Yogyakarta, The Neverending Asia
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| Tugu Jogja |
Yogyakarta is a bustling town of some 500,000 people and the most popular tourist destination on Java, largely thanks to its proximity to the temples of Borobudur and Prambanan. The city is a centre of art and education, offers some good shopping and has a wide range of tourist facilities. The New York Times listed Yogyakarta in "50 Places to go in 2014” as number 20.
Strictly speaking, the city (kota) of Yogyakarta is only one of five districts (kabupaten) within the semi-autonomous province of Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta (DIY), literally the "Yogyakarta Special Region". The other districts are:
- Sleman on the slopes of fiery Mount Merapi to the north
- Bantul all the way to the sea to the south
- The hills of Gunungkidul to the east
- The low lands of Kulon Progo to the West
This special status is thanks to the Sultanate of Hamengkubuwono, which has ruled the area since 1749 and steered the state through difficult times of occupation and revolution. During the Indonesian war of independence, Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX offered the fledgling Indonesian government his enclave as capital city, Yogyakarta became the revolutionary capital city of the republic from 1946 to 1949 when Jakarta was still occupied by the Dutch. As a result, the central government recognized the Sultan of Yogyakarta as the appointed governor of the province of DIY — the only one in Indonesia that is not elected directly by the people. The Indonesian central government has tried to weaken the sultan's power by calling for direct election for the governor. The present sultan, Hamengkubuwono X, was chosen by an overwhelming majority.
Yogyakarta lies in one of the most seismically active parts of Java and has thus repeatedly been struck by earthquakes and volcano eruptions. The worst in recent times was theearthquake of 27 May 2006, which killed over 6,000 people and flattened over 300,000 houses. However, the epicentre was 25 km south of the city, which avoided the worst of the quake, and a surprisingly effective disaster recovery effort saw most of the physical damage repaired quickly.
Only four years later, in October 2010, the nearby volcano of Mount Merapi erupted, spewing lava over nearby villages and killing 353 people. After rumbling on and off for two months amid fears of another Krakatoa devastating the entire island, the volcano quieted down by December 2010. Following on from past averages, it'll be another 2–3 years until the next small eruption and 10–15 years until the next large eruption.
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| Mount Merapi |
Yogyakarta is full of domestic tourists during school holiday seasons with most buses on Malioboro street and around North Central Park trapped in heavy traffic jams, sometimes for up to one hour. Vehicles, parking, pedestrians and vendors contribute to the traffic jams.
Yogyakarta (or Jogjakarta) has been known as The Neverending Asia. Many say that a single visit to Jogja is never enough.
The list of things you can experience in Jogja may seem overwhelming, ranging from natural splendors, art and tradition and heritages to culinary adventure. This is why Jogja is the second most visited destination in Indonesia, next to Bali.
In addition, there are about 70,000 handicraft industries and other facilities like various accommodations and transportations, numerous food services, travel agents, and proper tourism support, and also tour security team support called as Policemen of Tour, locally known as Bhayangkara Wisata.
Jogjakarta's geographical condition also supports the variety of existing tourism objects. Friendly climate ensures that you can plan your trips more intensely. The beautiful landscape along the way makes your travel to each destination worthwhile.
Among the 31 cultural tourism attractions and 19 natural tourism beauties, try to make sure that you visit Borobudur, Prambanan Temple and silver handicraft in Kotagede.
You can also try Selarong Cave, Pandansimo beach, Gajah Mountain, or Vredeburg Fort. To understand the history of the sultanate, try visiting the Kraton of Yogyakarta and Tamansari.
A visit to Jogja is never complete without experiencing Malioboro street. Rows of shops and outlets sell many kinds of souvenirs you can bring back home. If you want to test your negotiation skills you can try The Haggling Game with the street vendors. All's fair in love and shopping.
GET IN
By plane
Yogyakarta's Adisucipto International Airport (IATA: JOG), 8km east of town, is a small but busy mostly-domestic hub. There are frequent (every two hour) connections on Garuda, the national airline, to Jakarta (50 minutes) and 2-3 times a day (60min) to Denpasar, while other domestic airlines service both Jakarta and Denpasar, as well as major cities in Java,Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi. For international services, AirAsia connects Yogyakarta to both Kuala Lumpur and Singapore while Malaysia Airlines flies between Yogyakarta and Kuala Lumpur. Silkair and Tigerair also flies from Singapore.
