[Part 4] Backpacking Jawa on A Budget : Banyuwangi The Africa van Java

Photo by Hanandito Adi on Unsplash

Banyuwangi, The Sunrise van Java, is where the morning begins earlier than anywhere else, and the sea becomes the first mirror for the rising sun. On its calm beaches—like Klatak and Boom—you can witness a dawn so pure, it feels like the world is being born again.

But Banyuwangi isn’t just about serene sunrises. Head north, and you'll find Baluran—The Africa van Java—where the savanna stretches wide, wildlife roams free, and the sky knows no limits.

Two contrasting landscapes in one region: one whispers peace at dawn, the other calls out to your wild spirit. This is Banyuwangi, where nature isn’t just beautiful—it wears many faces.

Curious to explore more of this stunning place? Head over to my blog for all the details and tips on how to experience the best of Banyuwangi!

Banyuwangi, The Africa van Java

After our epic hike and adventure at Kawah Ijen (which I already talked about in the previous part), we headed straight to a motorbike rental place right in front of our hotel.

(Psst, if you haven’t read the previous part, go check it out first!) I shared all the good stuff there—our comfy stay in Banyuwangi, must-try local eats, and the easiest way to get around the city. Totally worth reading if you’re planning a trip here!

Previous Part | [Part 3] Backpacking Jawa on A Budget: New City, Banyuwangi The Heaven on Earth

After renting a scooter for IDR 200,000 (around USD 13) for three days, we rode it back to our hotel and crashed for some much-needed rest. Not gonna lie, I'm not exactly a hiking pro, so after climbing Ijen Crater, we seriously needed to chill and eat properly—didn't wanna risk getting sick or anything.

Morning came, and we actually felt super refreshed, even though our sleep schedule had been totally messed up—two nights in a row we gave up sleep for Bromo and Ijen. But honestly? So worth it. We’ve been loving the trip so far, and everything’s been smooth sailing.

We didn’t even shower—just splashed our faces and threw on some sunscreen—then headed out around 5 AM. We were off to catch the sunrise at Klatak Beach. Banyuwangi’s got a bunch of cool nicknames from travelers. Since it's on the far east of Java and gets the first rays of sunlight, people call it the Sunrise of Java.

Not to mention names like Africa van Java and Magic World—all thanks to its stunning natural landscapes.

Sunrise At Pantai Klatak

We were kinda racing against time 'cause we left just 20 minutes before sunrise. But lucky us, the beach wasn’t too far from our hotel.

So, Klatak Beach isn’t really popular with international tourists. I was actually digging around for untouched beaches that are still kinda lowkey—and boom, found Klatak. Since Banyuwangi is the easternmost part of Java, catching the sunrise here is basically a must-do.

There are actually a bunch of beaches where you can watch the sunrise, buuuut I was going for that “hidden gem” vibe, you know? Just me and my buddy, no crowds. That’s why I picked Klatak. The other options were Boom Marina Beach—super popular and packed with parked yachts, which look stunning when they catch that golden morning light.

There’s also Watudodol Beach, a bit more up north than the other two. All of them are gorgeous and have something in common—you get that epic view of the Bali Strait from Java’s side. Seriously, it’s a whole vibe. 🌊

So yeah, you got options. If you want something a little more known and polished, go with option two or three. But if you’re into peace, quiet, and a raw natural setting that still delivers on the view? Klatak’s the one I’d recommend.

Klatak Beach is super pretty. It’s still totally natural—big rocks scattered around the shore and smooth black sand. At first glance, it might seem kinda rugged or unkempt, but once you get closer to the sandy part? No complaints, the sand is super soft.

Oh, and heads up—you can only get here by walking or riding a motorbike. You can usually park in front of a local warung or someone’s house. Just make sure to drop a small tip as a thank-you 🙏

This beach is so untouched that there’s no official entry fee yet. I’m not sure how common that is outside of Indonesia, but here, most tourist spots charge you “maintenance” fees… even if the place is still kinda messy sometimes, lol. Shhh, our little secret 😏

Back to the sunrise—OMG. It was GORGEOUS!!!

You’ve gotta take a pic standing on those big black rocks, with that warm orange glow from the rising sun behind you. Bali Island looks so tiny from where you are. And when you sit on the rocks, your photo backdrop is literally rows of coconut trees lining the coast. There’s also this small pier-looking thing in the distance (no idea what it’s for though 😂).

We were running on zero sleep, unshowered, and still half-asleep, but it was totally worth it. When the sun started peeking out from behind Bali—pure magic. God really did His thing with this one. 🌅

Banyuwangi is paradise for sunrise lovers. Sunsets are amazing too, but you’d have to head further south to catch the best ones. Luckily, my friend and I are both obsessed with sunrises and sunsets. It’s our thing—just sitting there talking about deep stuff or totally random nonsense, lol.

Klatak Beach is also super close to Dialoog Banyuwangi, one of the fancier hotels with a direct beachfront view. It’s literally the same stretch of beach. So if staying there feels a bit pricey, no worries—I dropped a budget-friendly hotel rec in my earlier post. You can crash there and still make it here in time for sunrise.

