Have you ever heard about Batu? It’s a small city in East Java, Indonesia I never even imagined myself going to. So how did I get there?
Here’s the story.
Last summer, Fred & I spent our 2 months internship in Bali. And during our way back to Bandung, we stopped by Batu city and thought it would be great to explore Batu a lil bit more since the city looks so interesting.
So, here I am, picking out the highlights of Batu city and sharing them to you guys. I hope this travel guide helps you.
Where to Go?
Alun – Alun Batu
Most city have a central park where people could take a walk or just sit around at night. We call it ‘Alun – Alun‘ in Indonesia. Alun-Alun Batu is probably the best alun-alun I’ve found so far in Indonesia. It’s VERY clean and well decorated compared to any other parks here. There are statues, lanterns, kids playground, fountains, fruit-shaped toilets, and even a Ferris wheel! So, I suggest you to come at night and enjoy the view of Batu city from up there. Psst. It cost only Rp 3,000 / person (around US$ 0,3).
Jawa Timur Park 2
Jawa Timur Park 2 is the most well-known recreation park in East Java. It has a Museum (Museum Satwa / Museum of Wildlife), a Zoo (Batu Secret Zoo), a hotel (Pohon Inn) and Eco Park. I highly recommend you to spend a day in Jawa Timur Park 2! Trust me, you’ll never regret going to this place. I’m even thinking of coming back next time.
The best time to go to Jawa Timur Park is early at 8 or 9 am. Eco Park is open for business at 9, while the rest opens at 10. So, I suggest you to explore Eco Park first, and the museum comes next. Just make sure to leave the zoo for the last! And make sure you buy a one day pass tix for all of them since it’s only Rp 90,000 for 3. It will cost you a lil bit higher if you buy the ticket separately.
Sneak peak of the Eco Park
There’s so much to see in Eco Park, don’t you think? I even spent around 3 to 4 hours strolling around. Anyway, there’s also a cafeteria you can easily found near the exit of Eco Park. You can probably had your lunch there.
Sneak peak of Museum Satwa
What best comes next is the Wildlife Museum (Museum Satwa). You can read the complete story here. After having my lunch at Eco Park cafeteria, I spend around 1 – 2 hours in the museum. The animal stuffs looks so real!
Sneak peak of Batu Secret Zoo
And.. the last one you should never miss in Jawa Timur Park 2 is… Batu Secret Zoo! Check out the story here. It’s huge, clean, and surprisingly awesome. All the animals look so healthy. They must be treated very well. Anyway, there is also this Fantasy Land you’ll find in the zoo. It’s a small theme park with some vehicles you can ride for free!
Batu Night Spectacular
After spending a day exploring Jawa Timur Park 2, the best thing to do to end the night is to take a walk at Batu Night Spectacular (BNS). There are dozens of rides here, including the Haunted House, the coaster, rodeo ride, etc. But…. my favorite was the Lanterns Garden. I just couldn’t believe my eyes. Can you?
BNS entrance fee : Rp 20,000
Lanterns Garden entrance fee : Rp 12,500
What to Eat?
There are 2 kind of food you better not miss here in Batu : Bakso Malang (Malang Meatball) and Ketan (sticky rice).
Bakso Malang
We found this Bakso Malang just across the Alun-Alun. There are so many street vendors selling Bakso Malang and we didn’t know which one is the best among all. So we just randomly chose one. Glad that it tasted so good!
Price : approximately Rp 12,000 / bowl
Pos Ketan Legenda – 1967
“Don’t you ever miss eating Ketan in Pos Ketan Legenda!”. Well, that’s what some of my friends said when I’m staying in Batu. So, we decided to check what the hype is all about.
We ordered a plate of warm sticky rice served with sweetened condensed milk and grated cheese, plus a big cup of whole milk with honey. We love it! I mean, it tasted so unique and we found that it was just perfect for mid-night snack.
Pos Ketan Legenda 1967 is located at the west of Alun-Alun Kota Batu. It’s open for business starting from 16.00 to 04.00 in the morning. Make sure you stop by.
Where to Sleep?
Remember the Jawa Timur Park 2 I talked about? Well, there’s this Pohon Inn Hotel you can find inside the park. In Bahasa Indonesia, Pohon stands for Tree. The hotel was name after tree as it looks like a giant tree.
What’s even more interesting is that there’s this white tigers behind the receptionist counter. It’s perfectly alive!
You can also find a mini mart and a gift shop beside the hotel. We bought a cute photo frame for Rp 45,000.
For rates and availability info, check out their website.
—
Well, the list pretty much sums up of what you shouldn’t miss when you’re staying in Batu city. I hope it helps you. Happy travelling!