There is a tourist information desk, ATM and taxi stand in the arrival hall. Official airport taxis are available for around IDR50,000 depending on your destination, pay at the taxi desk in arrival terminal and then head for the official taxi rank. Give the receipt to your driver, there is no need for any additional payment. It is about half the price to use a taxi dropping passengers off at the departure terminal - insist on using the meter, do expect to pay the IDR2,000 airport entrance fee, even though this has already been paid by the previous passenger on the way in. A departure tax of IDR35,000 (as of Jan 2011) is charged for domestic flights and IDR100,000 for international flights (Feb 2014), at least for international AirAsia flight there is no departure tax anymore (is included in the ticket price, Jun 2015).
There is a travel agent at the arrival hall in the airport called Arga Tour or other tour services in Yogyakarta like the competitive one Java Bali Trips. A 10-hours car hire inclusive of driver to Prambanan, Ratu Boko, lunch followed by a 2-hour drive to Borobudur cost around IDR500,000-IDR600,000. Good service and English speaking driver. Be sure to haggle, though the price will not drop much, any savings could go toward a more luxurious meal.
Yogyakarta airport is one of the two rail-connected airport in Indonesia, beside Kuala Namu in Medan, North Sumatera. Those arriving from (and departing into) the airport can take a Prambanan Ekspres regional train to/from Kutoarjo (west of Yogyakarta), Palur (just east of Surakarta) and several stations in between, including Tugu (just off Malioboro Street in Yogyakarta) and Solobalapan station at Solo. The station at the airport is just a few minutes walk from the terminal, with an air-conditioned underpass leading all the way to the platform for trains into Yogyakarta.
By bus
The main bus station is Giwangan, 4km to the southeast of the centre. There are regular services throughout the island, including Jakarta (12 hours), Bandung (10 hours), and Surabaya (8 hours).
There is also a bus station inside the airport which is part of the Trans Jogja Busway System. From there you can get to any one of the many bus stations in their system. It costs IDR3,000 for a ticket.
If you are going north, to Borobudur temple or Semarang for example, head to Jombor terminal located just above the northern Ringroad. Expect to be ripped off on any bus to Borobudur, the going rate for westerners is IDR15,000-25,000 (local IDR7,000).
If you are planning to come to Yogyakarta from Bandung then you need to go to Cicaheum Terminal in Bandung to get bus. If direct bus is not available then take bus to Purwokerto (6-7h, IDR45,000). From Purwokerto there are regular buses available for Yogyakarta (4-5h, IDR30,000). Direct bus Bandung - Yogyakarta is available 24/7, both regular (every hour) or night bus that depart at 15:00 from Bandung.
Since Yogyakarta is in close proximity to Semarang and Solo, there's also a shuttle bus that operates between these cities, called Joglosemar (Jogja-Solo-Semarang), IDR45,000 to Semarang, and IDR25,000 to Solo.
By train
Trains to Jakarta take between 7-12h from the main Yogyakarta station, commonly called Tugu Station. The Argo-class trains (Argo Lawu and Argo Dwipangga) are the best of the lot being the most comfortable and fastest (c. 8 hours, IDR255,000-360,000 (Sep 2012) including mineral water and snacks). Taksaka is almost as good at Rp 235,000-265,000. These express services connect Yogyakarta and Jakarta in 7-8 hours, either at daytime or overnight. Price and schedules are availableonline. The line between Kroya and Prupuk, where the railway crosses the main backbone mountains of Java, is scenic.
Passengers to/from Bandung should take the Argo Wilis or Lodaya expresses which traverse a scenic part of Java during daylight hours, with rice fields and mountains (although there is an overnight Lodaya and the Turangga from Surabaya also travels overnight. The fare is IDR155,000 including mineral water and food (or more like snacks).
