Timang Beach Gondola, Yogyakarta

Timang Beach Gondola

Become one of the national tourist destinations, Yogyakarta offers many unforgettable places to experience. One of them is Pantai Timang, Pantai means beach in Indonesian. The beach located Purwodadi Village, Sub-District Tepus, Gunung Kidul. Look out the list below to know more about the beach:
1. Crossing above the Ocean
Not the usual walking on the sandy beach, but here you can cross the ocean. Pantai Timang offers one of a kind experience that can't be found at any other place, ocean crossing. You can experience crossing midair above the fierce wave of Indian Ocean. The route is from the beach toward alone small coral island called Timang Island, not far from the mainland. The ocean crossing is the highlight of this place. There are two ways to choose what to cross with, gondola or wooden bridge. Both have their own charm for the visitor, but for sure they’re the perfect treat for any adrenalin junkie.

2. Old Method from Local Fisherman
Historically, the first method for ocean crossing is using the gondola. That was done by the local fisherman as they looked for lobster at Timang Island. They did it with only simple lifeguard and simpler gondola. At some point, this unique method in looking for lobster reported through television, both international and national. From there the idea to make the Indian Ocean crossing as a tourist attraction came. At first, it was only the gondola. But later, they build a wooden bridge for another alternative. Do not imagine the modern machine-generated gondola, because the gondola here moves by human strength.
3. Total Cost
Even though there’s no actual entrance for Pantai Timang, as in free, but for every attraction, you have to pay separately. For gondola, it cost around $15 while the wooden bridge is around $10. Not only that, if you happen got chicken feet and don’t want to cross, you still need to pay for $5 for taking some pictures. There’s also a mini gazebo that is rented for $2.

4. How to Get There
From Yogyakarta City, the journey will take around 2 hours either you get private or public transportation. Go to Wonosari direction then take a turn toward Baron Beach once you get there. After that, take the route for Siung Beach then you will find direction board to Timang Beach. If you take private transportation, make sure your car or motorcycle is up for off-road-like-journey. It’s because the road is up and down and curvaceous. Or if you take the public transportation, you have to get off around 3 kilometers before the beach. Then you can rent a jeep for $25 until $30 or motor-taxi for $5. The driver will bring you to the beach right away.
5. Facility
Pantai Timang is managed by local and there no trace of government intervention at all. The place is lacking in the basic facility for a tourist destination place. There’s no restaurant or simple dining place around, so you better bring some food and drink in case your sugar level gets lower. There’s electricity that recently is put there using the solar panel for the night lighting. Truth to be told, Pantai Timang has a big potential to be a top tourist attraction in Indonesia. Indian Ocean crossing is not something that can be found everywhere. The government should put more attention and help the locals to develop the place.