Indonesia has beautiful natural landscapes to visit. There are views of the expanse of mountains, sea, karst rocks, tropical forests and various other types. But, did you know that Indonesia also has many geoparks? Geopark is a type of natural tourism that takes the form of an area and has high geological value. Apart from traveling, you can learn about nature conservation, biodiversity and socio-cultural aspects that reflect the richness of the place. Geoparks function as places for education, research and tourism. The locations are spread across Indonesia, one of which is the Meratus National Geopark in Kalimantan. The Meratus Geopark has 4 tourist routes according to the cardinal directions and has its own uniqueness, let's take a look!
West
This route has a distance of around 85 km and includes 9 interesting locations. The theme of the trip on the West Route is the beauty of the Orang Banjar River, reflected in the busyness of the Lok Baintan Floating Market in the morning. When the sun rises, you can follow the current of the Martapura river to explore the majesty of Banjar culture. Through this western route, tourists will visit the Wasaka Museum and the Sasirangan Sungai Jingah Center. During your trip on this western route, you may have the opportunity to see the rare long-nosed monkey if you are lucky.
East
This route is around 68 km long and includes 17 locations that you can visit. The theme of the trip on the Eastern Route is Adventures in the History of Earth and Humans. Tourists can visit the Riam Kanan Reservoir which consists of Bekantan Island, Pine Island, Sirang Island and Ulin Island. This reservoir is a silent witness to the history of the Drowned Village, telling various interesting legends. This lake also contains traces of the history of the earth, including seabed volcanoes, the ancient Stone Ax site, and the place where diamonds were discovered. Apart from that, there is the Kahung Tropical Rain Forest which contains giant trees covered in moss, and springs that you can find in it.
North
The Northern Route stretches for approximately 188.15 km and includes a total of 14 interesting sites. The theme of the trip along this route is Following the Wind Trail to the Beauty of Dayak Meratus. Tourists can visit the Bubungan Tinggi and Elephant Baliku traditional houses, while there tourists will learn about the life and history of the Banjar tribe. Not only that, you can also go on an adventure by rafting upstream of the Loksado river, trekking on Langgara hill, and visiting Batu cave.
South
The Southern Route stretches for 67.44 km and includes 14 tourist locations that you can visit. The theme of the journey along the Southern Route is the Glorious Journey from the Tropical Rain Forest to the Shining Diamond. The trip starts from Purun Village which displays various works of female craftsmen, such as bags, accessories, etc. In keeping with the theme of the route, you can visit the Cempaka Intan mine to see the mining process starting from searching for diamonds to the cleaning process. There is also Tahura Sultan Adam, here visitors can see firsthand the conservation of orchids, Dutch guesthouses, and various typical Kalimantan animals.
How, interesting isn't it? No less than other domestic tourism, you can go on an adventure in the Meratus Geopark while learning about the social and cultural life there. You can buy holiday packages to Meratus Geopark via the website shafwahholidays.com.