Passengers to Surabaya are served by the twice-daily Sancaka service departing in the morning and afternoon.
Yogyakarta and Solo are connected by several Prambanan Ekspres trains. Despite the name, the train does not stop at Prambanan station, and even if it does make an unscheduled stop, the station is rather far from the temple complex of Prambanan. The Prambanan Ekspres does stop at Maguwo station (for the airport) making it easy for travellers to change modes.
Stasiun Tugu (Tugu Central Railway Station),. The main central station, serves big city destinations such as Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, and Solo. To buy tickets, enter on Jl. Pasar Kembang and get a queue number from the stand facing the ticket windows. Then go to the opposite side of the room and fill out a ticket request slip, consulting the timetables on the wall to your left. You will be called to the appropriate ticket window, the announcement will be called (in Indonesian only) and displayed on the electronic sign on the wall. You can also buy tickets for up to 90 days prior to departure from many offline channels, and two online channels.
Stasiun Lempuyangan (Lempuyangan Railway Station), Jl. Lempuyangan. Serves economy class trains with several destinations, including Jakarta Gambir Station (IDR85,000-120,000 (USD7-9.7) c. 8 hours night train) and Surabaya Gubeng Station (IDR50,000-60,000 (USD4-4.9) ~6 hours journey.
By car
Yogyakarta is immediately accessible by car. Jalur Selatan (i.e South Line), which stretches through the southern part of Java (practically from Bandung to Surabaya) passes through Yogyakarta. The city lies approximately 380 kms east of Bandung and 300 kms southwest of Surabaya.
From Jakarta however, through journey via South Line is possible and common, visitors usually prefer traveling through Jalur Pantura (Jalur Pantai Utara, i.e North Coast Line). From Semarang, 110 km away, go south, and you will enter Yogyakata from the north. Traveling through the north cuts the distance by a few tens of kilometers, the roads are wider, and there are more facilities (eateries, accommodations, gas stations) along the way compared to the South Line. However, Jalur Pantura is more crowded since there are plenty of trucks and long distance buses along the way, and particularly in the peak seasons (long holiday), it is usually heavily congested.
GET AROUND
Yogyakarta is a relatively small city, so travelling around town should not be too expensive. If you are travelling on foot, note that a street sign facing you at a corner indicates the name of the street you are entering, not the cross street. The Tourism Authority has maps in English that can be obtained from its offices next to Hotel Mutiara on Jl. Malioboro, at the airport and the train station. Beware that these maps are not to scale.
By taxi
Yogyakarta's taxis are metered and nowadays most taxi drivers are trustworthy. Flagfall is IDR6,000 and most trips around the centre of town should not cost more than IDR15,000. After dark the minimum fare for a taxi is IDR20,000 even if the meter reads less that IDR20,000. If by chance you find a taxi driver that you feel comfortable with and trustworthy, ask for his cellular phone number so that next time you need to travel you can call directly to his cell phone and arrange your travel needs. Most taxi drivers will be more than happy to do this. Virtually everyone has a cell phone which is called a "hp" (hand phone) throughout Indonesia, and everyone including all adults use text messaging (sms) extensively. It is best to use text messaging to communicate with drivers e.g. "sudah siap" when you are "ready" to be picked up. "Tolong jemput saya di Hotel XXXX jam XXXXX" = Please pick me up at hotel XXXX at XXX o'clock. Note: "jam = time" in Indonesian. Taxi in Yogyakarta could be reserved directly in the airport or every tourism center. Besides, you may also book the taxi from on-line organized by bluetaksi before you arrive. The booking can be done via [bluetaksi@gmail.com]
By trishaw
Traditional three-wheeled and pedal-powered cart, known as becak (pronounced beh-chak), which can be found in most part of Yogyakarta. Haggle furiously before getting into the becak. Be sure to determine whether the price is for a one-way or return (pulang) trip and if you want the driver to wait whilst you conduct your shopping or business. A ride from within the city to the Malioboro shopping precinct should not cost more than IDR10,000.
