Alas Purwo National Park

Alas Purwo means ancient forest, and Javanese tradition holds this as the place where the island first emerged, which is why the caves in the park - Goa Istana above all - are used for meditation and pilgrimage, particularly on 1 Suro, the Javanese new year, and at full and new moon, and why the Pura Luhur Giri Salaka Hindu temple, where Hindus hold the Pagerwesi rite, stands inside the boundary. Ecologically it holds lowland monsoon forest, mangrove, savanna at Sadengan where banteng and deer graze at dawn and dusk from a viewing tower, and turtle beaches. For surfers it means one thing: Plengkung, known internationally as G-Land, a long left-hand reef break that is among the more serious waves in the world and is worked from a handful of camps reached by boat or the park track.

What's there

• G-Land at Plengkung - the long left reef break, among the world's heaviest.
• Sadengan grazing ground - banteng and deer from the tower at dawn and dusk.
• Meditation caves - Goa Istana and others used for Javanese spiritual practice.
• A Hindu temple inside the park - Pura Luhur Giri Salaka in the forest.

When to go

May to September; the surf season peaks then. Two days.

Things to know

The track in is rough and slow. G-Land breaks over shallow reef and is not for intermediate surfers. Accommodation is basic camps. Malaria has been reported in the area.

Nearby

Banyuwangi and the Bali ferry are north; Meru Betiri is west along the coast.

Key facts