The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (Kementerian Pariwisata dan Ekonomi Kreatif) continues to strive to build awareness of sustainable tourism in Indonesia. One of the many efforts being made to create sustainable tourism is by developing geopark tourism potential in Indonesia.
Geoparks are areas that have high-value geological elements, usually equipped with very well-developed biodiversity and cultural diversity. The presence of geopark tourism in Indonesia can provide many benefits for the tourism sector because it can encourage educational tourism, natural tourism and cultural tourism in a tourist destination.
Currently there are 10 geoparks in Indonesia that are designated “global” and are included in the UNESCO Global Geopark (UGG) ranks. The establishment of these geoparks can be a force to strengthen the tourism sector in Indonesia, so that they become more widely known and successful in attracting tourist visits.
The following 10 geoparks in Indonesia have successfully entered the UNESCO Global Geopark ranks:
Batur Geopark
Being the first geopark in Indonesia to be included in the UNESCO Global Geopark (2012), Geopark Batur has extraordinary tourism potential. One of the attractions of this geopark in Bangli Regency, Bali is the natural beauty that was formed naturally from the traces of the eruption of Mount Batur.
The natural beauty that most attracts attention is the large caldera. In fact, the caldera in the Batur Geopark is one of the largest and most beautiful calderas in the world. Not to mention, this geopark in Bali also has a 7.5-kilometer crescent-shaped lake which adds to the uniqueness of the Batur Geopark.
Mount Sewu Geopark
Furthermore, the Gunung Sewu Geopark, a geopark in Indonesia, was included in the UNESCO Global Geopark in 2015. This geopark area stretches across three districts: Gunung Kidul, Wonogiri and Pacitan. Of course, the selection of the Gunung Sewu Geopark cannot be separated from the archaeological riches of past human cultural heritage.
Apart from having many paleolithic-neolithic cultural remains, the Gunung Sewu Geopark offers a very beautiful panorama of the karst area. Having around 40 thousand karst hills, it is not surprising that the Gunung Sewu Geopark is one of the longest karst areas on the island of Java.
Mount Rinjani Geopark
Stretching across Mataram City, West Lombok Regency, North Lombok Regency and East Lombok Regency, the Gunung Rinjani Geopark is also one of the geoparks in Indonesia that is interesting to explore. This geopark, which was successfully included in UNESCO in 2018, offers a beautiful combination of biodiversity, geological diversity and cultural diversity. Not to mention, the Mount Rinjani Geopark has a diversity of flora and fauna with endemic status. Such as orchids (Vanda Limbata), Celepuk Rinjani, Flores Eagle, and many more.
Ciletuh Geopark
West Java also has a geopark that has been recognized by UNESCO, namely the Ciletuh Geopark. This 126,000 ha geopark not only has beautiful views, it is also surrounded by alluvial expanses with unique rocks. Interestingly, the Ciletuh Geopark area is surrounded by various tourist destinations such as Cimaja Beach, which is famous for its challenging waves and is a target for world surfers, Awang Waterfall, Taman Purba, and many more.
Lake Toba Geopark
No less popular, the Lake Toba Geopark is one of the geoparks in Indonesia that has gone ‘global’. Formed from the eruption of Mount Toba which occurred tens of thousands of years ago, it has succeeded in creating extraordinary natural landscapes and tourism potential. Thanks to the natural beauty on offer, it makes sense that one of the Tourism ministry’s designated “Super Priority Tourism Destinations” regularly hosts international scale events. Most recently it hosted the 2024 Lake Toba F1 Powerboat Championship.
Ijen Geopark
Administratively located in Banyuwangi Regency and Bondowoso Regency, East Java, Ijen Geopark has also been successfully included in the UNESCO Global Geopark list. The attraction of the Ijen Geopark is not just its geological and cultural uniqueness, there is also the natural phenomenon of blue fire in the Mount Ijen area which has become global. Apart from that, the Ijen Geopark is a habitat for 14 types of flora, 27 types of fauna and 6 types of mammals. Amazingly, Ijen Geopark has the most acidic lake in the world!
Belitung Geopark
The list of Indonesian geoparks that are world-famous and recognized by UNESCO includes the Belitung Geopark. The Belitung Geopark was chosen as a Global Geopark thanks to the unique combination of geological, cultural, biological and geographical diversity of the Negeri Laskar Pelangi. The Belitung Geopark has high-value geological heritage, such as the geomorphological appearance of aquatic granite rocks, remains of ancient underwater volcanoes, the discovery of the largest tin mineral in Southeast Asia, as well as Meteorites (Tektites/Satam) which are scattered in the alluvial quaternary zone.
Maros Pangkep Geopark
Even though it will only be included in the UNESCO Global Geopark in 2023, the Maros Pangkep Geopark has extraordinary natural potential. This geopark in South Sulawesi has a world-class landscape with towering karst tower types composed of piles of distinctive limestone rocks. Apart from having a world-class karst landscape, the Maros Pangkep Geopark is the second largest karst area in the world, after South China. Interestingly, in this geopark there are also hundreds of caves where prehistoric humans lived.
Merangin Jambi Geopark
The next world-famous Indonesian Geopark is the Merangin Jambi Geopark. The attraction of this geopark is the presence of plant fossils found in some of the rocks which are thought to have existed hundreds of millions of years ago. Not only there, this geopark is the best rafting location in Indonesia, we have the opportunity to raft the Batang Merangin River, while seeing flora fossils at several stopping spots.
Raja Ampat Geopark
The next geopark in Indonesia that is included in the UNESCO Global Geopark list is the Raja Ampat Geopark. This geopark is nicknamed "The Emerald Karst in the Equator" thanks to the karst cluster located right on the equator. Plus the diversity of marine ecosystems in Raja Ampat is an added value for this geopark. Until now, the Raja Ampat Geopark is still a habitat for various types of endemic animals and plants that cannot be found anywhere else!
With such riches of natural beauty and extraordinary geology we hope that this will attract more and more environmentally friendly visitors to Indonesia.
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