By horse cart
Traditional horse-pulled carts, known as andong, or dokar, wait for tourists outside hotspots like the train station, the Kraton and Mal Malioboro. Haggle furiously. The traditional route is from Jl. Malioboro to Keraton, and this is where you'll find most andong. Usually, andong opt to take you to shop for fake Dagadu t-shirt in Ngasem area with hefty prices. Then, andong will take you back to your initial journey. The cost for one round trip for andong is IDR20,000. Usually they ask for IDR30,000 but they may settle for less. Andong can accommodate up to 5 adult passengers.
By bus
Medium and small size buses are the main public transport in Yogyakarta.
There are two kind of bus: regular and patas. Patas buses, known as TransJogja operate from 6AM to 10PM and stop only at designated shelters. Unlike regular buses, TransJogja is air-conditioned and generally safer. Tickets can be purchased directly at the shelters and cost for single trip is Rp 3,000. Passengers may purchase regular trip cards which cuts per tip cost to Rp 2,700, and allows transit to other shelter. There are six routes, and route maps can be downloaded. Be aware that the bus stops are quite far apart, (1-2kms) and not very numerous, and often the bus stops for opposite directions are not opposite each other. If you are planning on travelling this way, expect to still do a fair amount of walking to and from the stops to your destination.
Regular buses normally operates from 6AM to 5PM, and some long routes extend their operation until 9PM. Please never bring anything valuable on public buses, pickpockets in buses are now more common than ever before. Cost for single trip is Rp 2,500 regardless of distance (within the city). Usually on a bus there will be one driver and one helper who will hang from the side of the bus and handle money and try to get passengers. The helper will usually tap you on the shoulder to indicate you should pay him. If there is no helper you can pay the driver directly. When you are ready to get off a bus, tell the driver or helper "Kiri," which means left. Animated bus route maps are available at Transportation Agency of Yogyakarta website .
By car or motorbike
There are several car and motorbike rental agencies just outside Tugu Station near Jalan Pasar Kembang on the street that runs east-west just south of the station.
A near new semi-automatic (clutchless) motorbike can be rented for Rp 50,000 per 24 hr; older bikes may come for less, and fully automatic bikes such as a HondaVario or Yamaha Mio may sometimes cost Rp 5,000-10,000 more.
Cars can be had rented for around Rp 350,000 for 24 hr, or Rp 225,000 for 12 hr. A driver can be hired along with the car for another Rp 50,000-Rp 200,000/day. Prices may vary due to fuel inclusion for a set distance or itinerary. Prices are always subject to negotiation and may increase or decrease due to local demand, type and age of vehicle and your individual requirements at the time. Cars are usually rented with drivers and it is strongly advised for foreigners as the roads are extremely busy with all the hundreds of thousands of higher ed students driving motorcycles recklessly around the city. I think you can get a better price than quoted here. In my experience, driving yourself in Bali is fine but not recommended for cities in Java like Yogya or Jakarta. Price of rental doesn't include petrol (gas), parking, entrance fees etc. It is customary to give your driver 15,000 rps during any mealtime stops but he won't expect to eat with you.
If renting please ensure you are familiar with both the applicable licensing requirements and vehicle use in the prevailing conditions.
Car with driver
To get around in Yogyakarta can be done by a car with driver. Commonly the driver has driving license or STNK in Indonesia language. Some drivers can speak basic English and some cannot. The trained-English speaking drivers could be found along the tourism centre, like in Malioboro, Prawirotaman, Kota Gode etc. This way to travel Yogyakarta for the first time is very helpful and higly recommended. Commonly the driver will transfer and pick up you in the airport or other places in Yogyakarta. Since 2014 Yogyakarta has a trained-English speaking driver community with proficient hospitality and tourism knowledge. This community will help visitors' tour arrangement, transport, accommodations etc. It is organized by Yogyakarta Kota Istimewa or YOKI.
Tourism Office
Tourism Board
Jl. Malioboro No. 56, Yogyakarta 55213,
Phone. (62-274) 582628, 587486
Fax. (62-274) 565437
Provincial Culture and Tourism Office
Provincial Culture and Tourism Office
Jl. Cendana 11
Phone : (62-274) 562628, 589350
www.tasteofjogja.com
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