Tips
Please note that Batu is located in the highland area, so it’s better for you to bring along your jacket at night.
***
FACEBOOK || TWITTER || INSTAGRAM
email : lohh.sharon@gmail.com
Sharon Loh 
Great guide! Love your pics, too!
Hey, thanks! 🙂
Veri intersting place! Thank you for the tour!
Thank you! Yeah, Batu is like a small hidden gems in East Java I suppose 😉
cute place, its nice that you decided to explore the place, those are nice paprika plants there. I think overall the place is indeed interesting.
ketan legenda ini enaknya mahadewa bangeeeet yaaampun. meskipun antriannya juga dewa. nyobain susu nandhi murni yg di seberangnya ga sharon? itu pasteurised milk yang nagihnya gapaham lagi (tak lupa, antrian yg tak kalah panjang).
hihihi iya kakkkkk enak banget. wah! aku baru tau di seberangnya ada susu murni. tidaaaaaak, lain kali mau nyobain ah kalo ke sana lagi 😉
Hi Sharon the traveler!
I visited Batu last August (2013) with my fams then amazed how great this town.
The streets and infrastructures are organized neatly. It also has so many educational attractions.
But I just visited Eco Park n BNS due to only have 1 day to stay.
What a lively city…
http://makanangin-travel.blogspot.com/
Hi Tukan Makan Angin! :p
I was amazed as well. Never thought that there’s this great place in a small city like Batu.
I wish I could revisit Batu next time!
Anyway thanks for stopping by 😉
waktu masih kecil sering banget bulak-balik ke Malang :(( tapi belum ada ini semua :((
dari smp sampe sekarang belum pernah main ke Malang lagi 😦
*eh pernah deng, itupun cuma malem, mampir rumah sodara sebentar, balik ke surabaya lagi :((*
Hihihi iya katanya ini baru banget ya, Mei?
Ayooo ke sana! 😀 Aku aja pingin lagi nih saking serunya.
Thanks for visited my city. My city also known “De Kleine Switzerland”
More info about my city, please come to my blog :
http://www.infobatumalang.blogspot.com
Maybe someday you will come to Batu city again…
Hi Bagus! Yes, I love your city and really hoping I could come back next time! It is so refreshing there 😉
New recommended place nih Museum Angkut + .
Di dalamnya banyak miniatur spot eropa , museum transportasi dan ada pasar apung nya juga. Tempatnya setelah JTP 1 atau dekat Kusuma Agrowisata. Salam kenal dari Batu
Wah wah tempat rekreasi baru ya? Jadi ga sabar pingin balik ke Batu lagi! Asikkk kotanya hehe.
Salam kenal, Citra! Makasih ya udah mampir 😀
Ohh That Nice
Kota Wisata Batu Is My City
How lucky you are to live in a great city like Batu!
I’m planning to go there again to visit Museum Angkut 🙂
nice post, waiting for your next holiday post.
Artikel yang sangat menarik untuk dibaca, ditunggu postingan selanjutnya.
Dari Wisnu Transport, http://travelmalangindo.blogdetik.com/, Flexi 0341 542 1672
Thanks for your lovely post.
Me & family going to Batu this Jan 2015 & will be staying at Pohon Inn too. Just worry about transportation but we planning just to cover Jatim Park II & BNS only. Is it easy to walk & safe at night?
Hi Moer! Thanks for reading!
Yes you can actually just walk from Jatim Park II to BNS (and return). However, there are no walking path so you’ve got to walk on the street side. But otherwise, it’s safe.
Enjoy Batu!
huwaaaaahh kurang banyak spotnya yang dikunjungi ci.. kalau ke batu lagi bakso yang enak coba Bakso Arief ya. itu juga deket alun2 situ kok. jalan kaki aja.. huhui..
Hihihi iya nih!!! Singkat banget waktu nya kemarin cuma 1 malam. Pingin ke Batu lagi deh! Wah catet ah. Bakso Arief ya. Nanti kapan kalau ke Batu lagi mau cobain. Makasih yaaaa infonya hihi! 🙂
nice picture like in paris
Thank you, Ady!
dari dulu mau ke Batu belum kesampean juga sampai sekarang.. baca ini jadi semakin pengen! 😀
Ayo main2 ke Batu, Ratih! Asik banget loh. Pas kesana sebenernya aku ga expect apa2. Cuma pernah denger zoo nya bagus aja. Ternyata lebih dari yg aku kiraaaa :O Keren banget. Sekarang malah katanya ada Museum Angkut juga ya. Jadi pingin ke Batu lagi nih hihi