Nglanggeran, the Mythical Ancient Volcano in Yogyakarta

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About sixty million years ago, there was an active volcano in Yogyakarta; the Nglanggeran volcano. Today that volcano is already extinct but its unique active evidence is undeniable and can still be found.

Embung Nglanggeran. via Instagram/zulmasri1

Nglanggeran village, which was once an agricultural village, has now begun to shift into a tourism village. The villagers try to use the beauty of the ancient volcano in their backyards into a wonderful tourist spot. Here is a brief profile of Nglanggeran Ancient Volcano.

Geographical Location

Admiring the panorama. via Instagram/reinerivan

Administratively, Nglanggeran Village is located in Patuk District, Gunungkidul Regency. This village is about 25 km from downtown Yogyakarta City, you can reach in around 45 minutes.

Nglanggeran. via Instagram/theworldofan

This village is located at the foot of Bukit Nglanggeran, with an area of approximately 762 hectares. Most of the land here is used as agricultural land because the majority of the villagers are farmers.

The summit of an ancient volcano

The summit. via Instagram/gunungapipurba

The destination most visited by tourists is the summit of an ancient volcano. This summit is a hill, located at an altitude of 700 meters above sea level. This place is one of the best spots to see the sunrise in Yogyakarta. To climb this hill, you need to walk for about an hour. The summit of the Nglanggeran is quite extensive with very beautiful scenery, but the contour of the land does not allow it to be used as a camping ground.

Embung Nglanggeran

Embung Nglanggeran. via Instagram/adi_mrizal

Embung is a weir/reservoir in the local language. This 0.34-hectare reservoir is at the top of a hill. The main function of Embung is to irrigate durian and kelengkeng plantations.

This instagenic reservoir was only built in 2012 and was inaugurated by the Governor of Yogyakarta in February 2013. This reservoir is also a favorite destination for tourists who want to shoot spectacular sunset photos.

Kedung Kandang Waterfall

Kedung Kandang waterfall. via Instagram/rovihendrawan

This is a seasonal Waterfall, you can only enjoy it in its full splendor in the rainy season. This multi-tiered waterfall looks so majestic with all its many drops. You can even climb each level of this waterfall to get the best photo location.

Nglanggeran myth and legend

Embung Nglanggeran. via Instagram/yosafatyk

Nglanggeran comes from the word ‘ngelanggar’ which means violate. Once upon a time, there was a shadow puppet show near this village. Some villagers damage the puppets intentionally so the puppeteer was very angry. The puppeteer then condemned the citizens who damaged the puppets, they became puppets and then dumped on Nglanggeran hill.

The Hill. via Instagram/ hernasoekarseno

Today, Nglanggeran hill is still one of the spiritual destinations for local residents. In some particular moment, there are people who climb to the top of the hill to meditate.

Enjoying the scenery. via Instagram/voilajogja

Nglanggeran has many tourism opportunities that began to be seriously developed by surrounding residents. Good management makes tourism in the Nglanggeran Ancient Volcano rose into fame very quickly.

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Embung Nglanggeran Indonesia Nglanggeran Yogyakarta
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