The Tiny Tukik(Baby Sea Turtles) in Sukamade Beach

Have you heard about Sukamade beach before? This beach in Meru Betiri National Park is better known as a heaven for flora and fauna due the fact that Meru Betiri National Park is a conservation area of sea turtles. This place is familiar with the name: Pantai Penyu Sukamade (Sukamade Sea Turtle Beach). Here will be found many turtles nesting from the species of giant sea turtle, one of species that has been endangered. But in Sukamade Beach, tourists can directly see the sea turtles laying its eggs. What a rare experience and it will be a wonderful memory when you visit Sukamade Beach. Other than that, you can do some activities such as releasing the hatchlings (baby sea turtles) to the sea. It’s amazing, isn’t it?

Sourcce : Kelilingnusantara

The location of Sukamade Beach is a triangle of diamond. It becomes the main tourist destination when they come to Banyuwangialong with Plengkung Beach and Kawah Ijen. The reason is if we pull a straight line from these three places, it will form a triangle. Thus, Plengkung Beach, KawahIjen, and Sukamade Beach are often dubbed as the diamond triangle.

Sukamade Beach was first discovered by the Dutch colonial in 1927. It was a protected forest in East Java and also a conservation area of sea turtles. In addition, there are many plantations of rubber, coffee and cacao around the Sukamade Beach.

Sukamade Sea Turtle Beach is located in Sarongan village, Pasanggaran subdistrict, Banyuwangi district. Its location is in Meru Betiri National Park area, near with Rajegwesi Beach and TelukHijau(Green Bay) Beach. A one way of these three places allows you who through the road to go to Sukamade Beach. It is so unfortunate if you don’t see the baby sea turtles’attractiveness and cuteness in Sukamade Beach. It’s only 15 kilometers afar fromTelukHijau (Green Bay) Beach.

Image : Nesting

Sukamade Sea Turtle Beach is the largest habitat of sea turtles in Indonesia. This beach is a location of sea turtles nesting and hatching its eggs and releasing it to the Pacific and Indian Ocean.Sukamade Sea Turtle Beach is a favorite place for sea turtles to nest due its isolated location. But it makes the sea turtles are safe from disruptions and their habitat is maintained. This condition invites the giant turtles in the ocean fornesting and hatching their eggs there.

For those of you who have never been to Sukamade Sea Turtle Beach, there is a special schedule where these sea turtles lay their eggs.Basically, the sea turtle nesting season occurs throughout the year. 

Since each sea turtle will nestits eggs up to 6 times a year with intervals of nesting periodduring 12-14 days. However, at certain seasons usually for 2-5 months a year there will be an increase in the eggs productivity. In Sukamade Beach, it occurs in the dry season from June to October, which is marked with the number of sea turtles that come to the seashore. Sea turtles that come to Sukamade Beach can reach dozens of sea turtles, starting from the afternoon or after nightfall until the dawn.

In Sukamade Beach, there are 4 types of nesting sea turtles. They are :  

• Green Sea Turtle, 
• Hawksbill Sea Turtle, 
• Gray Sea Turtle and 
• Leatherback Sea Turtle. 

However, from the four species of those sea turtles, the most frequently encountered here is the Green Sea Turtle.


when you already arrived at the turtle area beach , there are some rule that must be  obey as you can see on the picure below.

Here you can also do the ritual of releasing the hatchlings or the baby sea turtles to the sea. It will be a tour which educates us, by maintaining and preserving the sea turtles in the ocean. It really will be a valuable experience for you and your beloved family.

How to get to Sukamade Beach?

To reach SukamadeBeach, there are many routes that can be taken, either via Situbondo, Jember, Surabaya and Malang. 

Source : icukwijayadi.wordpress.

By using public transportation to Sarongan village, starting from this village you should use the type of off-road vehicles because the trackin this area is quite extreme with the rocks and streams around. 

Therefore, on the way to Sukamade is worth because you will feel comfort after you go through the quite tiring journey. But this would be an attraction for tourists, because besides the natural beauty during on the way to Sukamade Beach, when arrived, you will be treated by a spectacular scenery, then your fatigue during the trip will be paid off when you arrived in Sukamade Beach.

From any direction you are from, you have to transit in Jajag subdistrict. This subdistrict is the main transit point to go to Sukamade Beach. Next route is :

JAJAG - PESANGGARAN - SARONGAN - RAJEGWESI - SUKAMADE

From Jajag Bus Station to Pesanggaran, the only one available is public transportation that operates from 07.00 am until 04.00 pm. 

From Pesanggaran Bus Station to Sarongan, you can use angkot (such as a public transport), with cost only Rp. 10.000,-. This angkot will stop to Sarongan. 

From here you will find many off-road vehiclerentals to go toSukamade Beach.

Indeed, if you use public transport, it will be a lot of changing transports. It’s more comfortable and secure if you drive your own vehicle to the Sarongan village, but after that you have to rent an off-road vehicle, as it’s said before, the track is quite extreme with rocks and streams around, so it is advisable to rent an off-road vehicle.

The rental rates for off-road vehicles starting from Rp. 100.000,- per person that is included a guide who will take you into a journey that will never be forgotten.

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