Gunung Sewu Geopark or Sewu Mountains ( id, Pegunungan Sewu) is a series of mountains stretching along the southern coast of

Gunung Kidul Regency Gunungkidul Regency is a regency in the southeast part of the province of Yogyakarta Special Region, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Java. The regency (the name of which means South Mountains in Javanese) is bordered by the Sleman Regenc ...

and

Wonogiri Regency Wonogiri Regency is a regency () in the southeastern part of Central Java province in Indonesia. It covers an area of 1,822.36 km2, and its population was 928,904 at the 2010 Census and 1,096,138 at the 2020 Census. The capital and largest t ...

Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...

, to

Pacitan Regency Pacitan Regency ( id, Kabupaten Pacitan) is a regency located in the southwestern corner of East Java Province, with Central Java Province on its western border. Located between 7.55° - 8.17°S and 110.55° - 111.25°E. The borders of Pacitan Reg ...

East Java East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean bord ...

in the island of

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. This is a national

Geopark A geopark is a protected area with internationally significant geology within which sustainable development is sought and which includes tourism, conservation, education and research concerning not just geology but other relevant sciences. In 20 ...

, which is also a member of Global Geopark Network (GGN), recognized by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

in 2015.

Characteristics

These mountains have a unique landscape of karst area, it is characterized by the phenomenon on the surface (eksokarst) and subsurface (endokarst). Surface phenomena include positive formations, such as karst hills totaling ± 40,000 conical hills . Negative formation of karst valleys and karst lake. The subsurface phenomenon includes karst caves consisting of no less than 119 caves that have stalactites and stalagmites , and all underground river flows. Because of the uniqueness of its ecosystem , the 1993 International Union of Speleology proposed that the Karst Area of the Sewu Mountains enter into one of the world's natural heritage. In the caves are also found fossils of ancient human bones from the old stone age about 1.8 million years ago along with stone tools for hunting. The row of Sewu mountains was formed due to the lifting of the seabed thousands of years ago. Limestone rocks are characteristic of these mountains. The limestone hills are reported to contain hundreds of caves. These are classified locally as vertical caves (known as ''luweng'' in Javanese) and horizontal caves. Jomblang cave (''Luweng Jomblang'') and Grubug Cave (''Luwung Grubug'') located in the Semanu subdistrict in Gunungkidul, as well as other caves in the area, are well-known to local caving (speleological) groups. Some of the caves are quite long; Cerme cave, for example, has an entrance in

Bantul Regency Bantul ( jv, ꦧꦤ꧀ꦠꦸꦭ꧀; ) is a regency located in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Java. The regency's population was 911,503 at the 2010 Census, but has risen to 985,770 at the 2020 Census. Li ...

and stretches for quite a distance eastward into Panggang subdistrict in

.Sewu mountain, a paradise for cave explorers
, ''The Jakarta Post'', 30 June 2001.

Attractions

The

has many caves, some of which have underground rivers. where tubing activities can be carried on.
Nglanggeran primeval volcano in the Patuk area
is only 600 meters high but there are excellent views from the peak to the north towards

Mount Merapi Mount Merapi, ''Gunung Merapi'' (literally Fire Mountain in Indonesian and Javanese), is an active stratovolcano located on the border between the province of Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is the most active ...

and to the south across to the coast of Java. Scattered giant granite and andesite rock formations called "watu wayang" (puppet rocks) are found at the Mt Nglanggeran area as well as a nearby man-made lake. It takes around 3 hours to hike from the Pendopo Kali Song entrance point to the peak. Siung Beach Bay is about 300 meters length, but swimming is prohibited because of dangerous rocks and severe waves. The cliff surrounding the beach, with over 200 tracks, is suitable for rock climbing. 200 meters east of Siung Beach there is a 10-meter Jogan Tide Fall in Tepus district which is 70 kilometers from Yogyakarta in 2 hours drive. Rainy season is the best time to see the Jogan Tide Fall, because in dry season the water level is low.

References

{{Tourist attractions in Indonesia Geoparks in Indonesia Global Geoparks Network members Protected areas of Indonesia

Characteristics

Attractions

See also

References