Lake Ngebel offers nature in all beautiful splendor

Kartika Bagus C., Contributor, Lake Ngebel, East Java

There are big plans for Lake Ngebel which are designed to capitalize on its natural beauty and the rich cultural history of the area.

Located about 734 meters above sea level, Lake Ngebel in Ngebel district is about an hour's drive by bus or some 25 km from Ponorogo's town center.

You can get there from Ponorogo for less than Rp 5,000 on the many public transportation vehicles headed to the popular resort. Please make sure, however, that you do not visit too late in the afternoon as the early evening mist will prevent you from enjoying the beauty of the lake.

Situated at the foot of Mount Wilis, the lake greatest offering is its charming natural scenery. The air is cool and unpolluted, and the visitor gets to enjoy nature at its best here.

A 5-km-long path encircles the lake to enable tourists to walk around it and enjoy the view of its bluish water. There are lodging facilities, restaurants and a camp ground in the surrounding woods.

In terms of natural beauty, Lake Ngebel is as alluring as other lakes that dot Java, but its added attraction is that it has not been built up or over-commercialized, the downfall of so many tourist facilities.

Thick forest grows on the hill surrounding the lake, accentuating its beauty. A colony of monkeys, now dwindling in number because some visitors trap them as pets, leap from one tree to another.

Ngebel is being prepared this year to become a prime tourist area for Ponorogo. The head of the Ponorogo tourism agency, Sartono, said that a stage for art performances was under construction for use by local cultural groups.

"We are cooperating with the local educational service to present cultural programs on Sundays and on public holidays. These programs include Reog, Gambyong (an East Javanese dance), Campursari (modern Javanese music) and Hadrah (Islamic music)," he said.

The local branch of state forestry company Inhutani is planning to build a small zoo in the lake area. The administration will provide street lights in the area so that people can come to enjoy its sights even at night.

The peak event of all tourism programs at Lake Ngebel will be the celebration of Suro, the New Year on the Javanese calendar, which will fall this year in March. On this day, locals will take offerings to be thrown into the middle of the lake as a token of gratitude to God for all of His blessings, especially a good harvest, in a ceremony called larungan.

It is believed that the offerings will be collected and accepted by the spirits guarding the lake.

One of the elders in Ngebel, Budihardjo, 72, said that the modern offerings ceremony was first performed in the early 1990s on Muharram, the first day of the first month on the Javanese calendar.

The uba rampe, or the paraphernalia for the rite, consist of brown rice and a white chicken, both placed into a box, and a gunungan, a mountain-shaped glutinous rice arrangement surrounded by different types of fruit.

"This gunungan is something additional. It has been included only recently to attract tourists to watch the Suro celebration," said Budihardjo.

This rite to thank God for His blessings seems to work in Ngebel, which is famous for its fruits, especially its large and sweet durian, coffee and cloves.

The larungan rite starts with the procession of the gunungan and uba rampe around the lake. This is done to show onlookers the offerings to be thrown into the lake and also to attract them to come to the site of the rite.

They will then be able to enjoy a variety of arts performances, particularly the Reog and gajah-gajahan, an art performance in which someone rides on an elephant-shaped effigy to the accompaniment of gamelan music. These are Ponorogo's main arts attractions.

After a communal prayer, the leaders of the ritual will get into a small boat to carry the offerings to be thrown into the lake. Uniquely, when this happens, darkness will descend around the lake area, even though it is still during daylight hours, followed by drizzle, a sign for those who believe it that God has accepted the offerings.

As the offerings ceremony is an annual event which can attract a lot of tourists to Lake Ngebel, the local administration must ensure that additional facilities for tourists are available, especially ones that allow them to enjoy bathing in the cool lake waters.