Red Durian: The Wonder of Banyuwangi Taking a Shape of Unique Fruit
You should be surprised to know that the government of Banyuwangi intentionally developed a quite unique tourist destination to let the tourists enjoy durian at its fullest. Durian Village, that’s how the place where you can enjoy the well-known red durian from Banyuwangi. Durian Village is located in Desa Songgon at Songgon District, Banyuwangi. It wasn’t that long ago since this place was inaugurated by the regent of Banyuwangi, Abdullah Azwar Anas, back in the past March 17th 2018.
To be honest, there are actually several other locations in Banyuwangi which are popular for their red durian cultivation. However, Songgon is among the most popular ones. Once you get to this district, you will find about 465 hectares of red durian field. You can found more than 4,000 durian trees there. The residents of Songgon Village were the ones to come with the idea of making their village as the “central” for durian cultivation. They believed their idea would work by considering how the condition in their village is so perfect for that purpose. And yes, their expectation definitely paid off.
How to Reach Songgon Village
It’s not hard for you to get to Songgon Village because it’s not too far away from the downtown of Banyuwangi. You can simply take a ride which only needs about 15 minutes to reach the gate that welcomes you to the village. After getting through the gate, you need to take a walk because the path isn’t suitable for vehicle. After about 500 meters of walking, you can find the durian field as far as your eyes see. The durian farmers in this village have prepared everything so you can experience the agro-traveling at Songgo Village including some unique facilities. For instance, you can find wooden huts along the path so you can enjoy your durian there.
If you expect something more, well, it’s highly recommended for you to enjoy your durian at Durian Garden. It’s a spot designed by the people there so you can eat your durian while enjoying the sceneries around. The natural ambience is really intense there because you’ll be surrounded by durian trees (along with the other trees) and there are also some fish ponds. The combination of the nature, the sound of the water and the tasty durian will make you addicted.
What about the price? How much should you pay to experience such traveling? Well, according to many people, the price is rather high because you need to pay about Rp 150,000 – Rp 250,000 for one durian. The price is ranging based on the weight of the durian. However, once you taste the durian, you will think that price is really worth it.
When Can You Get the Durian?
One more information you need to know if you want to taste the durian from Durian Village in Songgo District. Not every day you can actually expect to taste it. Red durian has its own season and they harvested during March, April, and May with April as the peak of the harvesting season. Outside those months, it’s barely possible for you to get red durian.
