Pulau Santen
Pulau Santen is a fisherman village on the east coast of Banyuwangi, located only within five minutes from the city center. There is a beautiful savanna area of 6 hectares and the beach is overgrown with Santen trees making honor to its name. This beach is also one of the favorite spots for sea turtles to go ashore and lay their eggs.
At the estuary of Pulau Santen river, there is a beautiful mangrove area. Usually, you can find local people looking for “kijing” (estuary shells), shrimp, and crabs in the river. Tourists can also watch the activities of the fishermen such as pulling the fishing nets. At last, visitors can enjoy the beautiful view of the island of Bali from the coast of Santen beach.
The coffee village: Gombengsari
Gombengsari coffee village can be reached in about 20-30 minutes from downtown Banyuwangi. In this place, tourists can enjoy walking around the coffee plantations, as well as witnessing and learning about the traditional process of the coffee, from roasting to brewing, while also enjoying the village cuisine.
Besides, in this village there is an “etawa goat” farm, tourists can milk the goats and drink the milk immediately, they say this kind of goat milk is very healthy and it is considered as a very good source of nutrition due to its mineral content.
In Gombengsari there are also other appealing destinations such as Asmoro Hilltop, the Sumbermanis forest tour, Goa Pengantin waterfalls, and the passion fruit gardens.
Hoo Tong Bio Temple
Hoo Tong Bio Temple is the oldest temple in East Java and Bali, it was estimated to have been built in 1784 by the local Chinese community. This temple has been recognized as a cultural heritage relic, available to be visited by tourists, but it also still serves as a place of worship for the Tri Dharma people in Banyuwangi.
Located not far from the center of Banyuwangi, this temple offers a unique architectural design, with an altar of worship, various ornaments and sculptures typical of China, several sacred and historic objects, and a few towering tall pagodas dominated by the color red, which for them symbolizes excitement, happiness, and well-being.
Kalibendo Waterfall
Located around 30-40 minutes from downtown Banyuwangi, escorted by factories and old houses with colonial architecture from the Dutch heritage. This waterfall is in the middle of the Kalibendo plantation, where we can find coffee, clove, rubber, and beautiful surrounding nature.
To get to the waterfall, visitors must walk around 500 meters beside a shallow, clear river. In the end, there is a beautiful waterfall with a clear natural pool below. Visitors can shower under the waterfall, with the comfortable feeling of a natural massage given by the water that is falling from a height of around 7 meters.
