Banyuwangi overview

Visitors to Banyuwangi, if they were important enough, used to be greeted with the Gandrung dance. In 2002 however the dance was designated a symbol of tourism, so those turning up with a back-pack and tie-dye shirt might also get lucky. The nearby Ijen crater is truly a wonder. Every day sulphur miners can be seen descending barefoot into the caldera to fill baskets with the acrid smelling mineral. Agro tourism can also be enjoyed on the slopes of Mount Merapi where the Kaliklatak Plantation allows visitors to witness the production of spices, coffee and cocoa. Ngagelan beach is just one of the other wonders of Banyuwangi as it is the breeding ground and hatchery for a wide variety of sea turtle with long Latin names.