Jember is a city and regency district in East Java.
This is East Java's third largest city after Surabaya and Malang. Whilst not the most attractive or interesting of cities, it does have decent facilities for visitors and makes a good base for exploring the southern part of the East Java region. Reaching the remote Sukamade turtle conservation area is often tackled from here.
Jember is a big commercial centre and is almost invariably congested and crowded.
- Jember Tourism Office, Jl Gajah Mada No 325, Jember. Tel +62 331 425471.
- Meru Betiri National Park Office: Jl Sriwijaya 53, Jember 68121, East Java, Tel/Fax: +62 331 321530, E-mail: meru@telkom.net. Excellent first stop for information about visiting the turtle conservation facility at Sukamade and other parts of the national park.
Jember Tourism Office, Jl Gajah Mada No 325, Jember. Tel +62 331 425471.
Meru Betiri National Park Office: Jl Sriwijaya 53, Jember 68121, East Java, Tel/Fax: +62 331 321530, E-mail: meru@telkom.net. Excellent first stop for information about visiting the turtle conservation facility at [[Sukamade]] and other parts of the national park.
- Watu Ulo Beach and Papuma Beach. It is strange that the not very attractive Watu Ulo is the better known of these two nearby beaches. Papuma is by far the nicer of the two and many regard it as the best beach in the whole of East Java. The beach at Watu Ulo is black sand and the large rock from which the beach takes it name (Watu Ulo means Snake Rock in Bahasa Java) juts impressively out of the ocean just offshore. Papuma is pristine white sand, a nicer shape and just altogether a better experience. Both beaches border the western edge of the Meru Betiri National Park and this is a beautifully wild area. It does get crowded at weekends and during school holidays with day trippers from Jember but otherwise it is quiet and an excellent place to get away from it all. Buses run quite regularly from Jember to Watu Ulo or you can arrange a car and driver at your hotel. Once at Watu Ulo there is no shortage of ojek and bemo transport to take you over to Papuma or to the even quieter fishing village at Mayangan Beach just to the east.
- JFC (Jember Fashion Carnival). A spectacular event fashion carnival on the street. Usually taking place in August or September yearly, it lasts 3 days, with the peak on Sunday. Followed by around 600 participants witnessed by hundreds of thousands of spectators, it has been recorded in the MURI (Indonesia Museum Record) as a demonstration with the longest catwalk 3.6 km.
Watu Ulo Beach and Papuma Beach. It is strange that the not very attractive Watu Ulo is the better known of these two nearby beaches. Papuma is by far the nicer of the two and many regard it as the best beach in the whole of East Java. The beach at Watu Ulo is black sand and the large rock from which the beach takes it name (Watu Ulo means Snake Rock in Bahasa Java) juts impressively out of the ocean just offshore. Papuma is pristine white sand, a nicer shape and just altogether a better experience. Both beaches border the western edge of the Meru Betiri National Park and this is a beautifully wild area. It does get crowded at weekends and during school holidays with day trippers from Jember but otherwise it is quiet and an excellent place to get away from it all. Buses run quite regularly from Jember to Watu Ulo or you can arrange a car and driver at your hotel. Once at Watu Ulo there is no shortage of ojek and bemo transport to take you over to Papuma or to the even quieter fishing village at Mayangan Beach just to the east.
JFC (Jember Fashion Carnival). A spectacular event fashion carnival on the street. Usually taking place in August or September yearly, it lasts 3 days, with the peak on Sunday. Followed by around 600 participants witnessed by hundreds of thousands of spectators, it has been recorded in the MURI (Indonesia Museum Record) as a demonstration with the longest catwalk 3.6 km.
- Go to Sukamade to visit the turtle conservation facility. The full details of this are covered in the Sukamade article. Whilst in Jember, a visit to the national park office to obtain some advance information and purchase permits is not a bad idea. Contact details below.
Go to Sukamade to visit the turtle conservation facility. The full details of this are covered in the [[Sukamade]] article. Whilst in Jember, a visit to the national park office to obtain some advance information and purchase permits is not a bad idea. Contact details below.
Once you visit Jember, something that you cannot miss is to buy gifts. There are various gifts from Jember. One of that is traditional food made from fermented tapioca called Tape. It has sweet and sour flavor and often gives warm feel on your body. The other thing is Suwar Suwir. It is basically also made from fermented tapioca, but slightly modified to other shape and can be grouped as sweets. It has sweet flavor as well. A lot of shops sell those food. One popular shop is "Primadona", next to Pasar Tanjung. Here, you can also find Brownies Tape. It is brownies cake as you usually know, with the flavor of tape. You can also go to Hardys supermarket, located in Jl. Raya Sultan Agung or Matahari Department store.
As always in Indonesian cities, there is an enormous number of street vendors and simple restaurants to choose from. Follow the local crowds is always the best advice.
- Mulyasari Restaurant, Jl Sultan Agung, Jember. Simple eatery that offers the Central Java speciality of nasi gudeg (stewed young jackfruit).
- Sari Utama, Jl Gajah Mada No27, Jember, +62 331 487092. The best Chinese restaurant in Jember. Brash, bright and noisy as you would expect but excellent food.
- Mie Ayam GNI.
- RM Jatim.
Mulyasari Restaurant, Jl Sultan Agung, Jember. Simple eatery that offers the Central Java speciality of nasi gudeg (stewed young jackfruit).
Sari Utama, Jl Gajah Mada No27, Jember, +62 331 487092. The best Chinese restaurant in Jember. Brash, bright and noisy as you would expect but excellent food.
Mie Ayam GNI.
RM Jatim.
- Conato bakery, Roxi square.
- Kedai mie, Sumatra. A unique taste for noodles and various of fried rice
Conato bakery, Roxi square.
Kedai mie, Sumatra. A unique taste for noodles and various of fried rice
The telephone area code for Jember is 0331 and 0336.