Lighthouses of Indonesia: Western Java

The Republic of Indonesia has been independent since 1945 after having been the Dutch East Indies for more than 350 years. It is a huge country, stretching along both sides of the Equator for more than 46 degrees of longitude (roughly 5100 km or 3200 miles). Comprised of some 17,000 islands (more than 6000 inhabited islands), it has hundreds of major aids to navigation.

The island of Java (Jawa in Indonesian) is the heart of the country and home to 57% of the population. In fact, with more than 140 million residents it is the world's most populous island. The national capital, Jakarta, is on the northwestern coast of Java.

Indonesia is divided into 38 provinces (provinsi) and the provinces are subdivided into county units called regencies (kabupaten). This page includes lighthouses of the western coast of Java in Banten Province. Banten Province was separated from West Java Province in 2000. Its west coast faces the Sunda Strait, which separates Java from Sumatra. The Strait is a crucially important gateway from the Indian Ocean to the Java Sea and Jakarta.

More than 700 languages are spoken in Indonesia. The official national language, Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia), was standardized from a form of Malay that served as a lingua franca across the archipelago. In Indonesian a lighthouse is a mercusuar or a menara suar. Tanjung is a cape, ujung is a headland or point of land, bukit is a hill, sungai is a river, kuala or muara is an estuary or river mouth, pulau is an island, karang is a reef, batu is a rock, laut is a sea, selat is a strait, teluk is a bay, pelabuhan is a harbor, and labuhan is a port.

The original Dutch names of historic lighthouses, if known, are shown in curly brackets {}.

Aids to navigation in Indonesia are operated and maintained by the Directorate of Marine Navigation within the Directorate General of Sea Transportation

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume Q of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.

General Sources
Leuchttürme in Indonesien
Photos posted by Andreas Köhler.
Lighthouses in Indonesia
Wikimedia photos, including a collection of historic photos from the collection of the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam.
World of Lighthouses - Indonesia
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Online List of Lights - Java - Northwest Coast
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
Indonesian Lighthouses
Historic postcard views from the collection of Michel Forand.
Leuchttürme Asiens, Australiens, und Ozeaniens auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard views posted by Klaus Huelse.
Google Maps
Satellite view of Banten.

Current Tanjung Layar Light, Ujungjaya, July 2025
Google Maps photo by Doddie Arfin

Pandeglang Regency Lighthouses
Pulau Deli (2?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 45 m (148 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 40 m (131 ft) square skeletal tower painted white. Several coast guard buildings. No photo available but Google has a satellite view of the station. This light may have been relocated; although the listed and charted location is at the southwestern coast of the island the station is on the southeastern coast. Bing has a distant satellite view of what might be a former station in the southwest. Located on an island about 50 km (30 mi) southeast of the southern entrance to Sunda Strait. Site status unknown. Admiralty Q1050.4.
Tanjung Layar (Ujung Kulon, First Point) {Eerste Punt, Oedjoeng Koelon} (3)
1906 (station established 1877). Inactive. Approx. 16 m (52 ft) square metal framework tower, painted black (or covered with rust). A distant 2024 photo by Y.P. Loke is at right, the lighthouse is at the left in Arief Bidjak's 2006 view, and Mathieu Haerel has a distant view, but the dark tower does not show up in Google's satellite view. The lighthouse is also seen in a 1926 Tropenmuseum photo and Forand's postcard view. This historic light station is at the extreme southwest tip of Java and serves as a landfall light marking the east side of the entrance to the Sunda Strait from the Indian Ocean. The first lighthouse was a tall cast iron tower. This handsome structure was severely damaged by an earthquake on 1 September 1880, after only three years of service. It was replaced by a brick tower seen in a Tropenmuseum photo. There is a report that foundations of this lighthouse remain. In 1906 the brick lighthouse was damaged by an earthquake and replaced by the skeletal tower. The Indonesian name ujung kulon means "western end." Located at the extreme tip of the point. Accessible only by boat or a long hike. Site open, tower closed.

