10 Best Short Escape You Can Discover Near Jakarta

The excitements of the 18th Asian Games has just ended, but the joy of the event is still taking place in Jakarta and its surrounding areas. If you are still in the capital city and have a little time to explore Indonesia, do not hesitate to visit several mesmerizing places around the city to recharge your energy and refresh your mind. This is a list of stunning getaways in Jakarta and its surrounding areas:

1 | Macan Eco Resort, Thousand Island

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Macan Eco Resort is the right choice for travelers who like snorkeling. The underwater view is picturesque with a variety of colorful coral reefs and small fish, Corals, and the fish are easily seen from the surface of the sea because the water is very clear and the scenery on the island is also beautiful. Tourists can sit on wooden chairs while enjoying a stretch of white sand that blends with the blue ocean. Macan Island can be reached in about 2 hours by boat from Marina pier in North Jakarta.

2 | Carita & Anyer Beaches, Banten

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Carita and Anyer beaches are two of the leading destinations in Banten, which is a province near Jakarta. These beaches are a stretch with soft white sand and blue sea water. You can play sand, swim, and even do beach sports, like surfing, due to the high waves. Snorkeling can also be done at these places even though the scenery is not as good as that in the Thousand Island. You can take a car for around 3-hour ride to get to these beaches.

3 | Botanical Garden, Bogor

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Jakarta is located adjacent to a city with cool weather, Bogor. Bogor has a very large city park called Bogor Botanical Garden. There are many activities you can do at Bogor Botanical Gardens. Every year the area, which had existed since the colonial era, is developed with more tourism collections and attractions. At the end of 2017, the newest spot you can visit is the future home. Tourists can see the natural water cycle and the latest natural use technologies in the world. To enter Bogor Botanical Garden, you can buy tickets at its gates with a price of IDR 15,000 per person. The garden is open from 08.00 AM to 5.00 PM daily.

4 | Safari Zoo, Puncak

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Taman Safari Indonesia is one of the pioneers of Indonesia's natural tourist attraction. Founded in 1980 in the Cisarua tea plantation area, this 50-hectare park is the first Safari Park in the country. Now, Taman Safari Indonesia has expanded to reach 168 hectares and is equipped with various recreational and educational facilities. Last year, Bogor Safari Park welcomed 2 new residents named Hu Chun and Cai Tao, who are pandas from China. If you stay at Safari Lodge hotel, you can take a tour of both daylight safari and night safari.

5 | Teluk Kiluan, Lampung

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Crossing to the island of Sumatra, you can visit Kiluan Bay which is famous for its attractive dolphins. The location is approximately 80km from the city of Bandar Lampung with a land trip within 3 to 4 hours. Even though the trip is quite tiring, but it will be worth it once you arrived. There you can see bottlenose dolphins and long beak dolphins chasing each other and can surprise you with their jumps. The best time to go see this dolphin is April to September, during the dry season. In addition to dolphins, you will also be entertained by the natural atmosphere and incredible views of the water. Waters with turquoise gradations, clear water, and the presence of coral reefs and other marine fishes add to the beauty. In addition, there is also a saltwater lagoon called Laguna Gayau that you can use to spend time fishing.

6 | Sri Baduga Fountain, Purwakarta

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If you like urban attractions, you should not hesitate to drive from Jakarta to Purwakarta, West Java, and visit Taman Sri Baduga. Taman Sri Baduga is a garden with a fountain equipped with light effects, which has become the icon of Purwakarta. Near the fountain, lies a lake called Situ Beleud with an area of 4 hectares. You should come on Saturday and Sunday night to witness the coolest fountain light effect in Indonesia.

7 | Gunung Padang, Cianjur

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This is the place for those of you who love ancient relics. Gunung Padang is famous for its megalithic site, which is thought by archaeologists to date from around 7800 and 5500 BC or older than the age of the Egyptian Pyramid. This site is estimated to be around 9 times larger than the Borobudur Temple. The Gunung Padang site itself has several levels with different views. Large boulders scattered into a landscape dominates this place. You can visit Gunung Padang from 7 AM to 5 PM. There are a number of regulations that must be obeyed, such as it is forbidden to throw garbage and any food in the core area. However, you can eat your meals on the edge of the core zone area.

8 | Geopark Ciletuh, Sukabumi

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Sukabumi in West Java has a new tourist icon that has been recognized by the world, called Geopark Ciletuh. The area of 126,100 hectares boasts natural beauty, such as waterfalls, hills, beaches, fields and other refreshing views. The geopark stretches across eight sub-districts, from Cisolok (Cimaja Beach) to Ujunggenteng (Ciemas). One of the most favorite entrances is from Ciemas. From Jakarta, you can take public transportation, from the train, minibuses, to motorcycle taxis or ojek. The travel time from Jakarta is around four to six hours, depending on the vehicles and road conditions.

9 | Kamojang Ecopark, Garut

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This is a tourist spot located in Kamojang pine forest on the border between Garut and Bandung. Kamojang Ecopark has a wide area where you can ride all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), swing with flying fox and do other adventurous activities. In addition, the attraction in this tourist spot is the pine forest area which is still beautiful, and also the cliff area where you can take pictures with mesmerizing natural scenes at the background.

10 | Ranca Upas, Ciwidey, Bandung

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Enjoying natural freshness and greenness is a must when you visit Bandung, which can be reached with 3-hour drive from Jakarta. You can experience such natural remedy in Ranca Upas, Ciwidey, Bandung. Here, you can enjoy a myriad of outbound activities with friends or family. In addition, there are also hot spring baths that are very suitable in the middle of the cool Ciwidey air.

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