Kerinci Seblat park lures nature lovers
By Bambang M.
JAMBI (JP): The famed Kerinci Seblat National Park always has been associated with rich biodiversity, while its beautiful and refreshing scenery has often been overlooked.
There is a number of beautiful spots in the vast jungle of the park, such as Mount Kerinci, Gunung Tujuh Lake, Kumbang Lake, Rawa Ladeh Lake, Telun Berasap Waterfall and Napal Licin cave.
The park is a virtual Eden for nature lovers. It is cool all day long thanks to the dense forest. Old trees tower into the sky. Rivers and creeks run clear. On the large tree trunks, beautiful wild orchids bloom. There is a chorus of chirping birds. The jungle is hilly and waterfalls are common. The park is paradise.
The most popular place in the park for eco-tourists is Gunung Tujuh (Seven Mountains). The 13,500-hectare Gunung Tujuh is in fact the crater of a dormant volcano, with a lake which is filled with rainwater.
At 1,996 meters above sea level, Gunung Tujuh Lake is the highest lake in Southeast Asia. It lies in the middle of the peaks of seven mountains -- Mount Selasih, Mount Terpanggang, Mount Mandurai Besi, Mount Tujuh, Mount Lumut, Mount Pandang and Mount Jujuhan.
Gunung Tujuh is easy to reach, with its main access point the town of Sungai Penuh, some 300 kilometers north of here. From there, proceed to Pelompek village, about 56 kilometers away, or about two hours by bus.
A one-kilometer walk will take you to the Gunung Tujuh park station, where you can hire tour guides who are well-versed about the area.
Visitors can also camp overnight near the Gunung Tujuh station. During the weekend, many young people set up camp here. They usually come to the site on Saturday afternoon and walk to Gunung Tujuh Lake the next morning.
It takes about three hours to walk to the lake from the camp site. The trip can be quite tiresome with the many hills one must traverse, but the gorgeous scenery is worth the effort.
If you are lucky, you will spot a number of rare birds flying overhead. These include black hawks (Ictinaeutus malayensis), Cucak Kerinci (Pycnonotus leucogrammicus) and the red-cheeked bird (Laphora inornata). In the bush, you may see rare animals such as the horned frog (Mesophyrs nasuta).
On arriving at the lake, visitors are welcomed by beautifully clear water. From a distance, it seems the lake has three colors: blue, green and clear. This is because of different minerals on the bottom of lake.
"Many believe that the water of Gunung Tujuh Lake cures many diseases," said Sahar, 32, a tour guide from Kerinci Seblat.
Visitors are allowed to swim in the lake, a rather refreshing experience after a long walk. But locals warn visitors against swimming too far from the bank of the river, saying that it is dangerous.
Sahar said there have been cases of people drowning after ignoring the warning.
Visitors can put up tents and spend the night by the lake, but they are warned to beware of wild animals such as Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatraensis) and tapir (Tapirus indicus) that, according to locals, often come to the lake to drink at dawn.
If you decide not to spend the night at the lake, you are advised to head back before 1 p.m., when thick clouds often descend over the lake and quickly cover the beautiful scenery.
While maybe not as well known as some of Indonesia's other natural treasures, Gunung Tujuh Lake and the other natural wonders of Kerinci Seblat Natural Park are ample rewards for anyone who wishes to make the effort to visit them.