Due to certain airport inconveniences, our flight from Jakarta to Malang was actually re-routed to Surabaya. So we decided to stay in Surabaya for a night, and took the earliest train from Surabaya to Malang the next day.
Getting to Batu from Malang
Early on a Sunday, we got to the train station in Malang and wanted to take a taxi to Batu. Unfortunately it was quite pricey and nobody wanted to use the taxi meter. Know that once you are out of the station, you will be bombarded by taxi drivers, angkot drivers, becak drivers. Just be prepared for that. We decided to be adventurous and took the angkot instead. Just ask around for the angkot that ends in Landungsari, and from there you will have to change to another angkot that will take you to Batu. We were quite lucky that the angkot driver that we took was willing to actually go all the way to Batu (of course at an added fee), drop us in our hotel to check in and then take us to Jatim Park 2. Yaynesss!!!
Three Main Attractions
Jatim Park 2
One would of course be Jatim Park 2. It's huuuuugeee!!!! And a lot better than the Safari Park in Jakarta, or even the one in Bali. Totally worth the money. Entering the park you will be greeted by the assorted species of monkeys, and there are loads of animals to see there after. I like that it's cheap (Rp. 10,000) to take pictures with some animals up close and the park rangers are so friendly, they allow you to take as many pics as you like.
Once in the park, don't forget to take the safari, which will be similar to the safari in Jakarta, but much more fun because you'll ride an open buggy train and the animals will get a lot closer to you. The location is a bit hidden I suppose and we queued up for it without knowing what to expect. But I will tell you that it's a highlight of the park, please don't miss it. It's in the play arena where the roller coaster and the haunted house are.
After the park we also visited the museum, but it's a lot less exciting to be honest. More suited for school trips for students.
Museum Angkut
Batu is a small city, so it's easy to go from Jatim Park 2 to Museum Angkut, probably 10 minutes, and again we took the local angkot. Museum Angkut is a really fun place. Again it's huge! First there is the indoor exhibition of vintage cars and then you go up for more of the aeroplanes displays. And I thought that that was it. But then, we went outside and there is the start of the more interesting picture worthy scenes where you can see some more traditional transportation modes, more cars, bikes, bicycles and the lot.
We were there in the afternoon and waited until 6 for the parade. I think they have it every weekend and also during the holidays. It's basically about 30-40 people in a crowd, dressed in different costumes, dancing and singing. And you can tell that it's Indonesia where people started partying and dancing to Dangdut songs.
Paragliding
I absolutely loved that we went paragliding, although it is a little expensive at Rp. 400,000. But you are buying the thrill and the experience. We booked to go paragliding about a week before at xxx.com. Or you can call / whatsapp at . The ride is 10-15 minutes over the hillside of Batu and the view is fantastic. When we were there we met somebody who is taking a paragliding course of about 40 flights and we were told that when you do, you'll start flying by yourself right from your first flight. Whattt??
For a short weekend trip, Batu is really fun and it provides a mixture of adventure and theme park kind of trip. The weather is lovely and can be a bit chilly at night. The air is crisp and fresh. Definitely one refreshing break for a Jakartan.
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