Parangtritis Beach (, ) is a tourist beach on the southern coast of Java, in the Bantul Regency within the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. There is a road to the area which is about 30 km south of the Yogyakarta. This beach is located south of Parangkusumo Beach, which is also a mainstay of tourism in Bantul Regency. This beach is often visited by local and foreign tourists.
Facilities and attractions
Quite large crowds of mainly local tourists visit Parangtritis over
and at
. Larger tourist buses as well as various types of cheaper
minibuses ply the route to the beach from
Yogyakarta. There are local tourist facilities at Parangtritis including
parking arrangements, modest
hotels which provide visitors with places to change and
shower, and small
restaurants. Often small ponies or horse-drawn carts can be hired for rides along the beach. Tourists also visit some of the various
caves and springs in the cliffs and hills near Parangtritis, such as the Tapan cave and the Beji spring, which are quite close to the beach.
[Dalil Sembiring, ' A Girijati Getaway: Hidden Allures in South Yogyakarta', The Jakarta Globe, 25 October 2010.]
Myths and folklore
Parangtritis is sometimes said to be a place to meet the legendary Nyai Loro Kidul (also known as
Ratu Kidul) or 'Queen of the South'.
[' Frolicking on Parangtritis Beach', The Jakarta Post, 6 August 2008.] Local folklore warns visitors not to wear green clothes or the queen is likely to try to entice the wearer into the ocean to drown.
The beach is not really a good swimming beach. Drownings are not uncommon at Parangtritis,
[' Islands in Focus: Boy missing off Parangtritis beach', The Jakarta Post, 27 December 2012. Also ' Two visitors found dead in Parangtritis', The Jakarta Post, 9 March 2011.] partly because many Indonesians have never had the opportunity to learn proper swimming technique at beach and partly because channels, strong rips and sizable waves often occur off the beach.
[' Huge waves continue to pound coast' , The Jakarta Post, 20 May 2007.]
==Gallery==
See also
