Parangtritis Beach is the nearest surf spot to the backpacker fav of Yogyakarta in central Java.
An introduction to Parangtritis surf
Parangtritis is worth knowing about if you’re a beginner surfer and traveling across Central Java on the old banana pancake trail. It’s a great place to drop in some waves between visions of Mount Merbabu and the mystical temple spires of Borobudur – both seriously incredible. We say that because there’s nothing overly special about this break. It’s not a peeling left a la Ulus or a tubular reef like G-Land. To be honest, it could be your local mushburger beach break virtually anywhere on the globe.
The location is good for SW swell pick ups because the end of the beach looks straight out across the middle of the Southern Ocean. The coastline to the east is rugged, but it softens to the west for long runs of sand that have multiple peaks. The town is a bustling spot with plenty of infrastructure, but that’s, admittedly, mainly aimed at the local Indonesian crowd.
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This guide is just one part of our complete guides to surfing in Java and surfing in Indonesia
Parangtritis surf at a glance
The good:
- Good for beginners
- Consistent swell
- Town with good infrastructure
The bad:
- Not the best quiality spot – it’s no G-Land
- Nothing for intermediets or pros
- No reefs
What’s in this guide to Parangtritis surf?
Where is Parangtritis?
Parangtritis is the closest beach to the backpacker hub of Yogyakarta. You travel directly south through the suburban sprawl until you reach the edge of southern Java. Most buses go to the town of Kretek and then you’ll need an onward taxi or shared minibus to take you the last five minutes to the waves. More generally speaking, the beach is a part of the Special Region of Yogyakarta, about 8.5 hours’ drive from the Indonesian capital in Jakarta in the middle of Central Java.
A guide to the Parangtritis surf spots
The breaks are centered on Parangtritis Beach, mainly frothy, shapeless beach stuff but can be pretty fun for beginners and can attract some size in the middle of the dry season. Here we’ll take a look at the main spot and any other surf locations to the south
Parangtritis Beach
The main and virtually only spot to surf in the town of Kretek south of Yogyakarta, Parangtritis Beach is a long dash of a very wild shoreline. It’s got black sand and rocky headlands jamming it in from the east. Some believe it’s even the gateway to the realm of a ferocious ocean goddess. If that sounds like there’s going to be swell, then that’s because there is!
Yep, there’s almost ALWAYS something rolling in here, because the beach is so exposed that the window extends all the way from the SE (for those wet season winter pushes) to the SW (for the cleaner and stronger dry season stuff). The thing is, it doesn’t really matter what’s on too much because the breaks aren’t your usual rifling reef breaks from Indo. Here, it’s really just a long length of sandbanks that froth, peak, and do love a close out.
The very occasional bigger days can see the sets at Parangtritis peak overhead and hold. When that happens you’ll often see the local crews of Yogyakarta emerge with shorties in hand ready to rip. There’s now even an annual surf fest here.
Pantai Trisik
There are some pounding shore breaks at Pantai Trisik that remind us a little of a rubbish Santa Teresa. That might just be because they come onto black sand below a speckling of palm trees, though, because the shape is never as good. You’ll need to travel a little to the west on dusty tracks to arrive. Watch out for rips and unpredictable currents.
Pantai Glagah Indah
The huge and ugly concrete palisade at Pantai Glagah Indah further along the Java shores to the west can make left and right jetty breaks. They aren’t surfed much but can be quite shapely and decent but you will have to keep an eye out for the concrete blocks in the water.
Where to stay when surfing in Parangtritis?
You’ve got two options when it comes to hitting the Parangtritis surf. One: Stay in Yogyakarta and enjoy all the history sights and volcano hikes there but do a day trip out to the beach when you want to hit the waves. Two: Stay in Parangtritis itself. Strangely – and you won’t catch us pushing for this very often – we’d actually recommend the first, as the hotels are much better in Yogya, the beaches here aren’t that pretty, and there’s so much to do in the East-Central Java region.
Edge Resort
This is the one exception to our advice above, because it’s so darn lovely as a stay on the remote south Java coast. Set on a perch above the roaring ocean with the waves of Parangtritis Beach right below, this small hotel has just a handful of rooms and fantastic in-house cooking, not to mention a tempting infinity pool that gazes over the swells.
Java Villas Boutique Hotel & Resto
A very highly rated hotel with a touch of up-class luxury about it, the Java Villas Boutique Hotel & Resto has a gorgeous central pool in its own quiet courtyard. All rooms come with air con and you’re in a great location for seeing the amazing old palaces and temples of Yogyakarta city.
Joglo Aruna SYARIAH
The budget option. Run by a lovely family and conveniently close to the history sights of Yogyakarta, this little homestay has simple but bargain rooms that should leave more in the wallet for your board rentals and surf outings to Parangtritis Beach.
Step-by-step guide to planning your Parangtritis surf trip right now
Step one: Book flights to the Parangtritis surf…Lately, we like Omio for searching flights. It’s a nice interface and has lots of airline options. We also use Skyscanner because that sometimes offers deals that even beat going direct to the carrier!
Step two: Book your surf camp Book Surf Camps is the numero uno online booking platform for fully-fledged surf-stay packages on the internet right now. Then there’s Booking.com. That has consistently unbeatable rates for hotels and a nifty map feature that lets you check EXACTLY how close your hotel is to a surf break.
Step three: Get insuranceThis is kinda’ important. Not just for surf trips but for any trips. SafetyWing is great for nomad travelers. They offer rolling contracts that cover amateur surfing.
Step four (optional): Rent a car If you’re surf camping then you might not need wheels. If you’re not then we’ll just say this: We’ve never been on a surf trip that wasn’t improved by having our own car. Use RentalCars – they’re the best.
Step five: Enjoy!
For paying for stuff when you’re traveling – Get a Wise borderless card/account. They charge NOTHING for POS payments in any country and have some of the best FX rates around in our humble opinion.
When to surf in Parangtritis?
Just like with everywhere else between the tubes of G-Land and the end of western Java, the Parangtritis surf does much better in the dry season (May to August) than in the wet season. Low pressure systems way down in the Southern Hemisphere generate very consistent groundswells that pulse N-NW all the way into the bays around Yogyakarta. They offer the bigger more powerful swells, but also risk closeouts now and then – this is beach break from end to end and can’t handle the same size as Indo’s iconic reefs. Just be prepared to wait for the smaller waves.
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
