of our feathered friends which include the white-throated needletail, bee-eater, and kingfisher.
Today, Baluran National Park is enclosed by heavily industrialized and cultivated land and suffers encroachment from the surrounding villages. Besides, the park is often overrun by weekend guests due to its continuous and intense promotion as a tourist attraction. Combined with its very easy accessibility, it seems somewhat unlikely that this area will remain unspoilt.
Getting There & Away
By car, it takes around 5 hours from Surabaya and 4 hours from Denpasar, Bali to reach the park. For visitors who stay in Situbondo, it only takes 1 hour and 1 hour, 30 minutes from Pasir Putih respectively.