Mount Seulawah Agam, which is located in Aceh and Pidie districts, Aceh, has natural beauty. Fatigue will disappear once we arrive at the peak at an altitude of 1,800 meters above sea level (m asl), even though we have to travel nine hours.
All very natural. Clean air without pollution, lush trees, melodious song of various types of birds, and course there is no plastic waste on the mountain which has other names: Solawa agam, Solawaik agam, Selawadjanten, and this Goldberg.
Seulawah Agam is thought to have been formed as a result of the confluence of the Indo-Australian plate which moved north and hit the Eurasian crust plate. As a result of this incident, the crust of the Indo-Australian Ocean melted into magma which then formed this mountain.
Reaching the peak of Seulawah Agam is not as difficult as other mountains in Aceh such as Burni Telong, Peut Sagoe, or Puncak Leuser. In this area, the most extreme slope is only 70 degrees, that’s not even 500 meters. Mountain climbers in Aceh, especially students, are not considered climbers if they have not set foot on the peak of Seulawah Agam.
From here, the ascent begins with a 70-degree incline which indicates we have entered the Beringin Tujuh area. There are seven huge banyan trees hundreds of years old here. Then there is an area called Batu Gajah because there is a tree covered in moss, the shape of which is exactly the trunk of an elephant. From here, the peak of Mount Seulawah is near and the temperature is getting colder.
The man who is often called Yahwa not only travels to relieve fatigue but also accompanies tourists who want to enjoy the beauty of Seulawah Agam. “Never mind accompanying tourists who want to go on vacation, I also brought friends who took pre-wedding photos,” said the man who loves photography.
Umar, a tourist who has climbed the peak of Seulawah Agam, admitted that he had an extraordinary experience while on this mountain. According to him, fatigue when climbing seemed to vanish when he arrived at the peak. “This is my first time climbing a mountain. After arriving at the top of Seulawah, I wanted to stay there longer,” he said.
Don’t Let the Beauty of Derawan Island Disappear
Derawan, an island located in Berau Regency, East Kalimantan (East Kalimantan), is blessed with beautiful beaches. However, the beauty of the beach is slowly facing the threat of abrasion. In addition to natural factors, increased human activity is another thing that also influences these conditions.
If we visit Derawan, all tourist needs will be easily fulfilled. Almost around the island, you can see village buildings with local wisdom, as well as the existence of inns that jut into the sea. The blue color dominates the beautiful scenery of the island as a whole.
Unfortunately, coastal abrasion is inevitable. Since 2000 until now, the coastline of Derawan Island has retreated by more than 15 meters. On average, this island loses one meter of beach every year.
Derawan Island Community Figure, Syaiful said, abrasion caused existing buildings to be damaged. As a result, the facilities that support tourism can no longer be used. Not only buildings but several trees were also uprooted due to the energy of the sea waves that came unhindered.
For Syaiful, the concern of the Berau Government is needed for the continuity of Derawan Island tourism. Its natural wealth and beauty have become one of the meccas of marine tourism in Indonesia. “We as residents, continue to strive for improvement. But we also need government assistance, for example making plaster to prevent sea waves.”
According to Agus, the short-term steps taken are to reduce human activities that damage coral reefs. One of them, stopping the construction of settlements above the sea. “It must be admitted that Derawan is in a complicated situation. We may not also dismantle all the buildings, but everything must be arranged. Ordering building permits must be carried out along with other strategic steps that we will take.”
The damage to the beach has made several tourists only use Derawan Island as a place to stay. To enjoy the underwater beauty, they prefer to visit other islands such as Maratua Island, Kakaban Island, and Sangalaki Island which have not been disturbed by human activity. These islands are still included in the Derawan Islands group.
One of the local tourists from Samarinda, Awal Jalil, assessed that the condition of Derawan Island must be repaired immediately. Because the abrasion that occurs is very visible and disturbs the view. “If it is not taken seriously, sooner or later Derawan will lose its appeal. Saving coral reefs must also be a top concern.”
Koomang Beach That Makes Us Float
It’s so mesmerizing. Visiting it feels like an extraordinary sensation. “Not many people come to Koomang Beach on Enggano Island,” said Sofian, a resident of Bengkulu City.
“You can snorkel or just swim. Luckily, we didn’t sink, maybe because the salt content is high, so it pushes us to float. The coral reefs are also good and lots of ornamental fish.”
