Goa Jomblang

Jomblang Cave

Useful Information

Location:	Jomblang village, Gunung Kidul regency. Jetis village, Semanu, Wonosari, Yogyakarta. 8 km from Wonosari, 40 km southeast of Yogyakarta. ()
Open:	No restrictions. [2010]
Fee:	free. [2010]
Classification:	Karst cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Goa Jomblang.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

Goa Jomblang (Jomblang Cave) is named after nearby village Jomblang. The area is well known to cavers, nature trekkers and backpackers. The Gunung Kidul hill are karstified with many caves, especially vertical caves.

The locals offer cave trekking tours into undeveloped Goa Jomblang. The trip starts with a short introduction into abseiling and SRT. Then the cave is entered through the daylight shaft, which is the entrance. The shaft is about 40 m in diameter and 70 m deep, formed by the collapse of the cave ceiling. There are two routes into the cave, the beginner route with a single drop 15 m deep plus some climbing, and the pro route with a 63 m drop. The equipment is provided by the guides, but according to comments we found on the web it is heavily used. We would recommend bringing own gear.

The cave is then visited on an artificial trail and after 150 m a second daylight shaft called Grubug is reached. This opening is elliptical with a north to south orientation, and so the sunlight reaches the ground every day between about 11:00 and 13:00. This beam of light inside the cave is probably the most photographed part of the cave. It is also possible to descent into this cave but the drop is 80 m deep. There is a cave river which is explored to the river Suci. This river cave is accessible only during times of low water level.

This cave tour is possible only for visitors with a certain amount of physical fitness. It requires abseiling and SRT.

The cave got its 15 minutes of fame when it was used to film the American reality TV show Amazing Race in 2011.