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Baluran National Park: African Savanna Lookalike in Indonesia

Who says that you must go to Africa if you want to see the real savanna? Sure, Africa is the home for many vast savanna. But, you’re wrong if you think Africa is the only place on earth with savanna. Just take a look at Baluran National Park which is located in East Java, Indonesia. For your information, this national park is the widest savanna in Java Island. And once you’re there, you’ll see something entirely different from any traveling you have ever done before (unless you have ever been to savanna in Africa). If you’re lucky, you can see animals in the wild. Sure, we’re really talking about real “wild” here. The animals are not like what you find at the zoos.

The Location of Baluran National Park

This national park is located in Situbondo Region, East Java Province. To the north you’ll find Madura Strait and to the east, you’ll see Bali Strait. Right in the middle of the national park, there’s Baluran Mountain which is actually not active anymore but is still a great landmark and view when you see the savannah from afar.

Related to the ecosystem inhabiting the national park, generally speaking, it’s about dry forest ecosystem. Even so, it doesn’t mean the creatures living there are not varied. Despite the fact that we’re talking about dry forest ecosystem here, for your information, it consists of many types including savannah vegetation, mangrove, beach forest, swamp forest, and rainy forest. That’s why it’s only natural for Baluran National Park to have highly varied animals and plantations especially the tropical ones.

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Tips to Have Better Traveling at Baluran National Park

To begin with, the savanna is already a great thing to see because the scenery is really beautiful there. But, in order to make things even more memorable for you, you may want to follow these following tips.

1. Go to the National Park as Early as Possible

There’s only one reason for you to get there as early as possible (preferably at dawn) and it’s about the sunrise. Who says that sunrise is only good when it’s enjoyed at the beach? The people who say so must have never been to savanna before. In fact, the sunrise scenery in Baluran National Park is just so beautiful and more than enough to make you in awe because of its majestic view. Such scenery is perfect for you who want to capture the moment with your camera. Things will be even greater if you reach Baluran National Park when the fog is still there because the result of the captured photo will be more dramatic.

2. Go to Baluran National Park during Dry Season

This tip is meant to increase the chance for you to encounter the wild animals living in the national park. Of course, we’re talking about the rather tamed animals here instead of wild lions. Wild bulls, deer, and the other animals living in Baluran National Park tend to show up during the dry season because they need to get more food which is getting scarce inside the woods. But, when you come to the national park during the rainy season, the chance to meet them is really low as they usually choose to stay inside the woods by considering that their food is already abundant in there.

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