But hey, just for fun, I’ll show you a little sneak peek of what it’s like to stay at the famous Dialoog Banyuwangi ✨

Source : Traveloka

As you can see in the last pic, there’s this stretch of beach with black sand. That’s what I was talking about—Klatak Beach and the beach in front of the fancy Dialoog Banyuwangi? Yep, they’re actually part of the same coastline. Both are stunning, but the one up there has been polished up and made all pretty LOL 😆

If you’ve got a bit more budget and wanna make your Banyuwangi trip feel a lil’ extra special, you can totally book a stay at Dialoog Hotel Banyuwangi using the link below. It’s around IDR 1,500,000 (about USD 100). And hey, you might even snag a cheaper deal if you’re lucky! 💸

Take A Breakfast with Local Food and Buy Dragon Fruit

Once the sun was up and getting all hot (for us living on the equator, the sun’s more of a frenemy lol), we decided to head back. On the way home, we planned to stop for breakfast at some street-side warungs and maybe grab some dragon fruit too.

We had rice and some home-style dishes at this little warung near Snooze Hostel Ijen — super cheap! The two of us only spent like IDR 25.000 (USD 1.60) . Crazy, right? Where I’m from in Kalimantan, that’d cost at least IDR 50.000 (USD 3.20) easy.

If you're ever in Banyuwangi, you gotta get dragon fruit. You can munch on it all year round here 'cause their plantations are thriving. If you spot those big, scaly green plants lit up like they’re celebrating Christmas — yep, those are dragon fruit trees.

And yo, the fruit is bomb — sweet, juicy, just chef’s kiss. It hits peak sweetness during the dry season, so don’t miss out on grabbing some when you’re in Banyuwangi!

After we got to the hotel, we freshened up quickly and got ready. Yeah, just spent a little time on our phones, you know, typical for young people.

Right at 12 noon, the sun was going full blast, straight-up roasting our skin. We were planning to head to Baluran National Park. Yeah, we purposely chose to go in the middle of the day so we could hang out there 'til late afternoon. After that, we were thinking of stopping by Boom Marina Beach to catch the sunset and grab some street snacks.

Baluran National Park, The Afriva van Java

The ride to Baluran National Park was supposed to take like 1 hour 40 minutes... but of course, we made a bunch of pit stops 😆. Bathroom breaks, buying water, grabbing coffee — ya know, the essentials. We weren’t in a rush anyway. The cool part? We got to pass by some cute little villages along the way.

We followed Google Maps and took turns riding the motorbike, 'cause the distance ain’t that short. By the time the afternoon heat mellowed out a bit, around 2 PM, we finally made it to the entrance of Baluran National Park.

We paid IDR 107.000 (~$6.80) for two people — that covered the entry tickets, life insurance premium, and parking for the motorbike while inside.

Heads up! Ticket prices vary depending on whether it’s a weekday or weekend/holiday, and also if you’re a local or a foreign tourist. So double-check before you go! You can find the info on their official website above.

[Baluran National Park Website]

After buying our tickets around 2 PM, we headed straight into Baluran National Park. The road from the entrance to Savanna Bekol was pretty long and rocky, with dry forest stretching on both sides—classic East Java vibes. But that’s what made it feel like a real adventure. Riding our motorbike, we soaked up the silence, only broken by the occasional wind or chirping birds. 🛵🌿

When we finally reached Savanna Bekol, the view was insane. Wide open fields of dry grass, scattered lontar trees, and Mount Baluran standing tall in the background. We jumped off the bike and instantly went into photo mode, hunting for the best spots and keeping an eye out for wild animals like deer and buffaloes. Our phone storage was hanging by a thread because we just kept snapping pics. 📸

The savanna wasn’t empty either. There were quite a few groups arriving in jeeps—once they got off, it was chaos in the best way. People were striking poses, some were doing pre-wedding shoots, and others came fully geared up with tripods and big fancy cameras. It kinda felt like a mass photoshoot in the wild, but everyone was chill and respectful. 🤳

Pantai Bama in Baluran

After all the photos and some chill time on a wooden bench by the dirt path, we continued the ride to Bama Beach. The road got shadier and quieter, but still really peaceful. When we arrived, the beach was calm and quiet. Clear water, gentle waves, and rows of mangrove trees that made the place feel cool and serene. 🌊

But here’s something important: the monkeys. Yep, they’re everywhere. Sometimes cute, sometimes total troublemakers. They’re used to seeing humans, so they’re not shy at all. That’s why you’ve gotta be careful—don’t bring shiny stuff, flashy bags, or snacks in your hand. The monkeys might come up and snatch them! Seriously. Keep your things safe and try not to panic or scream if one comes close. 🐒

We didn’t stay too long at the beach—just sat down for a bit, stared at the sea, and chatted about random stuff. Since there were no food stalls, there wasn’t anything to snack on, so we just soaked in the moment. Before 5 PM, we started heading back. The ride home was chill, and we kept glancing back, saying goodbye (for now) to the savanna and the sea. 🌅.

We headed the motor towards the way back, but before that, we wanted to have seafood dinner at Pantai Boom Marina.

