IO – The enchanting beauty on the southern coast of the island of Java has no doubt its natural beauty. Along the southern coast of the island of Java lies a vast coastline. In the area there are several beaches that are very suitable to be used as a place for sightseeing and release after a week of activities. Of the many beaches that are on the southern coast of Java, there is one beach that presents a very beautiful natural landscape, Widodaren Beach. Widodaren Beach is located in Kanigoro village, Saptosari sub-district, Gunungkidul district, DI Yogyakarta. Its existence is quite hidden and still very natural because the beach is still rarely visited by tourists and its access cannot be reached by car. The main characteristics of Widodaren Beach are coral cliffs and white sand sloping beaches.
The location of Gunungkidul Widodaren Beach is to the west of Peyuyon Beach and to the east of Ngrawah Beach. If you feel unfamiliar with the two beaches there is another benchmark that is easier, namely some beaches to the east from Ngrenehan Beach. When I visited this beach, the road access to the beach was still a rocky road and it seemed that the local government was building a road to make it easier for tourists who wanted to visit Widodaren beach attractions. There are two choices of trail routes to go to Widodaren Beach, first through the path that is on the east of Ngrenehan Beach. The two pass through the rocky road that can be passed by the vehicle then proceed by walking through the path. The second option is the closest route to Gunungkidul Widodaren Beach and this route is the one that I chose to travel on to get to the beach.
The trip to Gunungkidul Widodaren Beach was continued by walking along the path between the farm fields of the residents. The existing road conditions are still narrow but not too steep because there are trees on the left and right that can be used as handles when tracking. Visitors who want to go to the Widodaren white sand beach must go down a 7 meter high cliff using simple wooden stairs. The wooden ladder is made by local residents to find fish around this beach. The condition of wooden ladders is quite safe to use alternately even though their appearance seems less convincing. There is no other road access except by descending steep rock. After descending the stairs, visitors to Widodaren Beach were immediately greeted with a view of the smooth and clean white sandy beach.
Sloping beach conditions in the Widodaren Beach area Gunungkidul looks like a beach that is rarely visited by tourists. Footprints left on beach sand are still very rare. The beach sand also feels smooth and soft, does not feel solid because it is often stepped on. Waste was barely found except for broken pieces of yarn and stranded on this beach. It was like finding a hidden paradise when I first came to this place.
If you like fishing, Widodaren Beach is perfect when you make it a place for fishing because on the beach of Widodaren Gunungkidul has very high cliffs and is perfect for fishing. Residents around also often take the time to fish at Widodaren Beach. When the condition of the sea of Widodaren Beach Gunungkidul is receding, it appears that the coral bottom appears to form beautiful strokes. Between the rocks there are still clearly visible coral reefs surrounded by seaweed and seaweed. Occasionally small fish are seen swimming here and there because they are trapped between the puddles of water on the reef. The beauty offered by the Widodaren Beach area is like its name, a beautiful angel. (Aldo)