Baluran National Park

Baluran National Park is a 25,000-hectare protected area in Banyuputih, Situbondo Regency, East Java, at the northeastern tip of Java. Established as a national park in 1980, it is known as Africa van Java for its vast Bekol Savanna, Mount Baluran, and diverse habitats including savanna, monsoon forest, mangroves and coast. It protects banteng, deer, peafowl and other wildlife and features Bama Beach and seasonal savanna landscapes.

Visitors can expect a large savanna-dominated landscape centered on Bekol Savanna with views of Mount Baluran (1,247m), surrounded by monsoon forest, mangroves and coastal areas. The park is accessed via a main road from the entrance gate to Bekol and Bama Beach. Visitors can observe wildlife such as banteng, Javan rusa deer, long-tailed macaques, peafowl and many birds from savanna viewpoints and an observation tower, explore Bama Beach with mangrove boardwalks, and drive or trek through open grasslands and forest tracks.

The area was first designated as a wildlife reserve in 1930 during the Dutch colonial period to protect the banteng and other fauna, later expanded as a wildlife sanctuary in 1937. It was declared a national park in 1980 and officially established in 1984, becoming one of Indonesia's first five national parks, covering approximately 25,000 hectares including Mount Baluran.

The park is locally known as Africa van Java due to its African-like savanna landscape and is an important nature-based tourism and environmental education site for East Java, showcasing the transition between savanna, forest and coastal ecosystems.