Even the non-adventurous will cave in to see the light at Goa Jomblang

Goa Jomblang is a cave located in Gunung Kidul, approximately 1.5 hours by car from Yogyakarta city. This cave is 60 metres deep with a diameter of 50 metres, which was formed by dissolution and collapse of 15-20 million-year-old limestone. The bottom of the sinkhole is connected to a horizontal passage that ends at Grubug Cave, which has a depth of 90 metres and is the deepest vertical cave in Java island. 

 

Since Gunung Kidul is dry land, the villagers used to go inside the cave to get cattle fodder. In 2010, some Europeans came for caving, and later the Association of Indonesian Speleology opened it for commercial purposes. It became popular after Amazing Race US was filmed here in 2011, and Amazing Race Asia in 2016. If you are an adrenaline junkie like me, caving in Goa Jomblang is a must try!

 

Undoubtedly, you know how challenging caving is, so first, you need to put on a helmet, harness and a pair of rubber boots.

 

To enter the sinkhole, your rope descends 50 metres straight down with an abseil rack – it is adrenaline pumping and makes people scream out loud! Then you walk down and go inside the cave. It is extremely hard to walk due to the very thick and slippery mud. I fell several times as my foot got stuck. At the end of the dark tunnel, I finally saw what they call ‘the light of heaven’. The sunlight pours through the roof like a light pillar – oh, how amazing!

 

Although they only start at around 10am and finish at noon, so as to get the best light, I suggest you come as early as possible to get a queue number because the operator can only take a maximum of 25 people in a group based on a first-come, first-served basis.