Wediombo Beach is a wide bay with white sand and clear blue saltwater located in Jepitu Village, Gunung Kidul Regency around 40 km southeast of Wonosari. Wediombo is derived from two Javanese words, naming wedi (which means sand) and ombo (which means wide). Although when combined it implies a beach having wide area of sand, in reality, the area is much smaller than that of several other white sanded beaches in Yogyakarta, such as Glagah Beach and Parangtritis Beach. The narrow area is due to the beach having enclosed by coral hills on the east and west part of the sands. It is more appropriate being “the wide bay” since the flanking coral hills makes the beach wider than common bays.

Wediombo Beach is located on a low altitude, which makes it available to be seen on higher grounds. In fact, you can see that the beach is surrounded by crop fields and houses of local residents if you view it from a higher ground. Wediombo Beach possesses a much clearer blue sandwater than many other beaches in the area dut to it having low quantity of pollution. The white sand is also beautiful with ornaments of seashells and other sea creatures in small objects where you can pick up and bring home as souvenir.

Wediombo Beach offers another unique experience for tourists other than the beautiful panorama, which is fishing on top of a high coral cliff. Local inhabitants and tourists have been doing this activity for quite a while, and they believe that the spot is very strategic in getting big fishes. However, to reach the high coral cliff is not an easy task for beginners. It should take approximately an hour, or more if you are not used to the path. For those who doesn’t want to go through the trouble, you can simply buy the fishes that local fishermen have caught during that day for as cheap as Rp. 3000. If you like, you can also have local people cook the fish according to your desired seasoning for a cheap price.

If you are lucky, you might witness yourself a traditional ceremony called Ngalangi Ceremony. The ceremony is held annually and the objective is somewhat familiar with that of labuhan ceremony, that is to express gratitude to God for good fortune and good catches throughout the year. The ceremony is carried out initially by spreading a fishnet that is made from gawar tree called gawar. Gawar is used to trap and catch fishes that are washed away by waves. After the fishes are cought, they are then cleaned and cooked. However, some are returned back to the sea while most are made into dishes that are shared with local families. This ceremony is also know as kenduri besar (great shared meals).

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