Salatiga is a town in Central Java, Indonesia. It is known for its cool weather and the Merbabu volcano. It is also the site of the annual Festival Mata Air, a festival highlighting the importance of sustainable use of Central Java's water resources.
Understand
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Salatiga was designated as a town in 1917 by the Dutch East Indies government. It was called De Schoonste Stad van Midden-Java (the most beautiful town in Central Java) because it sits at the foot of Mount Merbabu and Mount Telomoyo. Because of the cool weather, the Dutch settled at the area and built luxurious houses along Diponegoro Street. Salatiga is one of the most tolerant cities in Indonesia, with students from many parts of the country studying at the Satya Wacana Christian University.
Get in
By bus
There are frequent buses from Yogyakarta, Solo and Semarang as well as the "travel" services, mini-buses that will pick you up and drop you off.
It takes around an hour from Solo or Semarang, and around three hours from Yogyakarta. Bus operators that serve the Semarang to Solo route include Rajawali, Safari, Taruna, and Ismo. Ask the bus driver's assistant (the person who checks your ticket on board the bus) to wake you up or let you know when you get to Salatiga. The bus station is the 1 Tingkir Terminal in the southern part of the town.
By car
Salatiga is located at the main road that connects Semarang and Solo. If you come from Semarang through the Semarang–Solo Toll Road, take the Bawen exit as the Tingkir exit is too far south from the town center.
Get around
By angkota
There are some angkota (mini-van) public transport lines which are numbered. The minibus number 5 will take you from the southern town border to the Plaza Taman Sari. Unfortunately, no public transport is allowed to go through the main "market" road (i.e. Jalan Jenderal Sudirman) because it is so crowded, however the market and shops along this street are within a walking distance from the minibus routes. A single ride costs Rp3,000 for adults and Rp2,000 for students. A list of angkota routes is available at the city government website.
By ride-hailing apps
Using your smartphone, you can now easily hail a GoJek or Grab in Salatiga. It is worth investing in a local SIM card with data so you can use the apps. Because the maps used in the app are not always reliable, drivers tend to call you shortly after they accept the job, to get more precise information. It is helpful to have enough Indonesian language skills to tell them exactly where you are waiting, to be able to describe a useful landmark, and what colour clothes you are wearing.
See
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Merbabu, an inactive volcano which is more than 3000 m high. Most people will head to nearby Kopeng which is about 20 minutes away by car.
- 1 Lapangan Pancasila (Pancasila Square). You might be able to visit a night market or a carnival at certain times.
- 2 Bukit Cinta (Love Hill). Offers a view of the Rawa Pening lake. This place is often visited by young couples, hence the name. There is a playground for children, and you can ride a boat around the lake for Rp30,000 per half an hour. Admission Rp6,000, Rp7,500 diring holidays.
- 3 Candi Dukuh (from the Salatiga-Ambarawa road, turn right at the gate for Candisari village; at the end of the asphalt road, there is a small gate with a sign for Candi Dukuh). A temple that is said to be a meditation place for Brawijaya V, king of Majapahit.
- 4 [dead link]Gereja Katolik Santo Paulus Miki, Jl Diponegoro No. 34. This Catholic church was built in 1935.
Do
Salatiga is a small town, therefore there are not many attractions around.
- 1 Agrowisata Salib Putih, Jl Hasanudin Km.4, ☏ 62 298 325498, 62 298 316648, 62 298 316650, ✉[email protected]. You can camp, swim at the swimming pool with the beautiful view of the town and Lake Rawa Pening, and take a field trip of the coffee, tea and clove plantations, as well as a dairy farm. You can learn how to plant crops, make organic fertilizers, and get milk from cows.
- 2 Atlantic Dreamland, Jl Soekarno Hatta No.303. Atlantic Dreamland is an amusement park that offers attractions like water boom, water toys, bom-bom car, softplay, flying fox, circular track, mini coaster, carousel, water roller, 4D theater, and ATV. Rp5,000 admission fee.
- 3 Havana Horses, Tegalwaton, Tengaran (on the road from the Tingkir bus station towards the highway tollgate), ☏ 62 815 4235-5473, ✉[email protected]. Horse riding school, where the horses live outside all year round in herds, eat locally-available grasses and hay, go barefoot, and are ridden without bit, spurs or other means of force.
Buy
Although Salatiga has a relatively large market (fresh market and clothes shops in one large area), it is not special and not geared to tourists. There is a small shopping center, "Plaza Taman Sari", near the clock tower roundabout, between Jl Diponegoro and Jl Sudirman.
- 1 Cenik Jegeg, Jl Kota Baru II No. 150, Blotongan, ☏ 62 815 7549-2003, 62 857 2979-1945. daily. Artisan textiles created with natural dyes. Leaves are pinned onto the cloth, and then simmered to leave an imprint of the leaf on the cloth, in shades of strong purple, and soft greens, yellows, browns and pinks. Call first, this is a home-based industry.
- 2 SAPU, Jl Kenanga, Randuacir, Argomulyo, ☏ 62 815 4251-4956. Sapu Upcycle is part of a community of artists and activists that upcycles waste materials into valuable products. They work with bus and truck inner tubes, canvas from former army tents, shipping container webbing straps and circuit boards from mobile phones to make bags, wallets, pouches and jewellery.
Eat
Eateries are spread out around the town. Those around the university tend to be cheap.Mie Bandung (Jalan Pemotongan) serves good chicken noodles (though salty) and "nasi tim" (soft steamed rice with chicken and soy sauce topping). In 2009 they cost below Rp10,000.
