WATU KARUNG BEACH PACITAN

Pacitan is a district located in the southwestern tip of East Java Province. The area is bordered by three districts of Ponorogo regency in the north, Trenggalek regency in the east and Wonogiri regency (Central Java) in the west. Besides bordering the three districts of Pacitan also directly adjacent to the Indian Ocean it is no wonder if the city of Pacitan has many beaches are quite interesting.

One of them is Watu Karung Beach, this beach is very beautiful, from a distance there is a view of large coral rocks, which are lined and slightly decorated with green plants. The clean white sand beach is still free of garbage making the scenery so refreshing. The tosca-colored sea water at the edge and clear makes the coral reefs and marine life are visible without us having to dive. And big waves that captivate the charm of international surfers maupum international.

 

a lot of beach spots in Indonesia are famous to go abroad from Cimaja, Red Island Beach, to the beautiful beaches in Bali. But if you are looking for tourist attractions that offer a complete package of nature tourism and surf sports do not ever miss Watu Karung Beach. The beach is located in the area Pringkutung, Pacitan offers world-class surf for surfers

Waves at Watu Beach this sack can reach a height of up to 4 meters with a wave type reef break where the type of waves like this is very preferred for the surfers. In the year 2009 and then, Indonesia's top surfer Rizal Tanjung invites Bruce Irons, champion Rip Curl Pro Search 2008 to try out and prove that the waves of Watu Karung Beach is a world class wave. Now Watu Karung Beach is well known around the world, especially for surf lovers, this is not escape from the role of the top surfers, photos of Bruce irons who are surfing in Watu Karung Beach made cover a leading international magazine (Waves).

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Watu Karung beach homestay and hotel guide  (Pacitan, East Java)

Watu Karung beach (Pantai Watu karung) is an incredible surf spot and breathtaking ocean beach shore. It is located on the Java Island, approximately 3 hours by car from Yogyakarta. It is quite famous among advanced surfers as many international pro surfers come here to ride those incredible waves.

The place is majestic as you can see some big ocean waves crashing into rocks. Some people say there is a rock that looks like a woman’s head with long hair. Among the many other beaches in Pacitan like Klayar beach or Buyutan beach, Watu Karung is not the busiest but I think it is the most preserved and the most beautiful of all beaches in Pacitan. The area is quite popular among locals from South East Java and the southern part of central Java.

Famous pro surf break and live coral reef

Don’t go there to learn how to surf ! This is an advanced surfer spot : the rocks, the live coral, the strong current and the big waves make it dangerous for a beginner. If you’re not a surfer, you can watch many of them from the beach.

 

This beach has also an incredible live coral reef and I really hope this will be preserved in the near future as further touristic developments or intense local fishing could alter it. The beach itself is also very clean, which can also be quite unusual for an Indonesian touristic place. I would recommend some water shoes if you intend to swim there as there are many rocks along the shore: it can be difficult to swim there.

I went there to spend a peaceful long week end and I am going to tell you the best places to stay and enjoy what many people call the Javanese paradise.

Since it is a very remote area, I am going to show you the exact location first so you can have a clear idea of where this paradise is located:

The best option to reach Watu Karung beach is by car from Yogyakarta (3 hours ride) or from Solo city (3 hours ride too). The road will get narrow and winding at the end but still good. Don’t worry, the trip is totally worth it ! There is an entrance fee of 5,000 rp per person and an additional 5,000 rp per car.

 

Homestays

This used to be the only option available in this remote place. There are many home stays, with different standing and different locations closer to the beach but this is definitely the cheapest option, especially if you are staying there for a long surfing trip, like many foreigners do.

Pasir Putih Homestay: The place is located less than a minute away from the beach so the location is very good. There is a small terrace and the room has a proper size.

Edy’s Hometay: An other good home stay with reasonable price. It is not located totally close to the beach but the price are relatively cheap.

Address: Jln.watukarung Pacitan Km.2

Watukarung, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia 6055

Sack stone homestay: This Home stay is located 150 meters away from the beach and is quite clean. Most of the rooms have terrace too and there is a common area to watch TV. The host of the place are very friendly.

Surfing pacitan homestay

eHomestay Surfing Pacitan (Made’s house): This accomodation has a great location, close to the beach but in a more remote area, 5 minutes by car from all the previous homestays. The price is US$ 10 per day and they have discounted prices if you stay 1 week.

 

Watukarung Prapto Homestay: This friendly stay has 4 rooms: 2 double bed and 2 twin beds. The price is 200,000 rp per night. It has a good location near the beach walk.

Other Homestays and Joglo available in the area:

- Child house Beach resort:

- Jungle Homestay

Luxury Hotels and resort

If a home stay is not for you, then you should consider those 2 options. There are currently no accommodation with a medium range standard. So the 2 choices I am featuring below are more on the upper range (individual bungalows in a resort-like hotel).

Istana Ombak EcoResort: This hotel is located along the beachwalk of Watu Karung. It is easily recognizable with its nice rock walls and the swimming pool. They offer individual bungalows or hut (20 square meters) with AC, relatively close to each other. It is the closest you can be from the beach. The price is quite high and the hotel mostly have foreigners.

FYI: Istana Ombak means the wave Palace :-)

  

istana ombak swimming pool

 

 Istana ombak interior

Desa Limasan: The other luxury resort of Watu karung located 2 minutes away from the previous one. This one is also an individual bungalow/Joglo resort with a swimming pool but there is way more space between each bungalow.

 

Desa Limasan swimming pool

 

 Joglo house at Desa Limasan

Food in Watu karung : Warungs & Restaurants

Watukarung is a perfect spot to eat seafood, especially fresh fish that you can eat grilled in one of the warungs located along the beachwalk. It is also a great place to enjoy a fresh coconut, straight from the coconut tree and many other fresh fruits. There are no western restaurants so far in Watu Karung, but you will find many warungs that cook for you fresh seafood for a reasonable price (50,000 rp per person for 1 meal).

 

Grilled fish

 

Maybe you would prefer to eat grilled lobster ?

Top things to do in Watu karung beach

1. Watch the sunset and enjoy the white-sand beach

2. Eat fresh grilled fish

3. Drink fresh coconut water

4. Surfing or bodyboard

5. Snorkeling

Other gorgeous ocean beaches in Pacitan you must see

1. Pantai Klayar (the closest from Pacitan city and thus the most crowded beach in Pacitan)

2. Pantai Buyutan

3. Pantai Banyu Tibo

4. Pancer Door beach

5. Teleng Ria beach

6. Srau beach (pantai Srau)

7. Pidakan beach

8. Soge beach

9. Taman beach (pantai taman)

sunset in watu karung pacitan

Beatiful sunset

Resting time with ocean view pacitan

Perfect spot to rest

 Tourist activities to do in Pacitan

1. Gong cave or “Goa gong” (30km west of Pacitan city)

2. Tabuhan cave or “Goa Tabuhan”

2. Pelabuhan Tamperan (harbour)

3. Museum Geopark in Pacitan city (Pancer Door beach)

4. Kediaman bapak SBY (residence of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, former president of Indonesia)

5. Sungai maron (the brown river)

6. Luweng Jaran & Luweng Ombo