Tourist attractions in Yogyakarta and Things to do in Yogyakarta

1. Yogyakarta
BY: Eunice Putri

2. General Knowledge
 The Special Region of Yogyakarta is a Special Region at the provincial level in
Indonesia which is a fusion of the State of the Sultanate of Yogyakarta and
the Duchy of Paku Alaman. The Special Region of Yogyakarta is located in
the southern part of Java Island, and borders the Province of Central Java
and the Indian Ocean. This Special Region which has an area of 3,185.80
km2 consists of one municipality, and four districts, which are further
divided into 78 sub-districts, and 438 villages / kelurahan. According to the
2010 population census it has a population of 3.452,390 people with a
proportion of 1,705,404 men and 1,746,986 women, and has a population
density of 1,084 people per km2.

3. History
 Before Indonesia gained its independence, Yogyakarta was an area that has
its own government or was called Zelfbestuurlandschappen / Swapraja,
namely the Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat Sultanate and the Pakualaman
Duchy
 In the history of the struggle to defend the independence of the Republic of
Indonesia (NKRI), DIY has an important role. Evidently on January 4,
1946 until December 27, 1949 was once made the capital city of the
Republic of Indonesia. This January 4th was later designated as the
Republic of Yogyakarta Day in 2010. At this time the Ngayogyakarta
Hadiningrat Sultanate was led by Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwana X and the
Pakualaman Duchy headed by Sri Paku Alam X who also served as
Governor, and Deputy Governor of DIY. Both play a decisive role in
maintaining cultural values and Javanese customs and are a unifying
community of Yogyakarta
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4. Culture
 DIY ha s a variety of potential culture, both are tangible (physical) and
intangible ( non physical) cultures. Tangible culture potentials include
cultural heritage areas, cultural heritage objects while intangible cultural
potential such ideas, value system or norms, artwork, social systems or social
behaviors in society.
 DIY has no less than 515 Cultural Heritage Buildings spread across 13
Cultural Heritage Areas. The existence of cultural assets inherited from the
high civilization of the past, with the Kraton as an institution of noble
inheritance that is still preserved, is an embryo, and gives a spirit to the
growth of the dynamics of society in cultural life, especially in cultural arts,
and with traditional traditions. In addition, DIY also has 30 museums, two of
which are the Ullen Sentalu Museum, and the Sonobudoyo Museum is
projected to become an international museum. In 2010, the percentage of
cultural heritage objects did not change in the good category by 41.55%, as if
the visit to the museum reached 6.42% .
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5. Tourism
 Geographically, DIY also benefits from the distance between affordable and
easily accessible tourist attraction. The tourism sector is very significant as a
motorbike for DIY economic activities which generally relies on three
mainstay sectors, namely: services; trades, hotel and restaurants; and
agriculture. In this case tourism provides a real multiplier effect of the trade
sector due to increased tourist visits. In addition, labor absorption, and
contributions to be regional economy are very significant.
 Tourism is the main sector for DIY. The number of objects, and tourist
attraction in DIY has absorbed tourist visits, both foreign tourists and
domestic tourists. In 2010 there were 1,456,980 tourist visits, with details of
152,843 from overseas, and 1,304,137 people from the archipelago. The
forms of tourism in DIY include MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Convention and
Exhibition), cultural tourism, nature tourism, special interest tours, and
various other tourist facilities, such as resorts, hotels and restaurants. There
were 37 starred hotels and 1,011 budget hotels in all of DIY in 2010. The
implementation of MICE was 4,509 times per year or around 12 times per
day.

6. Art
 Artists from all over Indonesia and beyond have for flocked Jogja to plug into
and contribute to the vibrant artistic community, making it a city that
pulsates with creative energy wherever you look. Unlike a number of other
art centers in the world, the vibe in Jogja is casual, down to earth, open and
welcoming anyone who has genuine intrest in learning about the scene
 This openness starts with the artists themselves, most of whom are affiliated
with studios made up of a number of artists from different generations.
These studios or collectives, create organic incubators where artists exchange
ideas, techniques and provide support, mentorship and shared professional
networks. Artists want to share with visitors what is going on and what they
are making - whether they are young graduates from the art school or
internationally lauded, giving the city and its people an amazingly grounded
and authentic feeling. Everyone joining in and sharing their time and
resources is an approach that is often called the village, or the Kampung, but
really it just means a commitment to acting as a community.

7. Environment/nature
 Yogyakarta is also known for their natural resources. There are so many
activities to do in Yogyakarta, involving its natural resources. For example
Watu Lumbung Beach, Sinden Beach, Kalong Island, Air terjun Kedung
Kandang, Watu Giring, Batu Miring, and etc. And for some specific details,
Batu Miring is the place to go for breathtaking panoramic views of Java
Island. Go early to watch the enchanting sunrise colour the landscape or in
the late afternoon to watch the sun set over the island. Batu Miring is
surrounded by endless mountains, limestone rocks and lush greenery.
There’s no public transport here, so you’ll have to take your motorbike and
drive up yourself for a good old adventure. From the parking lot, a short 200-
meter walk will lead you to the foot of the majestic mountain, Gunung
Kukusan.

8. Culinary
 We talked about its nature. But the culinary is just as perfect as its nature.
When it comes to Yogyakarta’s culinary, there are so many suggestions, and
it is very different from western food. Asia is known for its different kinds of
variation of food. In Yogyakarta you must try at least Gudeg. Gudeg is like
the base of every Yogyakarta food. But theres more than Gudeg, such as, Mie
Ayam Bu Tumini, Bakso Marhani, Wedang Ronde Mbakh Payem, Es Buah
PK, Gudeg Pawon, and etc.

9. Adventures
 Borobudur. We couldn’t include Borobudur out of this list. For those who
like bikes and waking up early, you can join bicycles tours and watch the
sunrise from Borobudur, it’ll be one of the most magical sunrises you’ve seen
in a while, and we guarantee it. PS: If you’re not into bicycles, you can of
course just be on foot!
 Mount Merapi. What better way to start an adventure than riding a jeep and
getting up-close and personal with Mount Merapi. Mount Merapi? There are
plenty of tours offering jeeps driven by professionals that’ll take you around
villages which have been affected by eruptions, as well as museums, bunkers
or even if you just want to watch the sunrise from above.
 Jomblang cave. Are you ready for a caving adventure? This place is one of
Jogja’s natural highlight and is truly amazing. Locally known as Goa
Jomblang, the cave itself is actually a sinkhole in Gunung Kidul that is a
thousand-year old. About a 90 minutes’ drive from central Yogyakarta, we
recommend visiting from 10.00 to 14.00 PM as that is the time there are the
most sunrays.

10. Transportation
 In Yogyakarta it’s a little complicated to find transportation, so this are the
tips for finding transportations in Yogyakarta. First, you could just download
GOJEK or GRAB and you could order it online. Second could just rent a car
and pay it in one time for the whole trip. But if your with you big family you
could rent a bus, but its just the same like car, but its twice larger. But if you
really want to explore its transportation too, you could just ride a public bus
or angkot or bajai.