Ujung Genteng

Ujung Genteng is a fishing village and beach resort in the Bogor Raya region of Western Java, Indonesia.

Understand
Ujung Genteng is a village in the far southwest of West Java province at the Indian Ocean coast. The village is in the regency of Sukabumi, about 60 km south of the regency capital Pelabuhan Ratu.

By car
There is only one main road into Ujung Genteng, from the town of Surade about 20 km to the east. Although there is a road to Surade from further east along the south coast, this is a very sparsely populated area and in practice the only way in is from the north, from Pelabuhan Ratu. From Jakarta, the route to Ujung Genteng is via Bogor and Pelabuhan Ratu (about 7 hours). From Bandung, you can drive via Cianjur and Sukabumi (also about 7 hours). The time needed for the journey heavily depends on the traffic conditions.

By bus
From Bogor's bus terminal, there is a daily bus to Surade departing at 10:00, with a one-way ticket price of Rp60,000 (2016). It is advisable to retrieve information about the bus schedule in advance, because there are no frequent buses. An alternative is to go via Sukabumi, but also from there the buses are infrequent. From Surade you must proceed in an angkot (public minivan) to Ujung Genteng harbour. In the afternoon there are only few angkots still operational, and you may opt to charter an angkot instead.

Get around
There are some angkots along the main road from Ujung Genteng harbour to the east (to Surade), but to get to any places in the surroundings, such as the Pangumbahan turtle sanctuary, public transport is no option. You can rent a motorbike or hire an ojek (motorcycle taxi). Ojek drivers can also act as a local guide (although they usually do not speak English).

See
Pangumbahan is a prolific Giant Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting beach. During the 1980s an Indonesian company began farming the eggs of these endangered species for commercial sale. Half of the eggs excavated were sold for consumption and medicinal purposes. The other half was incubated, hatched and reintroduced to the wild. In 2005, an intergovernmental agreement was signed, aiming to protect, conserve, replenish and recover marine turtles and their habitats of the Indian Ocean and South-East Asian region. In 2008 the government seized the turtle farm and turned it into a turtle sanctuary.

Even with government intervention the turtle population at Pangumbahan beach is still under threat. Coastal development such as beach-front construction, land 'reclamation' and increased tourism is threatening the turtles of Pangumbahan beach. Since 2006, illegal hotels, surf camps, and shops have dotted the protected coast line. This is a green belt zone, where development is prohibited, to allow wildlife to return and re-establish itself.

At the beaches of the turtle park, you can see turtles nesting and laying eggs. The Giant Green Sea Turtles nest throughout the year, however the peak nesting season is during the months of June-August. The Giant Green Turtles only nest at night and the ritual often finishes as late as dawn. Watch these majestic creatures haul themselves out of the ocean, dig a nest, and lay over a hundred eggs. The wardens dig up the nesting sites and transfer the eggs safely to a nursery where they incubate and hatch.

You can also see turtle hatchlings being reintroduced to the wild: every day at 17:30 the wardens release the hatchlings and ensure they get safely to the sea, and this can be watched and photographed up close.

Do

 * Surf - Around Pangumbahan beach there are seldom surfed waves for intermediate to advance surfing levels
 * Fishing

Sleep
It is advised to not stay at the accommodations that are located right on Pangumbahan beach as these hotels are illegally built on environmentally friendly land and endanger the habitat of the turtles.

Go next

 * Pelabuhan Ratu — larger beach resort town about 60 km north of Ujung Genteng.
 * Sukabumi — the nearest larger city, and point of entrance for the Mount Gede Pangrango National Park.