Dinner at Pantai Boom Marina

During the trip, we could still see the reddish sky, since we finished exploring Baluran around 5 PM. Well, the exit from the park was pretty far.

We planned to stop for grilled fish and boiled shrimp at Warung Makan Hercules (check out here for Part 3). The trip there took about an hour. It was perfect timing for us because we only had snacks during the ride to Baluran.

The place is right next to Pantai Boom Marina, where several seafood stalls line up. The seafood is super fresh, straight from the fishermen who park by the small dock. We enjoyed the sea breeze while eating.

Ah, the typical salty sea smell. It’s fishy, but so addictive.

We chose grilled snapper and fresh shrimp, steamed, served with sambal and rice. Don’t forget the iced orange juice. If you come to Indonesia, you’ve got to try the iced orange juice! It pairs so well with hot seafood like this. Oh, and because the food is cooked and grilled fresh when you order, it takes a bit longer. Don’t complain, it’s because they really take their time with it. The fish is cleaned, seasoned, and grilled, so it takes time.

While chatting and eating, we didn’t even realize we had finished all the fish and shrimp. After we felt relaxed from the meal, we decided to head home since we were exhausted from exploring North Banyuwangi all day.

We paid IDR 75,000 for both of us (around $5 USD). Super affordable, right? hehe.

We arrived at the hotel feeling full and sleepy. Well, it's understandable after a whole day of exploring, especially since my friend and I are actually homebodies who only go out occasionally. Luckily, the hotel was nearby, just about a 10-minute ride on the motorbike.

We freshened up and packed our things back into our carrier, except for the clothes and items we still needed for the next morning.

Why were we packing? Our plan was to head to South Banyuwangi, which is pretty far, so doing a round-trip by motorbike in one day wasn’t really feasible. Starting from the hotel to De Djawatan Forest, then to Teluk Ijo, and finally to Pulau Merah, it’s almost 183 km, which is about 4 hours and 40 minutes on the motorbike.

That’s just the estimated time, although it's not all riding straight for 4 hours. Of course, we’ll be making stops at the three destinations along the way. So, we decided to check out of our hotel here and book one night near the famous Pantai Merah.

I’ll share all the details in Part 5, once we get there.

Heading to De Djawatan Forest

Photo by Mega Caesaria on Unsplash

After cleaning up and packing our stuff, we finally checked out of the hotel. The lady who was managing the hotel was super helpful and friendly with all the guests. Even though we stayed in a dorm room, it still felt super comfy! I really loved staying here, but sadly, we had to leave because our time in Banyuwangi was short. Hiks 😢.

We were all set to head to Banyuwangi Selatan, specifically in Dusun Pancer. The distance was quite far, so we had to mentally and physically prepare ourselves. It took us about an hour on the motorbike to get to De Djawatan Forest.

We made a quick stop for breakfast at a local roadside warung. Early in the morning, our stomachs were already growling, so we needed to eat something proper. We ended up at a Tempong Warung (a Banyuwangi specialty) that served rice with home-cooked dishes like chicken, squid, tempeh, tofu, boiled veggies, and sambel tempong. Lots of protein options here, and it's also pretty vegetarian-friendly, though the sambel probably uses shrimp paste. If you skip the sambel, it's more vegan-friendly, folks!

We got to the destination around 8:30 AM, and we purposely left super early, not just to avoid the heat but to catch that fairy-tale vibe at De Djawatan.

When we arrived at De Djawatan, the atmosphere totally shifted. We parked our motorbikes and were immediately welcomed by those iconic giant trees. This forest feels like the kind of place where you can really get away from the hustle and bustle of the city 🌳🌿.

The entrance fee for De Djawatan is IDR 7,500 per person, plus motorbike parking costs IDR 2,000, making a total of IDR 9,500 (around $0.62 USD).

This place is perfect for photos, there are so many cool spots, especially with the giant trees that are super lush. We walked around and hit up a few of the photo spots because, seriously, it's just so Instagrammable.

It wasn't just about taking photos, though. We also enjoyed a nice, leisurely walk, breathing in the fresh and peaceful air. It felt like entering another world, far away from the noise of the city. We spent over an hour here, and honestly, it felt like we didn’t want to leave.

De Djawatan is known for its giant Trembesi trees, some of which are hundreds of years old. This forest was originally used for planting trees for the Dutch colonial-era teak plantations but has since become a popular nature tourism spot 🌳.

If you're visiting, especially during the rainy season, don’t forget to apply bug repellent lotion, because this area is home to a lot of different kinds of insects.

Ah, this place is so beautiful, I didn’t want to leave. But, we had to get back on the motorbike to head to Pantai Rajegwesi and then continue our journey to Teluk Ijo.

There are two ways to get to Teluk Ijo, for more details, check out the next part! 🌊🏍️

READ MY STORY IN BANYUWANGI DURING THE LAST DAY
AT TELUK IJO AND PULAU MERAH BANYUWANGI
KEEP AN A EYE ON PART 5

Next Part : [Part 5] Backpacking Jawa on A Budget : At the Edge of a Magical World