Indonesia is a fantastic destination for landscape photography featuring many photogenic places. In this guide, I share one of those with you: Sawarna. Located in the southwest of Java island, it offers countless opportunities to photograph spectacular coastal landscapes.
Sawarna is a coastal village located in the Banten province of Indonesia. It is known for its beautiful beaches and stunning natural landscapes, making it a popular destination for local photographers. The area features lush green hills, rocky cliffs, sea stacks, and pristine sandy beaches that stretch along the Indian Ocean.
When we visited Sawarna back in 2022, I found that while it's a popular holiday destination for people living on Java island and for Indonesian photographers, it's not well known outside of Indonesia. I only knew of it because of photographers from Java I follow on Instagram. Sure enough, during the four days we stayed in Sawarna, we were the only western tourists.
It was a great experience. The locals were some of the most welcoming people we met during our travels through Asia, the seafood was great, and the seascape photography was amazing. The only thing you must be aware of if you plan a visit is: Nearly nobody speaks English in Sawarna. Make sure to familiarize yourself with the most common Indonesian words and install Google Translate on your cell phone.
You might think renting a car would be the right thing to do. There are several car rentals in Jakarta, and you can rent a car with an international driver's license. The problem with that is insurance. While you can get insurance that'll cover damages done to the rental car, it's not possible to get proper liability insurance - I didn't find an option with good cover. And because of the way people drive in Indonesia, this is the most important insurance to get when renting a car. Otherwise, you can get into big trouble if you are involved in an accident.
A much safer option to travel to Sawarna is hiring a driver via Bogor Private Tour Guide. We paid around $90 for a driver and a comfortable car. Included was a pick-up at our hotel in Jakarta, water, English speaking driver, and a safe ride to Sawarna. Considering that this means a 10+ hour day for the driver, it's a reasonable price. We stayed in Sawarna for four days and paid another $90 for the ride back to Jakarta.
In Sawarna, no car is necessary. Most of the photo spots are within walking distance. And there are also many locals on their motorbikes, who will take you around for a few dollars.
The best hotel in Sawarna is the Sawarna Resort. They are not on Booking, so if you want to book, you must send them an email or reach out via WhatsApp. They don't speak English but are very adept at using Google Translate, so you'll have no problems getting a room if they have availability.
The hotel is well kept, with beautiful climatized rooms, a little restaurant, and a welcoming staff. A room for two costs between $30 and $35, including basic breakfast.
One evening I captured a dramatic seascape photo while standing at the edge of the ocean. To photograph this perspective, you must head to Tanjung Layar between low and medium tide on days with good surf. If the water level gets too high, staying on those rocks is too dangerous.
If the tide is too high to capture the scene above, you'll find more subjects closer to the shore. In the photo below, I photographed a nice set of rock pools and reflections, which are safe to get to as the tide rises. But be careful since those rocks can be slippery, and sea urchins hide in the rock pools.
You'll find Tanjung Layar at the eastern edge of Sawarna beach. It's a bit of a walk from Sawarna Resort with close to 3 kilometers. To get back you can ask the locals to give you a ride on their motorbikes for a little fee.
If you head to Karang Bokor during the day, you'll have to pay a small entrance fee. It once was a more popular location with a camping area. Not much of it remains, but someone will still collect the fee during the day. Early in the morning, this is not the case.
If you find somebody to drive you there on a motorbike before sunrise, it might be the quickest way to get there. But the road is very steep, and it's not safe to sit on the back of a scooter for some sections. That's why walking there might be the better option. In the morning, there are no cars on the road, and after about 2 kilometers, you'll reach the entrance to Karang Bokor. From there, head toward the coast and follow the signs as I show in the video above. On the way back, you can try to hitchhike. There'll now be cars driving by, and I was able to grab a ride in one of them.
