Cibeureum waterfall is located in
Cibodas, in Mount Gede-Pangrango National Park, West
Java, Indonesia. The Cibeureum
Waterfall is about 2.8 km from Cibodas gate, located on 1.625 masl (meters above sea level), and has 50 m high. The word Cibeureum
refers to “red water”. Ci means water
and beureum means red. The red color
comes from the climbing wall that overgrown by red moss (Sphagnum gedeanum). When the red moss hit by sunshine, the water will look red.
The myth said that there was a hermit who was meditating. But, his time for
meditating was too long and he was too diligent
so that he transformed into a stone. People say that the stone in the center of
Cibeureum waterfall is an embodiment of the hermit.
The
distance from Cibodas gate to Cibeureum waterfall is about 2.8 km and we can
only go there on foot for about one hour. After entering Mount Gede-Pangrango
National Park gate, we can find the post that selling the tickets for only 3000 rupiah. Then,
we have to climb the stairs up which are made from
natural rocks to reach the waterfall. It’s tiring to climb up but, the weather is cold, so you will never have a
sweat in your body during the journey. After walking for about 1.5 km, we can
find a small deep lake which is named Talaga Biru (Blue Lake), located on 1.575
masl at about five hectares. The lake named Talaga
Biru because there is full of blue algae so if
the sun shines the lake, it will turn blue. But, the lake is not always blue because it
depends on the algae growth cycle. It’s like we’re back to nature. We can find
a lot of trees beside us and sometimes we can find a big stone that can be used
for taking a rest.
Five
kilometers from the Talaga Biru, we will find a wood bridge. This bridge is on
Gayonggong swamp. This is the area where the Java Leopards (Panthera pardus) live. Although there is a hollow
wood in the bridge, but it is still safe to be passed. In this area you can
walk slowly to relax your foot after walked through the stone track. There is a
rest area which can be used for taking a rest or just taking pictures in this
bridge. After passing the bridge, there will be a hundred of stone stairs with
Cibeureum Waterfall waiting at the end of the road. We can see a signpost that
called Panyancangan Kuda. Panyancangan Kuda located on 1628 masl, there is rest
area with a roof. In this location there’s an
intersection and when we arrived here, it means 15 minutes later we will reach the Cibeureum Waterfall.
Finally,
we reach the destination. From here, you should walk around the waterfall with
barefoot because it’s very slippery. People usually approach the waterfall, sit
on the stone, and let the water fall on their body. The water is cold, but it’s
so refreshing. Don’t worry if you feel
tired because there is a rest area that we can
use to take a rest, have a lunch, or just take pictures. There is also a toilet
but unfortunately the toilet is not in a good condition. If you feel bored with
this waterfall don’t worry because this area still has two other waterfalls. On
the right side there is Cidendeng waterfall, this waterfall is taller, but slimmer
than Cibeureum waterfall. And on the rightmost of Cibeureum waterfall there is
Cikundul waterfall, this is the higher and hidden position.
I
recommend you to go to this place, because Cibeureum waterfall makes you
realize how big and unique is our world, how beautiful the nature that God has
created for us. And come to this area make you can forget your problems for a while and thank God
for this amazing thing. You’ll never forget about this journey.
Sources: http://icbb.or.id/?p=89
