We went out to one of the beaches near Yogyakarta for the fresh air, view, and food. That was my intention at least. I already know that most beaches are facing the Indian Ocean. This would make it hard to swim, do watersports or anything else. In fact, it makes it dangerous to the most experienced swimmers. Besides this, there is little to see, no corals, just a blur. We knew this already. But when we arrived there, we saw disappointed people expecting to swim. The sea was way too violent for swimming.
The trip to the beach
The road to the beaches from the center can easily take up to 1.5 hours depending on traffic and which beach you choose. Since it would take us a while we asked for a scenic route from the driver. He took us through the villages “kampung”. Tip: It was nice to see and would recommend a scenic route as well. We saw a tractor pulling a cart and cows pulling a cart as well. The views itself of the countryside of Yogyakarta were beautiful as well.
Depok Beach
Our destination: Depok Beach. Upon arriving we saw the new airport of Yogyakarta on one side and the shore on the other side. There were many places to park and it is confusing where to go. So we did not go to the first entry point. The difference is just the scenery and the warung around. We went to a place where we saw hundreds of fishermen here. Maybe they had some meeting, or activities together. It was nice to see all the fishermen together. They just finished up. Would this mean fresh fish in the nearby restaurants? The beach itself was a black sand beach. The waves were nonstop. I understood why no swimming was here. It’s too dangerous for even the most experienced swimmer.
Tip: every beach has some parking fees for your motorbike or car. Some beaches also have an admission fee. This varies per beach. The price for parking can go up to 10k IDR for a car and the admission fee is around the same.
There are plenty of warungs, places to eat at the beach. Some places even offer a hammock, fresh water to rinse your feet. All these facilities cost money to use. It’s not a lot, but do expect a higher bill when using a hammock, or some water to wash your feet from the sand.
Food at the beach in Yogyakarta
Some of the warungs have an appetizing menu. We chose a warung at random. Seafood is a speciality in these areas and at the menu you can surely see the amount of seafood choices.
Most seafood is served in a different sauce. There are three options to choose from:
- Asam manis (sweet and sour)
- Asam Pedas (sour and spicy)
- Saus Tiram (Oyster sauce)
The food was delicious. The crab was tiny but good. The sauce was excellent. To top the lunch off, a motorbike selling Rujak Es Cream came so we took the opportunity to try this tasty dessert that is typical in Yogyakarta.
This Ice cream is shaved ice, condensed milk, chocolat sauce and some sliced and diced chilli. The chilli was pretty dominant and made it a bit (very) hot.
All in all worth it as a food trip to the beach! Check out other things to eat in Yogyakarta as well:
- The Best Lotek
- A street food tour
- Eating at Beringharjo Market
- Jejamuran (mushroom based dishes)
- Authentic Gudeg
Which beaches in Yogyakarta is suitable for swimming?
I am going to write another post for this. I have found out there are several beaches but they are not as close as the other beaches from the center of Yogyakarta.
Hi I am Dwi. I am a blogger, travel agent and a mom of a lovely daughter and wife to a supportive husband. I customize and plan tours in Bali and islands nearby for a living and have been doing this for more than 14 years. Get in touch via contact [at] taletravels.com