The Taman Sari Water Castle in a unique oddity to the Yogyakarta region. Yogyakarta was and still is, ruled by a Sultanate, and as such, the city features unique structures not found anywhere else in Indonesia.

Taman Sari Water Castle Yogyakarta

We finally made it to the Taman Sari Water Castle after our prior detour to the Batik Ori, Ramai Mall, and Keraton Palace. The Ramai Mall and Keraton Palace were a little bit disappointing, so we were really hoping to finish the day off strong with Taman Sari. After all, it’s one of the best sites to visit in Yogyakarta after Borobodur.

We approached from a different direction than we had intended, but considering we were coming from the palace, we came down directly from the north. Using GPS was not very helpful, but we knew the right direction to head to, and we started seeing signs.

 

As we got nearer, I was expecting to have to turn down a road and make a few more turns before coming to the main entrance – but we saw a sign directly in front of us saying Taman Sari, and in the distance on a hill what appeared to be ruins. So we made our way forward, we figured it would probably be right, it was basically where we expected it to be anyways.

Hilltop ruins

We wandered our way through stone steps and narrow residential areas to arrive at the gate of some sort of ruined hall (we would later find out its purpose). A few locals were hanging around, and we decided to spend a bit time exploring the space on our own and taking pictures.

It was not at all what we were expecting, we knew there were supposed to be pools, and there were none in sight. We also looked for signs of the Underground Mosque, which should have been close by and was on our itinerary. Alas, the spot, while interesting, did not seem to be where we wanted to be, so we made our way out the other side.

Underground Passages

Coming down stone steps, we turned and found a tunnel through which other people were traveling. The Underground Mosque should be underground right, so what better place to check out than a tunnel? As we descended we were greeted by a band playing for tips, and then we walked through the long arched path. We found that we were not on the way to the Mosque. What we did find though, once we emerged from the tunnel, was the entrance to Taman Sari – finally.

Within the Castle

The entrance fee was 30,000 IDR ($2.20) each. We purchased our tickets and off we went. We were greeted by a charming garden filled with trees and carefully designed with stone steps and gazebos. There were a few tour guides who offered their services to us, but we declined, opting instead to explore on our own.

We passed under a stone arch and came into the area we had come for: the pools. Previous reviews on TripAdvisor had said that the pools were drained just a few weeks before for maintenance, but they were full and running for us. We really would have wanted to take a dip in the pools, but that’s not allowed. We instead opted for photos and enjoying our time.

Accidental Tour Guides

A tour guide who had originally seemed to be leading another tourist offhandedly told us a few things. Then he told us a couple more things. Then he started following us around and giving us a tour.

Within a few minutes, we realized we had somehow gotten a tour guide – which we really didn’t want as we like to wander aimlessly on our own time. With that being said though, he turned out to be a great guide. He provided us with a tremendous amount of information we wouldn’t have otherwise got. You should note that there are no informational signs anywhere in the complex.

He informed us that Taman Sari was the place the Sultan would go to cool off during the hot summer – which being the tropics is pretty much always. There were 3 pools within the complex: 1 for his daughters and sisters; 1 for his 35 “wives” (concubines); and then 1 which was in a private section for him and the wife he chose for that day, to enjoy.

Between the first two pools and the private pool was a special changing room for the sultan as well as a massage room, to which he would receive a massage after the pool and then take a nap – the Sultan seems to have had a pretty easy life. At the top of the two pools was a changing room for the wives and daughters.

On to Other Sites

Our guide then lead us up and out of the pool complex. He brought us before a big gate, to which we were given the opportunity to take a picture together and then shown some people working on Batik and encouraged us to purchase some – while they were nice, we had just come from buying batik a few hours previously, we decided not to get anymore).

Proceeding out of the complex, we wandered through the residential streets. He explained to us that all the residences here were at the time of the Sultan’s use – part of a large artificial lake. The entire area would be navigated via boats and each section was essentially its own island.

Underground Mosque

After minutes of what seemed to be aimless wandering, we eventually found our way to the Underground Mosque. We found ourselves outside of the round building that was apparently the mosque. We entered a tunnel, which went on for about a hundred meters or so before bringing us into the subterranean interior.

It was quite different from the other mosques we had visited but still contained all the important parts. The construction is unique in that it is several stories tall – or low? (It is underground after all)

In the interior of the donut rings that formed the building, a series of staircases came together to bring you to the top level. These staircases could be seen from numerous openings from all levels.

The round, cool, stone walls were enticing to simply relax in and provided for nice acoustics. I would imagine a call to prayer while inside the mosque would sound very nice. We could have stayed and admired the mosque for a bit longer, but our guide was pushing us along.

Revisiting Our First Stop

Emerging from the mosque, we then proceeded up to the where we originally came in. The ruined building atop the hill. He told us that it was actually the Sultan’s dining hall. One wing was for the men, and the other was for the women.

A few years prior, the hall was far more complete. But the volcanic eruption in 2010 caused the roof to collapse and other serious damage to the structure. Restoration efforts are underway, but they’re slow and not likely to reach their former glory.

Making a Sale

He then led us down and continued to show us through the streets. We weren’t sure where we were going, seeming to have finished the complex, but he kept going. Finally, we arrived at his house, where he showed us all his Batik for sale. We politely declined and our tour was over and tipped him for the tour, and he seemed grateful for it.

Visit

Taman Sari is definitely worth checking out while you’re in Yogyakarta. While getting a guide isn’t necessary, and slightly irritated us because we wanted more time to just explore, you really do get a lot of information from one. If you have the time, you could go twice – once with the guide, and once without. Have fun and enjoy the water.

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