According to Sofian, Komang Beach has the potential to be managed as a tourist destination with special interests. To reach it, we first take a ferry for 10-12 hours from Pulau Baai Port, Bengkulu City, which is anchored at Kahyapu Harbor in Kahyapu Village. After that, the journey continues by motorbike to Banjar Sari Village for about 37 km.
Tourism in Enggano Island
Enggano Island is the foremost island in the Indian Ocean. As an archipelago, Enggano is 145 km from Bengkulu City and with the closest distance to Manna, South Bengkulu (95 km) has small islands around it. For example, Merbau Island, Dua Island, Bangkai Island, and Satu Island. Especially for Pulau Satu, it can only be seen when the sea water recedes.
Administratively, Enggano Island is designated as Enggano Island District, part of North Bengkulu Regency. It consists of Malakoni, Meok, Banjarsari, Kaana, Apoho, and Kahyapu Villages, with the capital city of Kahyapu Village District. Enggano is the territory of the Enggano indigenous people consisting of the Ka’ahoa, Kaitora, Ka’arubi, Kauno, Kaharuba, and Kaamay (migrant tribes) tribes
Enggano has great tourism potential because of its unique and beautiful nature, supported by the distinctive culture and historical heritage of local communities and colonialism. Quoting Regen (2011), tourism potential that can be relied upon is turtle observation, bird watching, camping, exploring, rock climbing, fishing, surfing, and snorkeling.
Turtle observations can be made on the shores of Enggano Island, around Labuho Bay, Abeha Bay, Kioyo Bay, Ahai Bay, and Malakoni Bay. While observing birds, there are at least 29 species observed here.
The results of the Study on the Environmental Carrying Capacity of Enggano Island by the Regional Environmental Impact Control Agency for Bengkulu Province, the Ministry of Environment, and the Environmental Research Center at the University of Bengkulu in 2005, recommend that the utilization and development of Enggano Island must be environmentally sound. Bearing in mind, the ecosystem of Enggano Island is unique and is vulnerable to disturbance.
While the results of the Study on the Utilization and Development of the Enggano Islands carried out by the Environmental Research Center at the University of Bengkulu in 2006 stated that the development of coastal tourism is very appropriate. The analysis is carried out by emphasizing the space for activities and the availability of clean water. The consideration is that the availability of clean water on Enggano Island is highly dependent on river water through rainfall.
Traces of Sriwijaya in Dozens of Waterfalls in Lahat
One of the orders of the King of Sriwijaya in managing the environment, especially water management, as reflected in the Talang Tuwo Inscription is the construction of a dam. Are there any traces of these past dams? Is the waterfall found in several rivers in Lahat Regency, South Sumatra, a dam from the Sriwijaya Kingdom?
To reach the location of the waterfall, the journey is carried out by going down the edge of the hill for 500 meters to the surface of the Lim River. The distance between the hills that confines the river is about 100 meters and the walls are about 70 meters high.
The waterfall itself is about 60-70 meters high. If the river water overflows, the cage is like forming a large pool, which is up to five kilometers long or up to the Pandak waterfall. The Lim River itself empties into the Lematang River. The character of this Long Waterfall location is the same as other waterfalls in the Lim River. It flows in the Gumay Ulu area to Pulau Pinang.
Then, what is the use of the pools in the body of the river or under the waterfall? “Of course as a source of life. Good for agriculture, consumption, or washing and bathing. Because the megalithic areas in the Tinggihari area are all close to the waterfall. This megalithic area is thought to be an ancient settlement area,” said Mario.
For information, the Tinggihari megalithic area, Pulau Pinang District, Lahat Regency, which is included in the landscape of the Gumay tribe, is flanked by two rivers, namely the Lim River and the Asam River which flow into the Lematang River.
Currently, only 16 waterfalls have been found in the Lim River and Asam River which are included in Pulau Pinang District, namely Ketapang, Salak, Kundurang, Tanjung Mulak, Panjang, Sumbing, Ujang Panas, Pandak, Bidadari, Pegadungan, Sebahak, Terlanntang, Gunung Nyawe, Gegas, Limau, and Teghap.
Ismet Inonu Singayuda, the cultural observer of Lahat, explained that the existence of a waterfall in Lahat Regency as a marker of a dam on a river in the past is acceptable. Because, in the Bukit Barisan area in the Lahat, Pagaralam, Bengkulu, and Lampung regions, in the early AD the Kingdom of Srijaya was founded which later changed its name to Sribuana. “This kingdom includes 40 small kingdoms or villages. The kingdom that built a new civilization after the megalithic era” said the chairman of the Lahat Arts Council.
