Pelabuhan Ratu's waterfalls: An unknown treasure

By Izabel Deuff

PELABUHAN RATU, West Java (JP): If you find surfing a little too dangerous at this famed resort, try exploring the area's breath-taking waterfalls located about 150 km south of Jakarta.

Although they are the highest in West Java, the waterfalls near Cikanteh village are still relatively unknown.

Eleonora Detmers, the general manager of Padi-Padi Hotel in Pelabuhan Ratu, recommended a visit to the waterfalls, explaining that the attraction was little known because it was isolated and difficult to reach by car. Moreover, many tourists are discouraged by the ascent up the three levels of waterfalls.

Upon reaching the village, you can trek easily through dense vegetation to reach the first waterfall spanning 10 meters. The falls' basin is so turquoise and clear that you have to restrain yourself from jumping in.

Reaching the second cascade requires a little more effort and it helps to have shoes with some grip to them to keep you upright while crossing several streams. The path leads you along (and sometimes in) shallows full of smooth rocks and boulders. Trees twisting to the sky, their roots stretched into the water, offer an idyllic landscape.

The ascent to the third level of falls is the hardest, a rocky slope being your only path. The last few meters are not for the weak-of-heart (try not to look down), but for those who brave them, the effort will be greatly rewarded.

The top offers an impressive view of this third 40-meter-high waterfall. Its two-meter-deep basin patiently awaits the pleasure of a swim, though the tumult generated by the falling water creates a stormy surface.

However, rocks close to the fall offer a platform to jump into the pool. Those braving a dip should hold on tight to the side so as not to be carried away by the strong current.

"Sitting where the water falls, I could hardly turn my head. It was difficult to keep my eyes open because the water was so strong. I was completely blinded and deafened due to the noise of the cascade", said Thomas Furtado, a 25-year-old expatriate working in Jakarta.

As for the trip there, the 15 minute motorcycle ride to Ciwaru village from Cikanteh along a bumpy path and rickety looking bridges may give your bottom some bruises.

Ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers know exactly where your destination is because the few tourists who arrive here only come to enjoy the waterfalls.

Thomas compared the waterfalls with those he has visited in Pangandaran. "In Pangandaran, it's so crowded. These are more worth visiting because they're impressive. They are three times as high as those in Pangandaran or Lombok. Moreover, there are no tourists and since you have to hike and climb a bit, you feel like you've ventured to a hidden place."

Even if you could reach the village by land, it is probably not worth it. The area's roads are so bad that it would be very time-consuming. It is far better to go there by boat from Pelabuhan Ratu, though the ride is somewhat expensive if you are traveling alone.

Padi-Padi Hotel can organize your trip. They have you take a boat from Pelabuhan Ratu (Rp 750,000 a day for the rental, so take a lot of friends to divide the cost) to the mouth of the Ciletuh River.

The one-hour water crossing may seem far too short since the bay's seascapes are splendid. White-sand beaches with coconut trees, coral reefs, ranges of protruding rocks slashing at the waves and green mountains spewing huge waterfalls pass by while the boat zigzags between bumbungan (floating bamboo platforms) used by the local fishermen.

Should you face a bit of squall on your return boat trip, just think of it the cap-off of a water-filled day.

While in Pelabuhan Ratu, take Jl. Siliwangi, which leads to the teeming harbor, until you can go west along Jl. Kidang Kencana to see beautiful beach landscapes. The early evening offers a stunning sunset with different hues of light reflecting on smooth water and split by tall coconut trees.

Some hotels in Pelabuhan Ratu face along such picturesque scenery in one bend of the road about two kilometers from the harbor.

Thomas said he wished he had suffered less on the trip from Jakarta to Pelabuhan Ratu. But the waterfalls in Cikanteh, he concluded, were really worth the effort.