If yesterday I’m telling you about Pasar Ngasem, the gate of Tamansari Watercastle than today I’m gonna share to you about the Tamansari it self. If this gonna be your first time to visit Yogyakarta than I would like say that,
Welcome to Yogya…!
As a person who live in this town for over than 30 years here is in this blog I’m going to share about what to see and things to do that you could do while visiting my town SAFELY! My name is Bima and thank you for visiting my blog and I hope you got a really nice information today.
For over than 10 years I’ve been working in wedding photography industry and serve worldwide couple who getting married in Yogyakarta, Bali, Jakarta, Singapore, Maldives, and Hong Kong. I’ve been also attending a photography seminar both in Indonesia and overseas for become a speaker who sharing about living as a photographer.
If you come to my blog that means you guys are traveling for holiday or simply doing a short honeymoon after your big so as I said before, “Welcome to Yogyakarta and hope you enjoy my city as well!”
How Many Days That People Get Used to Explore Yogyakarta?
My town is not that big so generally people are used to stay around 3 to 4 days here in Yogyakarta even I met so many person who just stay for 1 or 2 days cause they just staying for transit before go back to their country or go to another tourist destination both in Indonesia or in Southeast Asia. The 5 most favourite places to see are:
- Borobudur Temple, especially for the Sunrise tour
- Prambanan temple, explore it and enjoying the Ramayana Ballet
- Sultan Palace
- Tamansari Watercastle, and
- Malioboro
In fact my city is way more beautiful than those 5 destinations cause even you just got less than 3 days here in my town you still can see 44 different places around the city as same as I wrote on my ebook “44 Things to Do in Yogyakarta”. I know that some people including you don’t wanna get too rush and choosing to stay relax while enjoying my city as well or going to some traditional food in Malioboro or get chilled at night around Prawirotaman area.
No matter what you concern about but staying for couple days in Yogyakarta is still worth it because you gonna see the most lovely people on earth who gonna smile to you and show you how to go to some places with love even they can’t speak English fluently.
Welome to Our 2nd Kingdom, the Tamansari Watercastle!
Based on history on hundred years ago there are 2 palace for the previous King, the Sultan Palace and the Tamansari Watercastle even Tamansari is get used to use by King to vacation following their daily routine. My tour guide also telling me that hundred years ago around this place was flooden by water so the Sultan a.k.a the King must use a small wooden boat to go from Sultan Palace to Tamansari Watercastle, which is soooogreat!
Pasar Ngasem, the place that I telling you to be Tamansari Watercastle entrance gate is only 2 minutes walk away from the watercastle or people also called it as waterpalace. Nowadays this area is use to traditional market where locals buy some groceries, sweet tropical fruit, and enjoying their morning by eating a local favourite snack called Apem and drink a cup of hot tea.
Even you can see the Cemeti Island, a calling for the giant building in Tamansari from Pasar Ngasem but you must walk around 400 meter to the main entrance of the castle. As same as you go into the Sultan Palace than you gonna pay some cheap admission (around US$1,5/person) to the officer. If you want to know exactly about the history than there are few local guide who standing by in front of the entrance and offering you with paid guidance. They might not be able to say the exact guidance price due to the tradition reason but in my opinion just give them around IDR50.000 to IDR100.000 (around US$4 to 8) for the tips and you definitely make them happy.
For a common information that you will get by having a guide in Tamansari Watercastle than you usually will spend around 1,5 hours and that’s way quite enough for your first visit to this place. Once you step into the castle than you gonna see a nice beautiful garden with an ancient buildings and you will step down by stairs for the local pond where my previous King used to swim and relax with his concubines and if you continue to walk around 40 minutes than you will passing by local people housing complex and see the giant ancient castle called Cemeti Island or Pulau Cemeti.
Tamansari Watercastle is not senior and infant friendly, you must step up and down on the hard stone stairs and there is no ramp for wheel chair!
If you are a senior or person who need a wheel chair for sightseeing around than this place is not for you because our government still don’t have idea to put some ramps but as long as you can go walk by yourself than everything is still possible. Before you go to Yogyakarta I suggest you to check the weather because from early December to Middle of March there will be a hard rain usually come after lunch till 6pm but sky will be so nice in the morning, but if you come during end of March till October than my city used to be so hot around 30 degree Celsius for average afternoon temperature.
So some of highly recommended things that you must bring in are:
- Casual clothes, pants will be OK but wearing a tank top is not so familiar for places like palace and castle
- Sunglasses
- Umbrella
- Well shoes or sandals for walking, and
- A lot of mineral water
5 Recommended Place to Stay Near Tamansari Watercastle
Here I give you 3 recommended places to stay near Tamansari Watercastle which is one of them are my own house that I listed on Airbnb. I wanna make sure that you guys will so close to everyone because I imagine that you are first time to go Yogyakarta and want to see the city easily and spend more time in the most familiar area for everyone.
By staying in these several recommendation below than you will easily too to find mass transportation called Trans Jogja bus (cost IDR3600 to go anywhere), three wheels becak or tuk-tuk, or even horse carrier cart or I called it as Andong.
YOu also can find so many 24 hours convenient store called Indomart, Alfamart, and Circle K aroudn this area so whenever you feel hungry than there used to provide a frozen food which you can put in the microwave and ready to eat within a minutes.
- The Chendela – actually this is my own house which I set as Airbnb property so if you stay here so we might meet each other and share a lot of travel information. Here I have 7 wonderful rooms with AC, private bathroom and surely small cafe where you can buy an amazing coffee, and even you especially got me too ha ha ha!
- Melia Purosani Hotel, this 5 star hotel are most recommended by everyone including me, all the hotel staff are so friendly and there are free piano performance every night from 7 to 9pm
- Alana by ASTON, they gonna be a brand new hotel that also in a walking distance from Tamansari
Last and Things You Don’t Want to Miss Here in My Town
I sure that your journey will not complete if you not trying my best recommendation of local and traditional snacks here in Yogyakarta. People must love, I extremely love it, and I seriously that you definitely will love it too.
Things to remember for my last word is “You don’t need to be in a diet mode when having a traveling in Yogyakarta” so make your self enjoy and I hope you got everything done especially about Tamansari Watercastle in Yogyakarta. I will see you again in the next article and I hope you still can enjoying my story.
I uploading my photos about Yogyakarta regularly and once you love for your own legal copy like for blogging, information media, or anything than you can buy it on my Shutterstock portfolio.
So I’ll see you soon!
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