Sangiang Island, “Hidden Gem” Natural and Historical Tourism in the Sunda Strait – Sangiang Island is a small island covering an area of 700 hectares located in the Sunda Strait and between the islands of Java and Sumatra. Administratively, this island is part of Cikoneng Village, Anyer District, Serang Regency, Banten Province.
Because of its beautiful panorama, Sangiang Island is often visited by tourists. They call it the “Seven Wonders of Banten”. Apart from that, this island is also a habitat for various protected animals, such as sea terns, sea eagles, grouse and seagulls.
Traces of Japanese Military Bases
Quoted from the kemdikbud.go.id page , Sangiang Island was a gift from the King of Lampung which was then inhabited by people around the 19th century. Entering World War 2, Japanese imperialism built a Guard Post on Sangiang Island with iron rails for amphibious warships to pass through.
One of the relics of the Japanese occupation in Indonesia can be seen from the bunkers, buildings and helipads stored on Sangiang Island. Until now, the bunkers can still be seen along with the defensive cannons which are in quite good condition.
A stone inscription with kanji letters was also found on Sangiang Island. According to a Japanese archaeologist, this inscription reads “Genjumin romusha no hi” which means a warning to native manual laborers. These findings indicate that the Japanese military base post on Sangiang Island was built by Indonesian forced laborers.
Attractions of Sangiang Island
Sangiang Island not only offers beautiful views of white sand. This island also has other natural tourist spots that are interesting to visit. Tourists will be greeted by the green nuances of the mangrove forest when entering the Sangiang Island area.
Entering the island area, tourists can find the enchanting Bat Cave. Interestingly, this cave is still inhabited by hundreds of bats passing by among the crashing waves. It is said that this cave is a place for sharks to wait for prey.
Still on Sangiang Island, tourists can also trek up the hill and relax at the top. This island has two of the best points to enjoy the beauty of the beach from a height, namely Bukit Harapan and Puncak Begal.
How to Get to Sangiang Island
To get to Sangiang Island, tourists can use private vehicles from Jakarta and take the route to Paku Anyer Harbor. The journey will take around four hours via the toll road and exit at East Cilegon.
Upon arrival at the port, the vehicle can be parked in the available space then continue the journey using a group boat or public tourism to cross to Sangiang Island.
The trip to Sangiang Island can also be reached by public transportation. Tourists can take a bus and get off at Simpang Cilegon which is not far from the East Cilegon toll exit. The journey then continues with purple city transportation (angkot).
From the purple public transportation, tourists can take the silver public transportation in the direction of Cilegon–Anyer for around 30 minutes. The public transportation will stop tourists right on the front road towards the port to then cross to Sangiang Island.
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