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Trans Java Road Trip: Potential Holiday Pit Stop along The Northern Route

 

With the launch of new expressways in Indonesia, there are several road trip destinations that are now within reachable distance. In Java, the Trans Java toll road consists of two main toll routes, the Northern Route (PANTURA) and the Southern Route (PANSELA). In this part let’s discover some potential road trip pit stops along the Northern Route!

Pantura (Northern Route)

Here are some Pitstop options for those who choose to have their road trip on the Northern Route of the Trans Java Expressway.

Brebes Timur - Tegal Toll Road

Through this route, some tourist sites that could be your holiday pit stops in the Tegal Area are Alam Indah Beach, Guci Hotspring, and Curug Putri.

Alam Indah Beach

Located near the Tegal Train Station, access to Alam Indah beach is quite easy and affordable. Enjoy some down-time along the beach with several fishermen boats along the shores as an Instagramable spot.


Guci Hot Spring

The Guci village is well known for its hot springs that are believed to have healing effects for health treatment. Located at the feet of Mount Selamet, the surrounding air is fresh, cool and perfect for a relaxing vacation.

Curug Putri Brebes Waterfall

This waterfall is around 35 meters in height, located at Dukuh Padanama area, Mendala Village in Brebes Regency. The cliff rock surrounding the waterfall formed a natural engraved columnar joint, a beautiful sight for tourists to enjoy and also often chosen as a research site for geologists.

Cikampek - Palimanan Toll Road

Through this toll road, one of the beautiful pit stops that are worth a visit in is Taman Sari Sunyaragi located in Cirebon, West Java.

This 15-hectare site is a beautiful water garden equipped with several caves along with the garden such as Peteng Cave, Pawon Cave, Pengawal Cave, Jumut Cave, Langse Cave, Arga Junub Cave, Pandekemasang Cave, Kelanggengan Cave, etc. Built-in the times of Cirebon’s Sultans as a site for meditation, this garden and it’s cave is considered to be a cultural heritage.


Brebes - Tegal - Pemalang Toll Road

Through this toll road, tourist sites to enjoy include Rengganis Lake, Dhuwur Waterfall, and Widuri Beach.

Rengganis Lake

This lake is a perfect getaway to find serenity. It is located at Gapura Village, in the Pemalang Regency, Central Java. The calming water here is also surrounded by scenic green hills and pine trees.

Dhuwur Waterfall

This pitstop is perfect for those backpackers who enjoy hiking. The word ‘Dhuwur’ means high, so Dhuwur Waterfall is quite high, located between the hills in the forest in Wanarata Village, Pemalang Regency, Central Java. This is the perfect spot to enjoy nature’s beauty.

Widuri Beach

This beach is located in Widuri Village, Pemalang Regency, Central Java. A favorite tourist destination with large hundred-year-old trees lining up along the surroundings of the beach where visitors can take shelter, unwind to enjoy the sunrise as well as sunset and dine on tasty fresh.

Solo - Ngawi Toll Road

Through this toll road, in the city of Ngawi (East Java), these two historical sites could be the perfect holiday pitstop: Trinil Museum and Fort Van Den Bosch.

Trinil Museum

This Museum was built in 1891 by Eugene Dubois, a medical officer for the Dutch Colonial Army. It holds thousands of animal fossils including the pre-historical Pithecanthropus Erectus. An interesting option for your historical road trip.

Fort Van Den Bosch

Head off to visit Fort van den Bosch, locally known as Benteng Pendem. The fort was built lower than the surrounding terrain, hence the local nickname Benteng Pendem (Sunken Fort). Located in Pelem administrative village, Ngawi Regency, the fort is situated at the confluence of the Bengawan Solo and Madiun River.

An intriguing fact, the fort also holds the tomb of Kyai Haji Muhammad Nursalim, one of the followers of Pangeran Diponegoro (a national hero) who was captured by the Dutch. Local legend mentioned Nursalim Muhammad as the first person who spread Islam in Ngawi. He was said to be immune to gunshots, so the Dutch decided to bury him alive.


Bawen - Salatiga Toll Road

In this route, one of the captivating historical sites to visit is Gedong Songo Temple.

Gedong Songo Temple or Candi Gedong Songo is a group of Hindu temples located in Semarang, Central Java. The site was originally built during the early period of the Medang Kingdom which controlled Central Java during the 8th and 9th centuries.

Last year, the site also added some modern twist to attract more visitors. They added some modern Instagrammable photo spots designed in various unique shapes such as bubble tent, hot air balloon, hammock, etc. The additional attraction is called the Ayana Gedong Songo, situated in the Gedong Songo Temple area where visitors could take a unique photo opportunity in the 35 Instagrammable photo spots around the site.

Kertosono - Mojokerto Toll Road

Around Mojokerto, East Java, here are a few options for a historical holiday pitstop: Bajang Batu Temple, Brahu Temple, and Trowulan Site.

Bajang Ratu Temple

This unique historical site is a cultural heritage from the Majapahit Empire Era. Bajang Ratu Temple is located in Kraton Hamlet, Temon Village, Trowulan District in Mojokerto Regency East Java. The temple is formed in the shape of a red brick gateway/arch over 16 meter high.


Brahu Temple

Brahu Temple is the biggest temple in the Trowulan District. It lies along a highway connecting Mojokerto and Jombang, East Java. 

The temple is in a rectangular shape made of bricks and stands around 20 meters high. The temple has a unique design, in its body as well as the roof. Instead of rectangular in shape or prismatic with multiple layers, the roof is flat at the top with multiple angles.


Trowulan Site

Mojokerto is well known for its temples and archaeological site, the most popular is the Trowulan Site. The archaeological site stands inland of 100 square kilometers and has been theorized to be the site of the eponymous capital city of the Majapahit Empire. Archaeological surveys and excavations have recently found the remains of industrial, commercial and religious activity, habitation areas, water supply systems, and water canals all of which are evidence of dense population during the 14th to 15th centuries. In October 2009 Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Indonesia submitted Trowulan as a UNESCO World Heritage list.


Seeing the list of potential pit stop along the Northern Route of Trans Java, the island of Java certainly has some interesting and promising destination to choose from for an incredible road trip adventure. Be sure to also check out our pick for the Southern Route of Trans Java on our next article!