6 Geoparks You Have to Visit in Indonesia!

TheIndonesia.id - Geopark is an area that has prominent geological elements, where the local community also plays a role in protecting the natural heritage. Indonesia has 6 Geoparks acknowledged by UNESCO. UNESCO gives special awards to some of the best Geoparks around the world. It is called UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGG).

Traveling to Geoparks teaches you many things such as education, nature, and culture. The development of Geoparks in Indonesia is the same as the development of science. The reason is that the Geoparks often become a location for geological research, flora, and fauna.

Here are the six Geoparks in Indonesia that become UNESCO Global Geoparks. Have you been there?

1. Batur Geopark

Batur Geopark was the first Indonesian Geopark to be acknowledged as a UNESCO Global Geoparks in 2012. It shows the natural beauty of the massive volcanic eruption that formed Kaldera Ganda or an ancient lake.

Today, Mount Batur is still active. It produces a variety of rocks that residents use to build houses. There are 21 natural heritage sites spread in the Batur Geopark area, precisely in Kintamani District and Batur Regency.

You can also see the historical relics of the great eruption of Mount Batur at the Batur Geopark Museum!

2. Gunung Sewu

Gunung Sewu Geopark has been acknowledged as a UNESCO Global Geoparks since 2015. It is located between three regencies, Gunungkidul, Wonogiri, and Pacitan. Gunung Sewu Geopark shows an archaeological wealth of past human cultural heritage.

There are various paleolithic-neolithic cultural relics in this place. In total, Gunung Sewu Geopark has 33 natural heritage sites spread across Gunung Kidul (13 geosites), Wonogiri (7 geosites), and Pacitan (13 geosites).

The karst area in the Sewu Mountains also presents a panoramic view of the natural beauty of the beautiful rock clusters. Having around 40 thousand karst hills makes the Gunung Sewu Geopark becomes the longest karst area in Java.

3. Ciletuh Geopark

The next Geopark in Indonesia is the Ciletuh Geopark. This Geopark was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage in 2018. The place becomes the primary source of the local community's economy.

Ciletuh Geopark is surrounded by an alluvial expanse with unique rocks and beautiful scenery. Not only the rock hills, but Geopark Ciletuh also has a beach with amazing waves - loved by the surfers around the world.

The 126,000 hectares area consists of eight sub-districts. There are several exotic tourist objects in the Ciletuh Geopark area, such as Awang Waterfall, Purba Park, Panenjoan Hill, and many more.

4. Mount Rinjani

Rinjani Geopark is listed as Global Geoparks after being crowned by UNESCO in 2018. Covering the northern half of Lombok Island, the Geopark stretches across Mataram City, West Lombok Regency, North Lombok Regency, and East Lombok Regency.

This Geopark has a combination of biodiversity, volcanic phenomena, and the cultural diversity of the people. Mount Rinjani Geopark has a variety of flora and fauna, most of which are endemic.

5. Lake Toba Geopark

Recently, Lake Toba followed other geopark areas as UNESCO Global Geoparks. Lake Toba shows the biodiversity and culture in the region.
The development of the creative economy and tourism institutions is also one of the reasons why Lake Toba was chosen as the UGG. In addition, Lake Toba also has a diverse landscape.

6. Merangin Geopark

Located in Air Baru Village, you need approximately 7 hours drive from Jambi to get there. This place is known to be very natural. One of the attractions here is the discovery of flora fossils that are more than 350 million years old.