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Journey from Yogyakarta to Banyuwangi for Uniting for a Cause Java-Bali turtle conservation partnership. Sponsored by BCA with a program entitled BAKTI BCA, together with the Banyuwangi Sea Turtle Foundation, TRCC Buleleng Bali, and KKP. Mino Raharjo turtle conservation attends fellow conservation meetings in Java and Bali. The journey started from Bantul Yogyakarta on Wednesday may 14 at 1 am. We intentionally started the journey at midnight because we wanted to arrive in Banyuwangi in the afternoon. The journey took approximately 12 hours. We also planned to stop by tourist attractions along the way from Yogyakarta to Banyuwangi.
I working as a driver to take tourists and am active in turtle conservation activities in Yogyakarta. So I can show my conservation friends about the tourist attractions along the way. That night, there were 6 of us driving a Toyota Innova which I think is very comfortable for long or short trips. This diesel engine car is also fuel efficient and has strong power. Short story, we all wanted to have dinner before the trip and finally after a while looking for a food stall that was open, we found a Gudeg stall that was enough to fill our energy.
The sun was already high when we arrived in East Java and we discussed which route we would take to get to Banyuwangi. Finally we decided to go through the coffee plantation, the route to the Ijen crater through Bondowoso district. The road was quite good, up and down through the mountains. But all that was paid off with beautiful scenery.
Our first stop at Blawan waterfall located near Cattimore homestay. The distance from the car park to the waterfall is not far, only about 300 meters, the path to the waterfall is also good.
A beautiful waterfall is located in the valley of the Ijen Crater
I have been here several times to accompany foreign tourists and this time I will show my conservation friends about this waterfall. They are very enthusiastic to see this waterfall. Different from other waterfalls, because here we can stand in the middle of the waterfall. The area around the waterfall is also still very beautiful, around the path that we pass is overgrown with large shady trees and the air is also very cool.
After enjoying the beauty of Blawan waterfall, we continued our journey to Banyuwangi through Ijen crater. Not far from Blawan waterfall, there is also a waterfall on the side of the road. This waterfall has greenish water because it is affected by the sulfur in Ijen crater. The name of the waterfall is Kali Pait. My friends from the conservation invited me to stop for a moment to enjoy the beautiful natural scenery around the waterfall.
The day was already approaching evening and we had to immediately arrive in Banyuwangi to meet with conservation friends from BSTF Banyuwangi Sea Turtle Foundation. The distance from Kali Pait Waterfall to Banyuwangi City is about 1 hour drive. And true, our friends from Banyuwangi were waiting for us to have dinner and talk about the activities that would be done the next day. This time, we were treated to Banyuwangi’s special food, namely Nasi Tempong, which was delicious and spicy. Conservation friends from Mino Raharjo Bantul Yogyakarta were happy to be able to share with the leader from BSTF Banyuwangi. Because it was already night and we were all tired, we immediately went to the inn to rest.
Have a coffee first before meeting with conservation friends
The long-awaited day finally arrived on Thursday, May 15, 2025, and finally arrived. We, representative from Mino Raharjo turtle conservation, were invited by BAKTI BCA to attend a meeting and discussion at the Allila Banyuwangi hotel at 8:30 am. All our friends were enthusiastic to attend this meeting. Before heading to the designated location, we looked for a good place to grab a cup of coffee in Banyuwangi.
After a while, we stumbled upon a simple yet very crowded coffee shop. We were all curious and stopped to try the taste of Banyuwangi’s special coffee. Indeed, the coffee here tasted better and had its unique flavor compared to other places. Fajar and I even ordered 2 cups of coffee and a pack of rice and eggs for breakfast. After enjoying the coffee, we headed back to the inn to get ready for the meeting at Allia Banyuwangi hotel. We uniting for a cause for sustainability of sea turtle populations.
Java-Bali Turtle Conservation Partnership
At exactly 8.30 am we arrived at the meeting location at the Allila Banyuwangi Hotel. All participants from the Banyuwangi Sea Turtle Foundation, TRCC Buleleng Bali and KKP had also arrived. Of course the sponsor from BAKTI BCA had also prepared all the participants’ needs. There was a lot of knowledge gained from this meeting.
The speakers who attended from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries or KKP provided a lot of information about how to maintain the sustainability of turtles seen from various aspects. The theme taken this time was about waste that is difficult to anticipate. Small plastic waste, namely nano plastic, can damage turtle habitats in the ocean. Turtles that eat plastic waste will experience a decline in health and may cause death.
In addition to waste, turtle egg hunting is still happening and is difficult to detect. From the problems conveyed by conservation friends from Java and Bali, we agreed to overcome all of that with the help of KKP and the laws in force in Indonesia. Uniting for a cause is our slogan to help each other together. After a day of discussing the sustainability of the turtle population, in the afternoon we continued the activity to release baby turtles on the beach.
After the turtle release event was over, we said goodbye to go home to Yogyakarta. Conservation friends from Bali also said goodbye to go home and continue the struggle to preserve turtles in their respective regions. Uniting for a cause, the survival of turtles will not end here. We agreed to make this action bigger, so that there is no more conservation in this world if all living things take care of each other. Thank you very much BAKTI BCA for bridging us and KKP which has provided solutions for a better life.
The way home and stopping by at mount Bromo
That night after the meeting with the theme of uniting for a cause was finished, we continued to have dinner in Banyuwangi. Of course we also enjoyed the legendary Ijen crater coffee. After everything was finished, we took a night trip with the assumption of arriving in Sukapura Bromo in the morning.
After a fairly long trip, we arrived in Bromo around 4:30 am. I invited my friend to stop at Mas Wanto’s house, he is a jeep entrepreneur in Bromo. Mas Wanto warmly welcomed our arrival and we were invited to rest while waiting for the sun to rise. This time my conservation friends wanted to visit Bromo only, they didn’t want to see the sunrise because we were all tired.
Around 5:30 am my friends left for the Bromo crater, escorted using a jeep from Mas Wanto. Because I have often been to Bromo, I decided to wait for them at Mas Wanto’s house. After a while they returned from their trip to Bromo and we all got ready to continue our journey home to Yogyakarta. With a happy feeling because everything I planned went smoothly. around 10 pm we arrived in yogyakarta safely and smoothly.
Thank you very much to all my friends in conservation Mino Raharjo, Fajar, Mr. Ipung, Mr. Bagyo, Mr. Slow and Mas Timan. See you in the programs that we have planned in the turtle conservation of goa cemara.
