Head to the southeastern outskirts of Yogyakarta to visit one of the city's newest attractions, especially popular with locals.
If you have a few extra hours, a visit to Bendhung Lepen Park will be an interesting insight into local life away from the well-known tourist attractions.
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In 2020, the sewer that surrounds the nearby waterfall was cleaned, the surrounding area was landscaped and a pedestrian promenade around the river was created.
Hundreds of fish, mostly koa carp, have been introduced into the water channel. The surrounding area was painted in colourful hues, creating playgrounds, benches and snack shops, and today Bendhung Lepen Park is one of the most beautiful recreational spots.
We recommend walking from Bendhung Lepen through the dam and the local district to the old town of Kotagede (about 2 km). You will discover a very nicely landscaped suburb and get a little insight into the lives of the locals.
In some guidebooks you'll read that this suburb of Yogyakarta is a slum-level neighbourhood, but this is definitely not true. The streets are clean, tidy and the locals are very nice.
You won't see any stray dogs on the streets, only the occasional cat.
How to get there
The quickest way is via the Grab or Gojek mobile apps. From the city centre you usually pay around 30 000 idr.
There are also good buses ending at Giwangan bus station, from where you can reach the park in about 10 minutes (see route map).
- Malioboro - lines 3A (direction from downtown) or 3B (direction to downtown - stops at Bhayangkara Street about 5 minutes walk from Malioboro)
- Tamansari - lines 3A (direction from the centre), or 3B (direction to the centre), 9, 11
- Lempuyangan - lines 4B (direction from the centre), respectively 4B (direction to the centre)
What to see around
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