Black sand
A volcanic beach on the Indian Ocean.
Sam Hidayat — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sam Hidayat — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ayu (WMID) — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Izhar s. hafni — CC BY-SA 4.0
Yogyakarta's best-known beach, a long strip of black volcanic sand on the Indian Ocean where high, powerful waves break, with green hills behind. It is tied to the legend of the Queen of the Southern Sea, Nyai Roro Kidul, in traditional Javanese belief, which gives the place a special aura for locals. Visitors come to watch the sunset over the ocean, ride horse carts and quad bikes on the sand, and paraglide from the nearby hills. Close by are sand dunes, rare in tropical Asia, called Gumuk Pasir, where visitors sandboard. Entry is a token fee of about ten thousand rupiah. A very important warning: swimming is banned and extremely dangerous here, as the waves and rip currents are strong and many have drowned, so do not go into the water beyond your ankles. Come in the late afternoon for sunset, and combine it with the nearby Gumuk Pasir dunes. It is about an hour's drive from the city.
A volcanic beach on the Indian Ocean.
Sandboarding nearby.
Horse carts at dusk.
Bantul, on the Indian Ocean, about 27 km south of Yogyakarta
No, swimming is banned and very dangerous: rip currents are strong and many drownings have occurred. Enjoy the view and sunset from the sand, and keep children away from the waves.