Tuntang (one of Salatiga's neighbouring districts) is close to the Rawa Pening lake, where you can find a group of lesehan grilled fish traditional restaurants. These restaurants have small gazebos where you can eat sitting on the floor. Lesehan means "sitting cross-legged on the floor.
- 1 Biztro, Jl Bima No.3/8, Dukuh, Sidomukti (a little bit hidden in a residential area; keep a close look out for the sign on the main road), ☏ 62 851 0018-1694. Th–Tu 10:00-22:00. A long menu of pizza, pasta, Mexican, steak, chicken, Chinese and Indonesian dishes, but the kitchen seems to cope. Friendly service, and a choice of 'spaces' to sit in, including the garden. Rp75,000 and up.
- 2 Waroeng Joglo Bu Rini, Jl Mawar No.5B, ☏ 62 298 328733. A restaurant with a view of rice fields and Mount Merbabu, offering traditional dishes, especially ribs.
- 3 Sitinggil Muncul - Javanese Restaurant (Sitinggil Javanese Restaurant Muncul), Jalan Raya Muncul 2 KM 7 (3 km from Bukit Cinta, just passed Muncul Springs and Swimming pool, opposite Java Water Factory), ☏ 6287700214777, ✉[email protected]. Sa-Th 10:00-16:00. Traditional Javanese farm to table cuisine in our traditional Javanese restaurant suitable for in-house and external guests. Event space available with a rice field and mountain view (Telomoyo, Merbabu and everything in between), for a minimum of 15 guests. Choice of venues to sit including 150-year-old traditional Javanese house, garden and 6-person lesehan-style (low table) Joglo. Fresh, eco-orientated, authentic rural Central Java. Nil.
Drink
Non-alcoholic drinks are served in most small eating places and medium to large restaurants. They tend to be sweet. The "es campur" (literally "mixed ice") consists of tape (sweet fermented cassava), pearl balls, black "cincau" cubes, agar-agar, sometimes with mung beans, served with syrup, crushed ice and sweetened condensed milk.
Sleep
| This guide uses the following price ranges for a standard double room: | |
| Budget | Less than Rp250,000 |
| Mid-range | Rp250,000-500,000 |
| Splurge | More than Rp500,000 |
Budget
- Plaza Salatiga Hotel – in the centre of the town. It is not immediately obvious from the main road (Jalan Jenderal Sudirman) but located inside an "enclave" of shop houses. From Rp 100,000, you will get a room with a fan and hot water, including breakfast.
- Ngawen Indah Hotel (on the way to Kopeng, right hand side of the road from Salatiga).
- 1 Sitinggil Muncul - village accommodation, Jalan Raya Muncul no.2 KM 7 (3km from Bukit Cinta, opposite Muncul spring water swimming pool and Java water factory), ☏ 6287700214777, ✉[email protected]. Check-in: 12:00, check-out: 10:00. Sitinggil is in a modern Central Javanese village, just up from Rawa Pening lake. Famous for natural water springs, it's a thriving agricultural hub, backed by ricefields and mountains (Telomoyo to Merbabu and everything in between).
The property has a 150yr old traditional Javanese home, with a casual farm-to-table lunchtime restaurant, and simple rooms for guests (shared bathrooms). There is also a campsite (hot water shower), eco-huts in the jungle out the back, and a modern house to the side that sleeps up to 8.
Guests who love Sitinggil appreciate the bustling village, witnessing Javanese Muslim culture, cycling around the lake, trekking the hundreds of trails out the back, relaxing in the evenings with a campfire, fresh simple Javanese cuisine, and sightseeing. 15mins from Salatiga or Ambarawa, not far from Bukit Cinta or rarely visited Candi Dukuh, the Java Man museum, Solo and Semarang is just over an hour away (new toll road is spectacular).
Opposite our property is a public swimming pool and kids water park, fed from local springs and chemical-free. Large markets full of very local produce are a walk away, as are good warungs for evening meals (or alternatively, guests can pre-order from our restaurant). From US$12.
Mid-range
Splurge
- 2 Laras Asri Resort and Spa, Jl Jend. Sudirman No.335, ☏ 62 298 312222, 62 298 315050, fax: 62 298 326666, 62 298 314040, ✉[email protected]. Rp650,000.
- 3 Grand Wahid Hotel, Jl Jendral Sudirman No.2 (From the clock tower roundabout go south), ☏ 62 298 328500, fax: 62 298 328501, ✉[email protected]. A 4-star hotel with a swimming pool. Rp725,000.
- 4 Kayu Arum Resort, Jl Magersari, Ringinawe, Tegalrejo (follow the signs at the three-way intersection of "ABC" on the road from Salatiga to Solo), ☏ 62 298 316654, fax: 62 298 316656, ✉[email protected]. Rp850,000.
Learn
- 1 Satya Wacana Christian University (Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana (UKSW)). The largest university in Salatiga and one of the best private universities in Indonesia. Offers courses in Bahasa Indonesia, of varying lengths up to about three months, featuring homestays and cultural activities.
Stay healthy
Hospitals
- 2 RSUD Salatiga, Jl. Osamaliki No.19, ☏ 62 298 324074, fax: 62 298 324074, ✉[email protected].
- 3 RS Paru Dr. Ario Wirawan, Jl. Hasanuddin No. 806, ☏ 62 298 326130, fax: 62 298 322703.
Connect
The area code for Salatiga is 0298.
Go next
- Kopeng is about 15-20 min by car to the southwest of Salatiga. From Kopeng, continue to Magelang, the nearest large town to the Borobudur temple, the largest Buddhist temple in the world.
- Ambarawa is a small town with a railway museum, 15-20 min by car northwest of Salatiga.
- Surakarta, one of the two centers of Javanese culture (Yogyakarta is the other) is one hour by car to the southeast of Salatiga.