5 Award-Winning Tourist Villages You Should Visit In Your Lifetime

Looking for something different to start your post-pandemic holiday? Try visiting some traditional villages and feel the new sensation of holiday that will kick some fresh start for your future travel plans.

A tourism village (or ‘desa wisata’ in Indonesian) can be described as a village which has officially been designated as one that welcomes tourism. The idea was first embraced in around 2000-ish with dozens of villages in Java and Bali being assigned as tourism villages. Offering an immersive experience by taking its visitors to experience the traditional lives and blending in with the locals, tourism villages will provide an exceptional kind of trip that will enrich your perspective in life.

These 5 award-winning tourism villages in Indonesia will be a great start for those of you who are eager to try something new!
 

1 | Pemuteran Village Bali

Located near West Bali National Park and Menjangan Island, Pemuteran Village once suffered from coral reef decimation. It was 12 years ago when climate change brought a devastating impact on fishing practices and damaged three vital things to community livelihoods: local coral reef ecosystems, fisheries, and flourishing local ecotourism industry. Facing the catastrophe, the village’s residents re-established the existence of Pemuteran Village by kickstarting it as a tourism village. In 2018, Lonely Planet listed Pemuteran Village among its recommended  “10 Best Destinations Asia”.

Different from many tourism villages that offer cultural escape from the hustles of metropolis, Pemuteran Village also serves as the destination for diving and snorkeling. Here, you can find a large number of clownfish, parrotfish, manta rays, and whale sharks pass the waters.
 

2 | Penglipuran Village Bali

Penglipuran Village is a tourism village which was traditionally constructed by preserving the traditional methods of bamboo architecture from Bali. Here, almost everything around you is made from plants, from the kitchens, house gates, doorways, furniture, to the roofs. Many of the styles, such as the bamboo roof shingles, are distinctive to this community and cannot be found elsewhere. This village is located near Kintamani, set along the countryside situated among the hills. More than just a tourist village that delivers many cultural presentations, the highlight of Penglipuran Village also radiates from its cleanliness. In 2018, Penglipuran Village was recognized among the top three cleanest villages in the world according to the readers’ choice in travel magazine CN Traveler from Moscow, Russia.
 

3 | Nglanggeran Tourist Village Yogyakarta

Among many features that can describe Nglanggeran Tourist Village, the best thing that is memorable to those who have come to visit this place is the friendliness of the locals, which will be the first thing that you found once you set your foot there. The main attraction here is of course the ancient volcano of Nglanggeran Api Purba. Admire the view of Yogyakarta from above and breathe fresh air once you arrive at the summit. Furthermore, you can also explore Nglanggeran Pond, Kedung Kandang Waterfall, and many of its cultural activities such as karawitan, jatilan, batik topeng, and more. This village has received an Award from the ASEAN Community Based Tourism (CBT) Awards in January 2017.
 

4 | Pentingsari Village Yogyakarta

Situated 700 meters above sea level near Mount Merapi in Central Java, Pentingsari Tourist Village was recently awarded and appreciated by Sleman’s Regent for their “people’s economy” system.  Since 2008, Pentingsari has been an important part of Yogyakarta's Tourism Village Project. The community still preserves the usage of traditional tools from nature. Offering many thoughtful perspectives about nature, culture, and agriculture-related to the environment, Pentingsari Village brings a deeper understanding towards nature, traditional culture, arts, and local wisdom to its visitors.
 

5 | Tamansari Village Banyuwangi

Tamansari Tourist Village is located at the foot of Mt. Ijen, one of the world’s most peculiar craters in Banyuwangi, East Java. It’s a perfect stopping point for those of you who want to hike Ijen to see the eternal blue fire at the crater. It has earned the "Best Tourism Village Utilization" title in the category of business networking due to being a pioneer in the potential development of village tourism. The village-owned enterprises have developed a number of their business from just mere potentials, like its honey farming business, tour vehicles, guide services, and several other SMEs.

Tamansari Village is also famous for producing rubber, cloves, coffee beans, and chocolates. Moreover, there are also a number of dairy farmers around the area that are expertly trained to produce high-quality dairy products.
 

Are you excited to wait for the world to get better so you can immediately experience village tourism? Well, you still can plan ahead from now. Keep your dream alive, it might happen sooner than you think.