Ujung Kulon sits at the far western tip of Java, a peninsula that points out into the Sunda Strait like a thumb, and it is the last refuge of the Javan rhinoceros. A few dozen of these shy, armoured animals survive, the rarest large mammals on earth, and the whole of the world's population lives in this one forest. The park was protected in the early twentieth century, partly because the great eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 had devastated the coast and left the area empty of people, and the forest recovered. UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage site in 1991.
The country is lowland rainforest, mangrove and swamp, with long beaches of pale sand, coral reefs offshore and islands like Peucang, which have clear water and sea turtles. The forest holds banteng wild cattle, Javan gibbons, leopards, monitor lizards and a huge range of birds. Rhinos are almost never seen, which is part of their survival, and visitors usually go to see the other wildlife and the scenery. The air is hot and damp, with the smell of leaf mould and salt. Krakatoa, and its child, Anak Krakatau, lie across the strait, and in 2018 a collapse of the young volcano caused a tsunami that struck the coast here and in nearby Banten.
Reaching the park is a journey. The roads from Jakarta run through busy towns and then dwindle as they approach the peninsula, passing through villages of fishermen and farmers, with palm groves, rice fields and small shops. Surfaces can be rough, traffic is a mix of trucks, motorbikes and animals, and rain turns parts of the road to mud. The approach to the park is by permit, with a boat needed for the islands, and conditions vary, so ask a local operator.
This is remote country with no real town close by. Fuel and supplies should be bought in larger towns such as Labuan or Pandeglang before you head west, and petrol is often sold in bottles by roadside stalls. The dry season, from May to September, is the best time, and the rains of the monsoon can make the roads and the boat crossings difficult.