Another Sensation of White Water Rafting at Kala Waeh Ayu: Travel |

Gayo Tourism in Takengon City, the capital of Central Aceh Regency in the western tip of Indonesia, is not only coffee and Lake Laut Tawar which are indeed icons of tourism in the area. If you visit Takengon, one of the tours that is worth trying is white water rafting!

I have tried white water rafting many times at Lukup Badak which is located at Simpang Lukup Badak, Bies District, Central Aceh Regency. Usually, on weekends many visitors try the sensation of white water rafting with two choices, family and semi-extreme classes.

I have tried both. Twice in the family class when with children, and not counting in the semi-extreme class. For the extreme class, so far I have not tried it because it is not available there.

In addition to Lukup Badak, since 2021, Kala Waeh Ayu Adventure has also appeared, which is located not far from Lukup Badak. The classes offered are also the same, namely family and semi-extreme classes. The family class has a calmer current. The family class travels 5 kilometers with a travel time of around 1 hour.

While the semi-extreme class has a shorter distance, which is around 3 kilometers. However, the time can be more than an hour because it crosses quite strong currents and even tends to be extreme at some points. At least that was my experience when I tried rafting at Kala Waeh Ayu Adventure.

The tourist location Kala Waeh Ayu Adventure, is different from the others because in addition to providing rafting facilities, there is a Kala Temu cafe. At the Kala Temu cafe, in addition to providing various types of drinks and typical Gayo foods such as asam jing and depik fish (endemic fish of Lake Laut Tawar), it also offers beautiful views.

In addition, there is the Kala Nami inn so that visitors do not need to bother traveling from the hotel to the rafting location. However, I have never stayed there. The view from the inn offers beautiful Gayo nature with mountains and green trees as well as a view of the Krueng Peusangan river which is also a rafting location.

The number of rooms at the Kala Nami inn is very limited so you have to book well in advance, especially on weekends, end of year, or holiday seasons. My search results, for accommodation and rafting can be booked in advance through the Instagram account @Ayu_adventure or directly through the Marketing Manager of Kala Waeh Ayu, Ayu RZ at +6285296652838.

When trying semi-extreme rafting, we did not have time to enjoy the beauty of the surrounding nature because we had to focus on controlling the rubber boat. Visitors must also be aware of collisions with large rocks that can cause rafters to spill from the rubber boat, and that has happened, including what happened to our group. A friend of mine who was thrown from the boat, was traumatized so that he did not want to join rafting until now.

My criticism to the management of Kala Waeh Ayu, handling of accidents like this must be fast so that they do not have a wider impact on visitors. In addition, every visitor must receive complete and detailed education before trying rafting. Vehicles transporting rafting participants must also be more suitable because they cross terrain with inclines, descents, and sharp bends as well as poor roads. The comfort and safety of visitors must be the main considerations.

To get photo and video documents during rafting, visitors can order from the beginning. In one boat, you will be accompanied by a guide who will take documents and recommend several beautiful photo spots. There are also document takers from the banks of the Krueng Peusangan River with different angles.

Curious? Please try the rafting sensation Kala Waeh Ayu in Takengon, Central Aceh, Aceh Province, Indonesia. The cost is only around IDR 70,000 (14.8 Hive) for the family class per person and IDR 120,000 (around 25.5 Hive) for the semi-extreme class.[]