There is this place in Yogyakarta that I always love to visit and I will always take anyone there. This place is called Taman Sari Water Castle. This is the spot where people could sightseeing the remnants from the royal family's tradition and heritage. The last time I visited here was back in 2020 and I wrote a guide on that, which you can have a look at this post. Yogyakarta: The Ultimate Guide Exploring the Remnant of Pastimes. In that post, you can find all the basic information about the place from the ticketing to how to get there. But today, I want to take you into my journey exploring this place during the pandemic and the new thing I explored.

Despite having been there so many times, whenever I go there, there’s always something new to explore and try. This time, I was traveling with two of my cousins. They were all under 20 and seemed to be less curious and less interested in places like this. Though they didn't say it, their expression and enthusiasm spoke it all. So, I tried my best to get them curious about the place or even ask, what is this place for?

Our journey started late from the hotel room, the sun was high even though just in the morning, it rained. Yogyakarta can get quite humid and hot which often makes me impatient and nervous. Since it’s the weekend, getting around is another problem. It took us about 30 minutes before we even got into the grab car as our driver was navigating his way through Yogyakarta’s traffic. Everyone’s mood was slightly ruined and we got exhausted because the previous night, we hung out around the street food stalls and had koping arang “ charcoal coffee” and made us wake up pretty late.

Lately, we got an awful lot of grab drivers who strangely didn’t know the road’s really well. Just like today, the grab driver wanted to drop us in front of the gate of Water castle and told us that if we want to be inside, we have to pay extra because he would be charged for parking. Since I was too exhausted and couldn’t be bothered to walk more, I paid that extra fee that took us just 50 meters from the main gate and the ticketing counter.

The place was unusually crowded with tourists. Whenever I visit this place, this isn't the case. It was crowded but not too crowded. But that day, it was packed with domestic tourists wanting to see the remnants from the royal’s family.
Since I was still busy replying to some messages, I asked my cousin to get into the ticketing counter. Since now I am bringing a camera, I have to get a special permit for it which costs 3000idr. For mobile cameras, there is no need to get this permit but it is a must for any DSLR or similar camera.

Taman Sari is a water castle that was once used to be the place for the Sultan to meet his concubines and for him to find a new concubine. The surrounding area is almost built like a mini maze just a few kms from the Royal’s main residency so, if you want to get the most of it, the guides are there to show you around and tell you about the place and the hidden spot. These guides are inside the castle and they will greet you friendly. They greeted us but we decided not to use the service as I like to explore the place on my own and besides, I know my way around this area quite well.

One of the guides approached us and asked my cousin where he’s from. He tried to ease his way into offering the service but my cousin declined it politely. They weren’t pushy which is nice and I could see that the service around Yogyakarta has improved a lot. In the past, people got pushy about trying to sell their things but these days, they aren’t.

The first place we visited is the main hall that has two towers with two pools.

In the past, these pools were empty and were filled with moss but these days, it’s clean and very well maintained. Taking pictures around the area is a bit of work. You have to be patient because there are people queing to get pictures.

All I could tell you is that this place is quite magical and despite the wall that looked old, it sort of took us to another realm. Entering this place made me feel like I was taken into the 18th century in Indonesia where the royals were still in full power. These days, they are still in power but they merge under the republic of Indonesia. Inside this place there are small chambers and also a private pool like that was located inside the left tower from the main gate.

I have taken several people to this place and their impressions vary. I was also in a different place in life and it was interesting to see that my experience in this place has changed over time. However, the explanation of this place remains the same as I overheard the conversation between the guides and the people around.

As we finished exploring inside the area, we moved into the outer gate where we walked into the people’s houses.

In recent times, the water castle is now surrounded by civilian’s houses who are making a living from the tourists who visit the place. Some sell merchandise, artcrafts, paintings or even just drinks.

The must try drink in this area is called “Dawet” is a concoction drink made from aren sagoo or rice flour, coconut milk and liquid palm sugar syrup. This is a refreshing drink that you can enjoy after strolling around the water castle. I didn’t get this one but I got the cincau one which is similar but made from black jellies. We found the spot just right after the exit gate to the local’s house.

The Outer Of The Water Castle

The outer side, as I have mentioned, is basically people houses that are also embedded with some historical sites such as the underground mosque, the fort and the long alleys to the way out of the place. This place is maze-like which is why having a guide would be a better option for the first timers.

Along the way to the exit, There are plenty of gift shops, interesting murals, and some local’s houses that are quite old. Each of these places are scenic and is great if you love taking pictures for instagram. The children around also don’t mind the tourists walking by as it’s already a normality for them.

It was a hot day when we explored the area and was quite exhausted. We didn’t get to explore too many places and I was only taking pictures of the murals which you can see below.

Our journey ended just around 1:20 PM where we were too exhausted to try going to another place. I would say, in order to fully visit Yogyakarta, it is going to take more than just 3 or even 4 days. Seven days would be enough to explore this seemingly small province yet full of new fun things to do. I hope you like the pictures and the place. There are some more of this series coming up, so stay tuned for more!