Jakarta - Mucous leaches started to stuck on our legs when we stepped out of Baturaden Adventure Forest (BAF) area in the slope of Mount Slamet in Baturaden
We were joined in a group consisting of 16 members that includes six experienced guides
That morning we were prepared to try outdoor extreme sports such as canyoning
going along the river using various techniques including cliff climbing
go down using ropes and jumping into a pool in the middle of narrow valleys
we continued our journey to the upstream of Pelus River on a pick-up truck
The truck stopped where the asphalt road end and we continued to walk for 15 minutes before arriving in thick vegetation
Sun rays were barely able to penetrate into the forest or touched its ground
And so the challenging adventure had begun
We kept going forward after ensuring the river's debit was not too high
Pelus River has the texture of andesitic stones which was formed by Mount Slamet volcanic activities
The water around the upstream had a slow stream flow but algae that coated most of the river stones were slippery
Long pants and shoes are recommended to be worn for such adventure to avoid leaches
We spent the first day conquering waterfalls along the rivers which were averagely 20-meter high
One of the waterfalls was 60-meter high and Isro Adi Harso
one of our guides and the Coordinator of Indonesian Canyoning Community for Purwokerto
said that it would be too dangerous for us to go down the waterfall
We had a break on our half way to enjoy bread as our lunch
Black eagles were sometimes mocking us with their whistling sound
we stayed over at BAF camp and evaluated our journey that day
We started the second day off from the Telaga Putri (Princess Lake)
Local people are often taking bath on the lake on Kliwon Fridays (Javanese calendar)
They believe that it will bring luck and soulmates to them
we went along a 7-kilometer long river in six hours
this river was composed of andesitic stones with fewer waterfalls
We passed the first waterfall by sliding along with the river flow that ended in Nila Lake
The water was clear that we could see the river bed at the 7-meter depth. Shrimps and fishes were seen swimming between our feet
We went down two more rapid streams before reaching the finish point in Curug Lawang (Lawang Waterfall)
"This is the most extreme and adrenaline-pumping waterfall among all," said Chandra Iswinarno
canyoning is mostly developed in Bali where the International Canyoning Organization Professionals (ICOPro) is based
The organization regulates the ethic and safety standard in canyoning activities
and waterfall that can be utilized to develop the outdoor adventure
"I first saw the video on the internet about canyoning and Banyumas owns many places for the activity
Why not we try it [here]," said Jalom Noor
we can experience several adventures in one shot
such as cliff climbing and swimming in the wild
Sometimes we have to crawl and passing through a narrow river," he added
Baturraden Adventure Forest is the only service agent that provide canyoning natural tourism in Banyumas
The agency offers canyoning experiences with various levels of difficulties
making it available for people in wide range of ages
"One of our goals is to facilitate canyoning expedition in Pelus River because we are optimistic that we are able to become one of the tourism icons in Banyumas
It can be proved by the large number of our clients choosing this package," said BAF General Manager
BAF offers packages of Rp400,000 per day for long routes approximately six hours journey and Rp250,000 per day for short routes approximately three hours journey
BAF will provide all of the equipments and experienced guides
There is also a package of Rp800,000 for one night and two days
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