Batu Raden

Batu Raden is a worth visiting tourism destination located in Banyumas District, Central Java. Since the first time it was officially launched for public visit, the location has been known as a mountainous tourism destination. Here you can see the wonderful scenery of the surrounding areas offering fresh air with approximately 18º - 25º Celsius in the average temperature.  Taking a bird-eyes view from the peak of the location when the sun shines brightly, you can see the entire part of beautiful scenery of Purwokerto City, Nusakambangan Island, and some enchanted beaches in Cilacap coastal area. Batu Raden, 16,5 hectares in width of which 25 percent of the entire width, is opened for public investment (go public).

The name of Batu Raden itself stems from two Javanese words that are Batur (hill, land, friend, and assistant) and Raden (noble person). The combination of Batur and Raden then creates an interpretation that Batu Raden is a flat area possessing beautiful scenery.

Two folklores dealing with the origin of Batu Raden comes from Sheikh Maulana Maghribi and Kadipaten Kutaliman. According to Sheikh Maulana Maghribi, once Prince Rum from Turkey saw a mysterious light in the easternmost of Asia. Being eager to know what kind of light it was, he undertook an investigation to a place that now is known Batu Raden. In a short, after he reached the location, he found the source of the light that came from a Hindu hermit was leaning on a rose-apple tree.

Another story telling the origin of Batu Raden takes form in a romantic story involving Adipati Kutaliman, his consort, and his servant. There was a time that the consort fell in love with the servant. Knowing that relationship, both were alienated from royal family. No longer had they gone out from the royal family, the consort gave birth to a son in a riverbank located in the northern direction of Kutaliman District. The location where the consort gave birth now is known as Batu Raden.

Batu Raden is famous as a tourism destination where some other tourism destinations are available. You will discover some other interesting objects such as follows:

• Botanical garden. Find multifarious flowers and other rare floras such as Havana flowers, Daun Dewa, Brimulia, Keladi Tikus, Antarium Lipstick, Paris Palm, and Widoro Laut. All these colourful flowers are available either for display or sold, hence you can buy them as souvenirs with reasonable prices.
• Curug Gede. This site is located at Ketenger Village, approximately three kilometres from Batu Raden, where a beautiful waterfall exists there.
• Pancuran Pitu. This site lies 2,5 km from Batu Raden – on the slope of Mount Slamet – and is a hot water spring - 60º - 70º Celsius in average.
• Pancuran Telu. This site is officially launched on January 18th, 1987. The water from this site bears efficacy to heal some diseases that distinguishes the location from the others.
• Wana Wisata. Lying two kilometres from Batu Raden, this location possesses enchanting green forest scenery and is the right place for camping.
•  Telaga Sunyi. A tranquil location wherein a pond with pure water is present there. This site is located about two kilometres eastern direction from Batu Raden.
• Kaloka Widya Mandala Park. Invite your family here for the educational recreation. This location is a zoo where you can find various faunas inhabiting within. Moreover, here you can also visit a museum wherein numerous rare species bones are kept well.

Likewise, you may also experience cultural tourism like:

• Grebeg Syura or Sedekah Bumi. This rite is commonly held on the ninth day of the first month of Islamic calendar. This rite is aimed at preventing bad deed and expelling evil spirits that may occur in this city.
• Kenthongan (a bamboo tube).
• Calung (a bamboo xylophone) and lengger. Calung is a musical instrument resembling a xylophone that is made of bamboo of which is played by striking on its body. Lengger is a traditional dance performed by two girls that is followed by musical tone from calung.
• Banyumas traditional clothes. In Banyumas District, you can find two models of traditional clothes categorized based on the Banyumas people‘s social status, which are wong cilik (proletarian) and bangsawan (high class). Traditional clothes for proletarian take form in ancingan, bebed wala, pinjungan, iketan, and nempean, while high class‘s traditional clothes are usually called beskap – for male – and nyamping – for female.
• Ebeg or Kuda Lumping. This one is the Javanese hobby-horse trance dance that is commonly performed by several male-dancers sitting astride on bamboo horses. This traditional dancer is usually followed by traditionally musical performance namely bendhe.
• Sadranan. Visiting to a holy site, usually graveyard, then is preceded by kenduren – the Javanese ceremony for preventing the village from evil spirit.

Baturaden Location

You can find Batu Raden on the slope of Mount Slamet. This location is situated at an altitude of 640 meters. You can reach the location from the heart of Purwokerto City (14 km in distance), Banyumas District, Central Java Province. You can easily access the location by taking any public or private transport. It usually spends about 15 minutes, when the road is not crowded, from Purwokerto City.

You need to pay IDR 3.000/person. However, you have to pay additional entrance ticket for these conditions below:

• IDR 1.000 for those who take a motorcycle inside the location
• IDR 4.000 for those who take private or chartered cars, unless a minibus, inside the location
• IDR 5.500 for those who bring a minibus inside the location
• IDR 1.000 to visit a botanical garden inside the location
• IDR 1.000 to visit Curug Gede
• IDR 5.000 to visit Pancuran Pitu, Pancuran Telu, and Curug Gede
• IDR 2.500 to visit Kaloka Widya Mandala Park.

Your visit to Batu Raden will be more exciting as there are supporting facilities that are intentionally provided by the location‘s management. Those supporting facilities are:

• Swimming pool (IDR 1.500 of entrance ticket)
• Body-sliding pool (IDR 1.500 of entrance ticket)
• Sulphurous bathing pool (IDR 15.000 of entrance ticket)
• Water cycling (IDR 1.500 of entrance ticket)
• VIP class Hot water pool (IDR 3.000 of entrance ticket – 15 minutes in maximum)
• The first class Hot water (IDR 2.000 of  entrance ticket – 15 minutes in maximum)
• Merry-go-around arena (IDR 1.500 of entrance ticket)

The areas surrounding Batu Raden offer various choices for you who want to stay more days there. You can find lodgements, small hotels, and inns around the location. In the east of the location, you can, likewise, easily find hotels and inns. However, the center for numerous hospitality services are located in the west of the location, where you can easily find tour and travel agents, restaurants, public buildings, spas, bungalows, souvenir shops, and many more.