The Horseshoe
The Horseshoe
The Horseshoe (Indonesian: Tapal Kuda) is a region of East Java in Indonesia.
Cities
- Banyuwangi — the most eastern city in East Java
- Bondowoso — prehistoric stones are scattered in the region and this is the western gateway to the Ijen Crater
- Jember — large city with verdant hills to the north and beautiful beaches to the south
- Lumajang — a regency famous for its unique bananas and Selokambang nature swimming pool
- Pasuruan — safari park and botanical garden
- Probolinggo — The gateway port city to the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park
- Situbondo — the nearest city to Baluran National Park
Other destinations
- Alas Purwo National Park 📍 — a national park with forests and beaches
- Baluran National Park 📍 — large forest and coastal park and relatively easy access to and from Bali
- Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park 📍 — popular hiking destination featuring the still-rumbling Mount Bromo
- Meru Betiri National Park 📍 — a national park known for Sukamade, a turtle conservation beach
- Sukamade — turtle conservation beach
- Tretes — mountainous district
Understand
The origin of the name Horseshoe is because the shape of this area on the map is similar to the shape of a horseshoe. In English, this area is known as The Eastern Salient and in Dutch as De Oosthoek, both of which mean east corner. The horseshoe is an area that is thick with Madurese culture on the island of Java which is called the Pendalungan Madura Culture and it is the easternmost tip of Java Island and directly borders the Bali Strait to the east.
Talk
Most of people speak Javanese and Madurese. Several other languages spoken in a few places are Tenggerese and Osing. Indonesian language is also understood by almost everyone.
Get in
By train
Cities served by the rail network include Pasuruan, Probolinggo, Jember, and Banyuwangi.
By bus
There are a lot of buses to go to each city in this area mainly from Bungurasih Purabaya Bus Terminal in Surabaya.
Get around
By bus
You can wave to get an economy bus from the side of the road.
By car
The area is covered by good condition provincial road.
See
Nature
Ijen crater near Banyuwangi emits a natural blue light flame at night.
National Parks
There are several national parks with various flora and fauna in the area such as Alas Purwo National Park, Baluran National Park, Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park, and Meru Betiri National Park.
Do
Mountaineering
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Climb active volcanoes, Mount Argopuro, Mount Raung, or Mount Semeru.
Surfing
Surf in G-Land, Banyuwangi, a place that used to host the World Surf League (WSL).
Eat
In this area, the food is dominated by Javanese dishes such as rawon, soto, sate, bakso and so on. In coastal areas like Banyuwangi, Probolinggo, and Situbondo, seafood is effortless to find.
Drink
As an area with a Muslim majority, it is very difficult to find alcohol drinks. The common drinks are sweet iced tea and instant coffee. In coastal area, fresh coconut drink and es kelapa muda can be leisurely obtained.
Stay safe
Beware when playing on the beach because the waves can be very high especially in the south of the area.
Go next
- Bali — the island of Gods with Hindu cultures. 45 min by ferry from Banyuwangi.
- Madura — knowns for bull race, the satay, deep fried duck meat, and the white sand beaches in Kangean Islands. 4 hours by ferry from Jangkar Harbour in Situbondo.
- Southern Mountainous — spectacular scenery of mountains and beaches toward Indian Ocean. A couple of hours to the its largest city, Malang by bus or train.