Parangtritis Beach

Parangtritis is the beach at the southern end of the axis that runs from Merapi through the Yogyakarta kraton to the Indian Ocean - the cosmological line the sultanate is built on and which UNESCO inscribed in 2023 - and it is where the sultan's relationship with Nyai Roro Kidul, the queen of the southern sea, is enacted, with offerings made at the labuhan ceremony each year. The beach is grey volcanic sand with cliffs at the eastern end, and behind it are the Parangkusumo dunes, a genuine barchan dune field fed by Merapi's ash carried down the Opak river and blown inland - a rare landform at this latitude and the subject of research and conservation. The undertow is lethal and the beach has a long drowning record; swimming is not permitted.

What you actually see

• The southern end of the axis - the sacred line from Merapi through the kraton to the sea.
• Barchan dunes - a rare tropical dune field fed by volcanic ash from Merapi.
• Labuhan offerings - the annual ceremony at the sea for the southern queen.
• A guarded shore - swimming barred, with a long record of drownings.

When to go

May to September; sunset is the busy hour. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Swimming is prohibited and people still drown here - the undertow is lethal. Horse carts and buggies operate on the sand and welfare varies. Green clothing is avoided locally for the same reason as at Pelabuhan Ratu.

Nearby

Yogyakarta and the kraton are north; the Gunungkidul beaches are east.