Ujung Kulon National Park

The southwestern tip of Java, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991, is the largest patch of lowland rainforest left on the island. It is reached from Pandeglang via the coastal town of Sumur and a final boat ride to the park's offshore islands.

Visits are organized as three- or four-day expeditions by chartered boat from Sumur or Tamanjaya, with overnights in simple ranger posts on Peucang or Handeuleum. Beyond the rhinos — almost never seen — you can encounter banteng wild cattle, Javan leopards, and gibbons, and snorkel on undisturbed reefs. The park is a serious commitment; do not go expecting a half-day visit.

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Ujung Kulon is the last refuge of the Javan rhinoceros. Fewer than eighty animals remain, all of them on the small peninsula and the offshore island of Handeuleum, and the species has not been seen anywhere else on Earth for decades. Camera-trap photographs are common; sightings on foot are once-in-a-lifetime.

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