Goa Kreo


Useful Information

Location: Jl. Raya Goa Kreo, Kandri, Gunung Pati, Semarang City, Central Java 50222.
(-7.037211, 110.347616)
Open: All year daily 6-18.
[2022]
Fee: Weekdays: Adults IDR 4,250.
Sundays, Holidays: Adults IDR 5,250.
[2022]
Classification: SpeleologyKarst Cave
Light: bring torch
Dimension:  
Guided tours: self guided
Photography: allowed
Accessibility: no
Bibliography:  
Address: Goa Kreo, Jl. Raya Goa Kreo, Kandri, Gunung Pati, Semarang City, Central Java 50222.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
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History


Description

Goa Kreo (Kreo Cave) is a small lava tube which is located on a hill. The hill today forms an island in an artificial lake named Jatibarang Reservoir, which was dammed for hydroelectric power. There is a parking lot on the eastern shore of the lake and a two lane footbridge to the island. The cave is rather small. It has a big portal but narrows immediately and there is just a single straight tube. At the end visitors have to stoop to reach a small monkey statue.

Nevertheless, the site is a popular tourist destination, probably because of the apes on the hill (Macaca fascicularis), or because of the lake. Or it's the legend which is connected with the cave, which says that Sunan Kalijaga meditated in this cave. Another legend says that the cave is actually very long and connects to Demak or Kendal, or Lawwang Sewu. Either is rather absurd, as the cave is located on a hill and any continuation is long gone. If it was a lava tube below a plain, the distance to those places of a few kilometers would be no obstacle. But so it's actually a typical SmileFar Connection Legend.

More interesting is actually the following legend:

Sunan Kalijaga planned to build the Great Mosque of Demak and for this purpose he needed big amounts of teak wood. But the teak wood was located on a hill which made it difficult to retrieve. Four monkeys, yellow, red, white and black, came to help him and transported the wood from the hill. After that, the monkeys wanted to join Sunan Kalijaga's group to go to Demak. But Sunan Kalijaga said mangreho to the monkeys which was an order for them to guard or care. For this reason, until now, this place is known as Goa Kreo, populated by monkeys, and is a Memorial for Sunan Kalijaga.