Up Close and Personal with
Nature
published in Appertite Journey,
August 2006
Text & Photos by Fadil Aziz,
images are copyright protected.
Sunrise, Mt Gede-Pangrango
The soothing sound of water splashing down the river, the
refreshing cool air, the beautiful green of majestic trees…
everything is a drastic change for anyone who had grown used to
the ceaseless din, polluted air, and concrete grey of another
jungle we call Jakarta. Only one word can describe this place:
tranquility.
Welcome to Mount
Halimun National Park (Taman Nasional Gunung Halimun). Located
between Bogor and Sukabumi Regency, the national park is only
about 100 km southeast of Jakarta. However, not many people know
of, let alone visit, this place.
Cikaniki River
flows not too far away from the guesthouse where I stayed. Large
and small stones scatted along the river, creating a picture
perfect view. Green moss covers most of the stones, a sign of
minimal human intrusion.
A small stream in the
jungle
Nearby there is a small waterfall
nicknamed “air terjun macan’ (tiger’s waterfall) that flowed
into the Cikaniki River. The nick name bears some truth in it
because long ago, before their extinction, tigers did come here
to quench their thirst and, occasionally, satisfy their hunger.
Those interested to view the river from elevated height can do
so on wooden platforms built by the park’s authority. But
personally, I prefer to walk on ground level. Where else can
we
enjoy such cool and clear water? When I dipped my feet in the
river, it felt so refreshing that I suddenly had to restrain
myself from soaking my entire body in the river.
A visitor in front of the Tiger's Waterfall
Jungle Sight
Seeing
Mount Halimun National Park is teeming with animal wildlife. From the commonly found deer
(Muntiacus muntjak), porcupine (Hystrix javanica),
leopard cat (Felis bengalensis), and hundreds of
butterfly and bird species, to the endangered and nearly extinct
owa jawa/Javanese gibbon (Hylobates moloch) and
Javanese eagle (Spizaetus bartelsi). The guide
knows strategic places where the eagle will most likely to
appear, but it is still a long shot. The lucky ones will be able
to see it gliding along the air current while hunting for prey.
"Jamur Kuping" (ear mushroom)
Plants are also
plentiful in this park, such as rasamala (Altingia excelsa),
puspa (Schima malichii), and various types of bamboo,
rattan, and mushroom. Higher above the trees, there are also
various species of orchid (75 of which have already been
identified). Some of them are indigenous Javanese species that
become nearly extinct.
There is no need
to be afraid of getting lost in the forest because the park’s
authority had made a 3.8 kilometer long loop trail, complete
with distance marker, sign board, and shelter, so visitor can
better enjoy the scenery and wildlife diversity.
Besides loop
trail, anyone who wants to explore the forest can also use
canopy walk, hanging bridges above the loop trail that connect
one tree to another. Considering that 60% of forest life is
happening about 30-40 meters above ground, the canopy walk can
offer a completely different spectacle. On ground level, we are
walking among the tree roots and must look up frequently. While
on canopy level, we might just get a good glimpse of birds or a
pack of Javanese gibbons.
Jungle Light
Show
At night, if the
season is right, visitor can enjoy nature’s light show created
by fluorescent fungus. I saw the light show not too far from the
guesthouse. The light looks like the glimmer of distant
cityscape at night, but there are no cities within tens of
kilometers from the ground and tree barks amid pitch-black
darkness. During the day, the fluorescent fungus is hardly
visible because of it minuscule size, only a few millimeter
thick.
Soft and hard
Enjoying the
park’s beauty and splendor is quite painless as there is no need
to sacrifice the comfort we found at home-at least not by much.
The national park provides acceptable facilities. For
accommodation, there is guesthouse built with grants from
Japanese government. The guesthouse, which looks like rumah
panggung (a type of house built several meters above ground),
comes equipped with bedrooms, blankets, wardrobe cabinet, a
gazebo to enjoy the atmosphere, and parking space. A pantry
equipped with cooking and eating utensils is also provided.
Next to
guesthouse, there is a small library with lots of reading
materials regarding the national park’s biodiversity. The
library also displays some animal specimens preserved in
bottles.
Overall, a
journey to Mount Halimun National Park offers the chance to
explore natural wildlife, but still comfortable enough for
anyone who had never experienced wilderness trip before. The
facilities and staffers, including knowledgeable and experienced
guides, are always ready for 24 hours because they are stationed
at Cikaniki, which also doubles as research station.
I believe that
any visitor should stay for more than three days to fully
appreciate the beauty of this park. There are plenty of things
that can be discovered to make the trip to Mount Halimun
National Park truly worthwhile.
Getting to Mount
Halimun National Park
The park has
several entry roads, but judging from the accessibility and
facility, entering from Kabandungan is the best route.
Kabandungan lies about 30 km off Parungkuda, which is located 3
km before Cibadak, along the Bogor - Sukabumi main road.
Aside from
accommodation available in Kabandungan, there are also plenty of
information on Mount Halimun National Park, such as miniature
model of the park, photos, and videos. Visitor to the national
park are required to report and confirm their bookings at
Kabandungan.
From Kabandungan,
it will be another 12 km to Cikaniki. Upon entering the national
park area, the smooth asphalt road will be replaced by stone
covered dirt road. This is to minimize the number of visitors,
and subsequently, their impact on the national park’s
environment, and also to thwart the activities of illegal
loggers. It is advisable to drive to Cikaniki in a vehicle with
enough ground clearance.
The Jakarta –
Cikaniki trip takes about five hours, so planning ahead is
essential to avoid arriving too late at Cikaniki, especially
when crossing the wooded areas.
For the purpose
of conservation, only a limited number of visitor are permitted.
So booking must be made in advance, at the latest, two weeks
before visiting. Enjoy!
A cascade
Booking and information :
Phone: 0266-621256 or 257
Phone: 0251-381677
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