1906 Tanjung Layar Light, Ujungjaya, October 2024
Google Maps photo by Y.P. Loke
Tanjung Layar (Ujung Kulon, First Point) {Eerste Punt} (5)
Date unknown (station established 1877). Active; focal plane 50 m (164 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 30 m (98 ft) square tapered metal framework tower, painted white. Several coast guard station buildings. Doddie Arfin's 2025 drone view is at the top of this page, Syolahudin Al Ayubi has a 2022 photo and a 2016 photo, Y.P. Loke has a 2024 photo, A. Husen has a 2020 photo and a closeup photo, Munawar Khaleel has a view from the sea, and Google has a satellite view of the station. The present lighthouse is staffed by crews rotating every four months. It replaced a tapered skeletal tower seen in a 2005 closeup, on the right in Arief Bidjak's 2006 view, and in a view from the sea. The area is included in the Ujung Kulon National Park. Located about 300 m (330 yd) northeast of the 1906 lighthouse. Accessible only by boat or a long hike. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS IDO-084; Admiralty Q1050.2; NGA 23332.
Tanjung Waton
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); white flash every 6 s. Approx. 22 m (72 ft) square white skeletal tower. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Despite the historic role of the Tanjung Layer lighthouse, it is actually this light that marks the east side of the shipping channel entering the Sunda Strait. Located at the southwestern point of Pulau Panaitan, about 20 km (13 mi) northwest of Tanjung Layar. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty Q1050.15; NGA 23333.4.
Tanjung Parat
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); white flash every 4 s. Approx. 30 m (98 ft) square white skeletal tower possibly with lantern and gallery. No photo available but Bing has a satellite view. Located at the northeastern point of Pulau Panaitan, about 30 km (19 mi) north of Tanjung Layar. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty Q1050.1; NGA 23333.
Tanjung Alang-Alang (?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); yellow flash every 3 s. 12 m (39 ft) skeletal tower. No photo available and the tower is not seen in Google's satellite view of the listed location. Located on the northern tip of the Ujung Kulon peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty Q1050.3; NGA 23333.5.
Tanjung Lesung
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); white flash every 4 s. Approx. 21 m (69 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. A 2022 photo is at right, Arris R. Saputra has a closeup photo, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a prominent cape about 15 km (9 mi) northwest of Panimbang. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty Q1050.5; NGA 23334.
* Penimbang
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white flash every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) round white barbell-shaped tower. Roman Salamun has a photo, Wong Kulon has a distant view, and Google has an indistunct satellite view. NGA lists the light as "Ci Liman." Located on the north side of the entrance to the estuary at Penimbang. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1050.07; NGA 23334.5.

Tanjung Lesung Light, Panimbang, August 2022
Google Maps photo by Rynaldo T
PLTU Labuan
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); flash every 3 s, white, red or green light depending on direction. Light mounted atop a building on one of the piers of a large power plant. No photo available but Google has a satellite view of the building. Located at Labuan (Labuhan). Site and tower closed. Admiralty Q1050.06; NGA 23334.6.

Western Serang Regency (Sunda Strait) Lighthouses
* Panto Binuangen (Tanjung Pantobinuangen)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); white flash every 7.5 s. No description given but a tall tower would be required. The tower at the right edge of Taqwim Kurniawan's photo probably carries the light; Google has a 2023 street view and a second street view but it has only an indistinct satellite view. Located about 3 km (2 mi) south of the Cikoneng lighthouse (next entry). Site status unknown, but the coastal road passes close to the site. Admiralty Q1050.05; NGA 23335.
*** Cikoneng (Tjikoneng, Anyer, Fourth Point) {Vierde Punt} (2)
1885 (station established 1855). Active; focal plane 60 m (197 ft); two white flashes every 20 s. 58 m (190 ft) 12-sided cast iron tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse painted white. Wuri Prasita's 2023 photo appears at right, Köhler has a 2011 photo, Trabas has Köhler's photo, Gul Chotrani has a closeup, Reez Riezal has another closeup, the Tropenmuseum has three historic photos, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. The lighthouse was prefabricated at The Hague in the Netherlands by Enthoven and Co. It is one the very few Indonesian lighthouses readily accessible to tourists. The original lighthouse was destroyed by tsunami waves triggered by the catastrophic explosion of the Krakatoa volcano on 27 August 1883. These waves were at least 30 m (100 ft) high, obliterating the original light station except for the foundation of the lighthouse. Located on Tanjung Cikoneng near Anyer Kidul on the east shore of Sunda Strait, overlooking the still-active Krakatoa. Accessible by road. Site open, tower open for climbing. ARLHS IDO-081; Admiralty Q1050; NGA 23336.
Pulau Sangiang
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); white flash every 7.5 s. Approx. 15 m (49 ft) square skeletal tower. Lia Pratama has a view from the sea and Google has a satellite view. Pulau Sangiang is a boomerang-shaped island roughly 5 km (3 mi) in diameter in the middle of the narrowest passage of Sunda Strait. Located atop a cliff at the southern tip of the island. Site status unknown. Admiralty Q1051.1; NGA 23342.
Pulau Tampurung (Toppers Island, Button Island) (3?)
Date unknown (station established 1919). Active; focal plane 100 m (253 ft); white flash every 3 s. 22 m (72 ft) square skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. Several coast guard buildings. A 2023 photo is available, Starly Hartono has a view from the strait, Ayah Maman has a more distant view, and Google has a satellite view. An Admiralty Notice to Mariners in 2019 raised the focal plane by a whopping 23 m (75 ft). Pulau Tampurung is a small but very high island in the northern entrance to the Sunda Strait, about 10 km (6 mi) northwest of Merak. Located on the highest point of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty Q1052; NGA 23344.

