Yogyakarta is really all-in. There is everything in this province from history to awesome beaches with roaring waves that connect to the Indian Ocean. Though it may not really be known internationally for its beaches, some beaches in Yogyakarta offer different scenic landscapes. First, Instead of having white sand, some beaches in the province have exotic black sand . Second, the beach is surrounded with sand dunes and also aircraft lanes. And one of the most iconic beaches in Yogyakarta is Parangtritis beach. It’s a classic place to see the sun fading away.

Parangtritis beach is located about an hour and half from the city center, depending on the traffic. It has exotic black sand with plenty of activities to do from ATV, horse carriages or small horse rides that will take you exploring the beach while enjoying the sunset. This beach is also quite mystical for the locals and the people who believe in ancient religion. It is said that cosmically, all the iconic places in Yogyakarta are connected to one another that led to this beach as well. Moreover, there is a local urban legend and folklore about the Queen of the South where visitors are warned not to wear green or the queen is likely to try to entice the wearer into the ocean to drown. I really don’t think the queen is that mean because from the pictures I saw, she looks quite lovely. Anyhow, whatever that is, it is better to respect the local custom. In this beach, people are often pulled away by a strong current and I even had a neighbor who went missing due to that years ago. But obviously, the story was spiced with magical things which I didn’t believe to be the case.

The last time I visited this beach was 4 years ago when I recently broke up. I was 20, young, not dumb but a bit broke - haha. I wrote in a post after visiting the place, “ I knew that moment(when I saw a sunset that day.), I am the happiest when I am on the move. “ and it was the beginning of my life on the road full time. Just like these days, it seems to be the mark once more, where I visit many places in the matter of weeks. Re-visiting the beach also brought back so many memories from the past but this time, I am in a better place, with much better people. This time, I visited it with my cousins who have never been to the beach.

My cousins were quite enthusiastic about the beach. They’ve been wanting to lounge under the umbrella and just take pictures. For me, I just want to sit because it was a long day and I haven’t had a good sleep lately.

Our driver parked the car slightly away from the beach entrance. I was quite pissed because there is a closer entrance to the beach. Thankfully, the rain stopped, so we could walk without having to use the umbrella too. As far as the eye could see, there were people either riding the ATV, JEEP car, the horse or just playing soccer on the beach. Everyone looks quite happy and busy in their own ways.

This one is not an ATV. There's dirt bike too that you can rent.

As we spotted the ATV, I asked my cousins if they wanted to try it. At first, I wondered how much it would cost, so I stopped a stranger that was driving on it. “ How much is it?” I asked.

“ 50.000”

Eventually, we rented one for a 50.000/20 minutes ride. I got to ride on it just for a few minutes because the ATV was quite difficult to navigate. So, I gave it to my male cousin to have fun with it. While waiting for him, my female cousin and I rented a place under the umbrella to sit and had our lunch.

We brought rice and chicken from local’s fast food place. It was actually way past our lunch time but since we were too busy with walking around, that was the only time we got to eat while enjoying the breeze and the sound from the waves.

The sunset

I can tell you as much that the sunset on this beach is stunning. This is one of the best spots to see the sunset in yogyakarta. It’s classic but if you haven’t gone there, you have to. If you are a photographer, the horse cart and the sunset made a perfect match.

I almost forgot to tell y’all that in this place the entrance fee is 10.000/person and often the driver isn’t included. So, you don’t have to pay for the driver fees if you want.

After my cousin and I finished our meal, she said, “ let’s get wet!”

I didn’t like the idea but since she’s never been here, why not?

We went closer to the water and got our feet quite wet and covered in exotic black sand. It’s definitely different from many beaches in Indonesia where it has pristine water with clearer sand. But the sunset around this beach is quite magical. Though unfortunately, it was a bit cloudy as it was raining cats and dogs the whole day. These are the pictures from before the sunset that day.

also appears here

It was past 5PM and we were already past our rent time. So, we decided to leave and would pay extra for the time to get back to our hotel room. The driver was actually nice and he didn’t leave us there- haha. I wonder if any driver would do that. But anyway, our driver that day was nice and quite friendly.

The journey ended with us getting exhausted but still planning to enjoy the night life around Malioboro and tasting kopi joss which I actually wrote earlier. On the way back, we saw the sun fade away and we were happier. It was the kind of feeling where the exhaustion is rewarded with the beautiful view, the smell of the ocean, and the breeze that almost got me overslept at the beach.