Batu: Of Green Apples, Cool Mountains and Waterfalls

This is the belt of green apples in Indonesia. Such is its soil and weather that the green apples here are plentiful and real tasty. It is these green apples that took me to the mountain town of Batu in Indonesia’s East Java. In fact, it is these green apples, the green mountains, the cool climes, the waterfalls and the beautiful scenery that make Batu a hot favorite with the domestic tourists especially during the weekends.


Batu is about 20 kilometres or 30 minutes from Malang and about 2 to 3 hours drive from Surabaya. It’s parks, its lush green villages, its waterfalls and its great food bring a lot of tourists. During weekends it gets very crowded, but much more peaceful during the weekdays. Songgoritti village is the prettiest of the villages around Batu. Alun Alun is the most favorite place of the locals. Puten village is where the apple orchards are and one can gorge on an unlimited amount of green apples for a small fee. And then there is the Cando Ramon waterfall that plummets from 100 feet above in pristine green surroundings.


But, like I said before, I went to Batu and its surroundings for its food especially its fruits and vegetables. Batu has so many fruits that I had never tasted. Plum chips, green apple chips, jackfruit chips, durian chips and many more are supposed to be tasted here. The apple cake called Dodol is a must taste too. And so is the green apple juice, which is naturally very sweet. A walk through the various markets in the villages allow you to taste other fruits, snacks and dishes. The weather is cold and hence the appetite always stays high for food. These surroundings are also ideal for long hikes into the forest and one can discover many waterfalls, flowers and may be even wildlife. If hard treks are on your mind, then Gunung Arjuna has to be on your list here.