Cikoneng
(Anyer) Light, March 2023
Google Maps photo by Wuri Prasita

Cilegon City Lighthouses
Cilegon is a densely populated and industrialized city at the northwestern corner of Java. With a population of about 450,000, the city includes important steel and chemical plants and the very busy Merak ferry harbor.

Pelabuhan Mitsubishi
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 22 m (72 ft); white (?) light, pattern unknown. Approx. 18 m (59 ft) round white tower with gallery. The lighthouse on the right in Ikung Adiwar's view from the sea and Google has a satellite view. Located at the foot of the pier at the Mitsubishi Chemical plant in southern Cilegon. Site and tower closed. Admiralty Q1051.05.
Pulau Ular (2?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 74 m (243 ft); white flash every 5 s. 12 m (39 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. Jemi Agus Setiawan's 2023 view from the sea is at right, the lower portion of the tower is seen in Fatoniadi Rachman's view of the island and Bing has a satellite view. An Admiralty Notice to Mariners in 2019 raised the focal plane by 10 m (33 ft). Located on a small island about 3 km (2 mi) west of the oil terminal at Kepuh. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty Q1051; NGA 23340.
[Merak South Breakwater]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); three quick red flashes every 8 s. 9 m (30 ft) red mast on a platform supported by piles. Google has a street view and an indistinct satellite view. One of the busiest ferry routes in the world links Merak in Java to Bakauheni on Sumatra, about two hours away across the Sunda Strait. Ferries sail on the average every 12 minutes, day and night. Located just off the end of a breakwater at the Merak ferry terminal. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1053; NGA 23348.
[Merak Besar (Merak Harbor)]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); red flash every 2 s. 12 m (39 ft) red mast on a platform supported by piles. A 2020 photo is available and Google has a distant satellite view. Located just off the east side of Pulau Merak Besar, a forested island that shelters Merak harbor. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1053.2; NGA 23352.

MPulau Ular
Light, Cilegon, M2y 2023
Google Maps photo by Jemi Agus Setiawan
Pelabuhan Suralaya Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); white flash every 4 s. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) square skeletal tower. Azis Abdullah Romadhon has a photo and Muhammad Ridha has a street view but the tower is hard to see in Google's satellite view. The rear light has not been located in the satellite views. Located at a large power plant near the northwestern corner of Java. Site and tower closed. Admiralty Q1053.3.
Pelabuhan Suralaya Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13.5 m (45 ft); white flash every 4 s. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) square skeletal tower. No photo available and the tower is not seen in Google's satellite view of the listed location. Located in the power plant about 200 m (650 ft) southeast of the front light.. Site and tower closed. Admiralty Q1053.31.

Serang Regency: North Coast Lighthouses
Tanjung Piatu
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); white flash every 4 s. 10 m (33 ft) white skeletal tower. No photo available but Bing has an indistinct satellite view. Tanjung Piatu is the extreme northwestern tip of Java. Located at the elbow of an industrial pier on the point of the cape. Site and tower closed. Admiralty Q1053.7; NGA 23358.
Tanjung Kapo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); white flash every 10 s. 20 m (66 ft) square white skeletal tower. A 2022 photo is available, Syahrial Rangkuti has a 2018 photo, Hendrik Abung Somantri has a drone view, and Bing has a satellite view. Located on the waterfront of a commercial port on the west side of Banten Bay. Site and tower closed. Admiralty Q1054.8.
* Karang Antu (Karangantu)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); white flash every 5 s. 12 m (39 ft) round hourglass-shaped white concrete tower. A photo is available and Google has a street view (also seen at right) and a satellite view. Located on the west side of the harbor entrance at Kasemen on the south side of Banten Bay. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1055; NGA 23362.
Pulau Tunda (Babi Island) (2)
Date unknown (station established 1890). Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); one long white flash every 6 s. 30 m (98 ft) square skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. A photo and a second photo are available, Ahmed Salem has a very distant view, and Google has a satellite view. This light helps guide vessels between the Sunda Strait and Jakarta. The original lighthouse had a focal plane of 18 m (60 ft). Pulau Tunda is a narrow island about 4.5 km (3 mi) long and about 25 km (15 mi) east of the Sunda Strait entrance. Located on the central south coast of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown, probably open. ARLHS IDO-256; Admiralty Q1054; NGA 23360.

Tangerang Regency Lighthouse
* Cituis Port
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white flash every 3 s. 10 m (33 ft) square white skeletal tower. Rizal Dadap has a photo (light at the left edge) and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located on the waterfront of Cituis, a port about 20 km (13 mi) west of Jakarta. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1060.3; NGA 23366.

Karang Antu
Light, Kasemen. April 2022
Google Maps street view

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: Northeast: Northwest Java | Southeast: Southwest Java | West: Southern Sumatra

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Posted April 13, 2006. Checked and revised November 27, 2025. Lighthouses: 22. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.