Ujung Kulon National Park
Discover Ujung Kulon National Park
Ujung Kulon National Park is in the far southwest of the island of Java, in Banten province in Indonesia. This national park in the extreme south-western tip of Java on the Sunda shelf includes the Ujung Kulon peninsula and several offshore islands and encompasses the natural reserve of Krakatoa and Panaitan Island. It is Indonesia's first national park and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992 for containing the largest remaining lowland rain forest in Java. It is the most protected national park in Indonesia. In addition to its natural beauty and geological interest – particularly for the study of inland volcanoes – it contains the largest remaining area of lowland rain forests in the Java plain. As a tropical jungle, it is not a forest similar to the pine forests in Northern Europe or North America, and it is a refuge for rhinos, which usually remain hidden from human beings. You can explore the national park with your tour operator, but unless you are a registered researcher, you are forbidden from making new trails.
What to Experience in Ujung Kulon National Park
Taste of Ujung Kulon National Park...
There is not much choice here. There is one restaurant belonging to the park at Peucang Island. The group tours usually bring their own cook. Most people who travel to the Park independently stay at Taman Jaya which is on the mainland just outside the Park. There are a number of good lodgings there. Camping can be done anywhere in the park. In Citandahan River and Cikeusik Luhur River there are some crocodiles. Ujung Kulon is still considered as an endemic malarial area. Consuming malaria pills before and while exploring the park is advisable; consult your doctor at least a couple of weeks before your trip for more specific advice. Leeches are very rare, but mosquitoes are abundant. Mosquito repellent is a must to avoid mosquitoes and also to avoid biting Banteng flies, which suck blood painfully. It has been reported that there have been some muggings in remote areas of the park. Make sure that you are accompanied by a jagawana (forest guard) before exploring deep into the jungle. Use only a boat with at least three engines to sail in open ocean because of the high waves and hard current, and do not visit the park in the very windy west monsoon season (December to February), because some trails are under water and impassible.
A Rich Past
Explore the historical roots that shaped Ujung Kulon National Park into what it is today.
The mainland part of Ujung Kulon was farmland until it was devastated and depopulated by the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa after which it returned to its original forested state. The most precious of all the animals in the parks is the Javan rhinoceros, the rarest large mammal on earth. It is the only remaining home of the critically endangered Javan rhinoceros. A population of 58-68 live in Ujung Kulon (as of 2020). A smaller population lived in Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam, but the last remaining member of this population, and its entire subspecies, was killed in 2010 by poachers. Once found across much of Southeast Asia, the first account of the Javan rhino dates back to China’s T’ang dynasty (AD 618-906) when Java was noted as a source for rhino horns. In Java during the 1700s rhinos were so numerous and they damage agricultural plantations that the government paid a bounty for every rhino killed, bagging 500 within two years. Ujung Kulon’s rhino population is now surveyed by camera trap, and in 2018 there are 68 individuals; they were believed to be the last remaining Javan rhinos in the world, until a small population was discovered in Vietnam. However, the Vietnamese subspecies, Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus, is now known to be extinct, so Ujung Kulon remains the last home of this magnificent Perissodactyl....
Climate
The easiest way to get in is by purchase a tour from a resort in Anyer. The price will be around Rp 1.5 million-3 million depending on the length of stay. The price goes down if the number of the people joining the tour increases. It takes around 3-4 hours from Anyer to Peucang Island where the accommodation and national park office are situated. The cheapest way to get here is by public transport. The journey can start from Kalideres bus station in the West Jakarta. The bus is green heading in the direction of Labuan. The cost is around Rp 25,000 one way. It takes 3 hours to arrive in Labuan from Kalideres bus station. It may seem that an easy way from Jakarta to Labuan is to take the commuter line to Rangkas Bitung and bus from there but no there are no buses to Labuan from the Rangkas Bitung town centre so this route is impracticable. From Labuan, the journey will continue to Sumur or directly to Taman Jaya the last point before Ujung Kulon National Park.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsThe easiest way to get in is by purchase a tour from a resort in Anyer. The price will be around Rp 1.5 million-3 million depending on the length of stay. The price goes down if the number of the people joining the tour increases. It takes around 3-4 hours from Anyer to Peucang Island where the accommodation and national park office are situated. The cheapest way to get here is by public transport. The journey can start from Kalideres bus station in the West Jakarta. The bus is green heading in the direction of Labuan. The cost is around Rp 25,000 one way. It takes 3 hours to arrive in Labuan from Kalideres bus station. It may seem that an easy way from Jakarta to Labuan is to take the commuter line to Rangkas Bitung and bus from there but no there are no buses to Labuan from the Rangkas Bitung town centre so this route is impracticable. From Labuan, the journey will continue to Sumur or directly to Taman Jaya the last point before Ujung Kulon National Park....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Getting around in the park is mostly done with the help of a ranger or tour guide. The local ranger and tour guide know where to camp and where to find water. You can walk along the coastline with a breathtaking view and attractions, starting from -6.78316105.503841 Taman Jaya village to -6.74704105.214022 Tanjung Layar (also called "Java Head") in 2 or 3 days. A guide or ranger is a must. To save time, walking along the coastline from Taman Jaya to -6.76183105.26463 Cidaun (or Cidaon) is discouraged for ordinary tourists, except for flora enthusiasts. The coast has no sandy beach and only a thin layer of mangroves, but in the night, there are many fluorescent mushrooms with very dim light. However, as general practice walking in the forest at night is not wise; it should be done only at daytime, except for those who know the trails well and usually do night trekking. Most visitors will prefer to head directly to -6.739105.25534 Pulau Peucang Island by boat.
Where to Stay
Most people who travel to the Park independently stay at Taman Jaya which is on the mainland just outside the Park. There are a number of good lodgings there. Camping can be done anywhere in the park. In Citandahan River and Cikeusik Luhur River there are some crocodiles. Ujung Kulon is still considered as an endemic malarial area. Consuming malaria pills before and while exploring the park is advisable; consult your doctor at least a couple of weeks before your trip for more specific advice. Leeches are very rare, but mosquitoes are abundant. Mosquito repellent is a must to avoid mosquitoes and also to avoid biting Banteng flies, which suck blood painfully. It has been reported that there have been some muggings in remote areas of the park. Make sure that you are accompanied by a jagawana (forest guard) before exploring deep into the jungle.
Money & Budget
There is not much choice here. There is one restaurant belonging to the park at Peucang Island. The group tours usually bring their own cook. Most people who travel to the Park independently stay at Taman Jaya which is on the mainland just outside the Park. There are a number of good lodgings there. Camping can be done anywhere in the park. In Citandahan River and Cikeusik Luhur River there are some crocodiles. Ujung Kulon is still considered as an endemic malarial area. Consuming malaria pills before and while exploring the park is advisable; consult your doctor at least a couple of weeks before your trip for more specific advice. Leeches are very rare, but mosquitoes are abundant.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
It has been reported that there have been some muggings in remote areas of the park. Make sure that you are accompanied by a jagawana (forest guard) before exploring deep into the jungle. Use only a boat with at least three engines to sail in open ocean because of the high waves and hard current, and do not visit the park in the very windy west monsoon season (December to February), because some trails are under water and impassible.