Trawas is a small mountainous district in East Java, about 1.5 hours by car from Surabaya, the capital city. Surabayanese people often visit this place on weekends to get a "retreat" from a bustling and competitive life.

Understand

Trawas is located on the slope of Mount Welirang, 1150 m above sea level. It is located near two other mountain resorts, Tretes and Pacet.

Get in

The best way to get to Trawas is by car.

• From Surabaya: Go to the Waru highway entrance and take the "Malang/Pasuruan" direction. Exit the highway/ toll road at the Sidoarjo checkpoint and continue to drive until you reach a junction (at Porong). Turn right and follow the sign to Gempol and keep driving until you see a sign on the right, stating "Tretes". The road will start to climb, rather steeply in some points, keep driving until you see a sign to Trawas (on the right side) which is a steep winding road.

BE CAREFUL: The road is very steep - probably at an angle of more than 45 degrees. Check the condition of your car's machine before driving to Trawas.

Get around

There is little, if any, public transport in Trawas. Visitors usually get around by car.

See

• Mountainous terrain, rugged hills with pine trees and flowers.
• Dlundung waterfall

Do

• Sightseeing: lots of pine trees and flowers along the road. There are lots of nice villas (which can be rent, but even if you decide not to rent them, they are still nice to see)
• Hiking

Eat

Soto Gondrong, on the way to Prigen and Tretes. It is a turmeric-coloured chicken soup with coconut milk and herbs.

Sleep

• Grand Trawas Hotel *** (http://www.grandtrawas.com/index.php)
• Villa Vanda Gardenia

Connect

The telephone area code for Trawas is 0321. (+62-321 for international calls)

Go next

• Tretes, another mountainous resort of the same type
• Pacet which is well known for its hot spring baths