Chasing Waterfalls In Pidie Jaya: Gunung Palang

Gunung Palang Waterfalls.

Chasing Waterfalls In Pidie Jaya: Gunung Palang - Gunung Palang Waterfalls is located in the middle of the forest in a mountain in Lueng Putu, Bandar Baru which were unestablished. It belongs to Desa Abah Lueng and it takes about 50 minutes driving to the west Lueng Putu market. The road to get there is not wide and has many curves. The first time I went there, I needed to ask people for directions because it was difficult to turn back if I had passed the turn. Luckily we were on the right track.

Chasing Waterfalls In Pidie Jaya: Gunung Palang

Finally we saw Kompi C Yonif 113/Jaya Sakti on the left side (if you come from Lueng Putu).Not far from Kompi, you'll amazed by scenery of paddy field with hills at the background. From Kompi, you have to turn left. Leaving the main street we entered a smaller road with less curves. First, we rode along the houses on both sides of the road and then we just saw trees.

Nature adventure will definitely be enticed by the allure of Pidie Jaya's richly blessed lush virgin jungles. In this nature delight, one can expect nothing less than to have one’s breath taken away.

All trail not well marked, you’ll need enroute together with local guide. There are plenty of experienced and well trained guide that could take you through challenging trails and they could also answer your questions regarding the jungle and waterfalls. Muslihadi called Bang Mus is local man who guided us to Air Terjun Gunung Palang.

A good level of fitnes is required. You must be happy and comfortable to walk uphill in a hot and humid environtment for up to 7 hours. You must cross 6 rivers ahead.

To be honest, there’s no way to that you can avoid leeches crawling on you when you’re trekking to reach Air Terjun Gunung Palang. Knee-high "leech socks," and apply salt onto your hand or any exposed area will help you deter the bloodsuckers .

Trekking in Pidie Jaya’s rainforest is not complete without at least one bite from the blood sucking creature.

On the way to Air Terjun Gunung Palang, you can see the illegal woods. Illegal loggers use the river like a highway to float logs they have illegal extracted from the forest to downstream.

Weak law enforcement and poorly implemented trade rules in Indonesia.

After did a 3,5 hours trekking (one way), i and Muridhal arrived at a waterfalls. The scenery is awesome. From a distance, you would hear the sound of the waterfalls. The farther you walk in, the clearer it will be. Within minutes, you would see the waterfalls. Its height is ± 50 m according to the given information there.

I have seen lots of waterfalls on television, in magazines, and in photos. But once you stand in front of a real one, especially when there are not many visitors, you can’t stop from looking at it. You get hypnotized by its beauty, the splash, and the sound. You can’t help but to feel one with nature.

The water is refreshing. The temperature is about 22 degrees Celsius and with a breeze it can be colder. After you feel the cold breeze of the waterfalls you can try make the warmth of drink and food. You can try to grill corn. It is pretty tasty.

It was not a happy-ending love story for sure. But… you don’t have to leave this place with sad feeling. On the contrary!

I did sit there but didn’t imagine anything. I just closed my eyes and listened to the voice of nature; the waterfalls, the sound of the wind between trees and people’s voice. The calmness covered me and I felt so happy, so nice, so good.

The best time to go to Air Terjun Gunung Palang is on weekends in the morning, so you could have more time to enjoy it. I advised you to pack towel, spare socks, dry set of clothes, rucksack, waterproof bag for inside the rucksack, snacks, small personal medical kit including plasters and personal meds, plenty of insect repellent, bowl, mug and cutlery, torch and spare batteries.

You should wear reliable walking shoes and lose clothes suitable for the humid weather. Apply sun protection cream or lotion and wear hats for those who are sensitive to sunlight. Don’t forget your cameras and videos because it’s a great way to help you record your adventure experiences.

Have fun at jungle and Air Terjun Gunung Palang in Lueng Putu and try to catch the water like me and Muridhal did there.