The forest and surroundings of the Tujuh Bidadari (Seven Angels) Waterfall in the interior of Aceh Utara, Indonesia.
The Tujuh Bidadari (read: Seven Angels) Waterfall in Pulo Meuria Village, Geureudong Pase District, is one of seven leading tourist destinations in Aceh Utara Regency, Indonesia. This tourist destination has gone viral and is a favorite of many local and national tourists. So far, no foreign tourists have come specifically to visit.
The main problem is that access to the Tujuh Bidadari Waterfall is very difficult. There is no public transportation and no accommodation nearby. The closest accommodations are only in Lhoksukon City, the capital of Aceh Utara Regency, or in Lhokseumawe City.
The main problem is that access to the Tujuh Bidadari waterfall is very difficult. There is no public transportation and no accommodation nearby. The closest accommodations are in Lhoksukon City, the capital of North Aceh Regency, or Lhokseumawe City. Several lecturers and I left Lhokseumawe City at 8:00 a.m. Western Indonesian Time. We rented two pickup trucks with open backs. The other truck was carrying nature enthusiast students from Malikussaleh University, Aceh.
They had often traversed difficult terrain, traversing dense jungle, to reach the Tujuh Bidadari waterfall. Without a student guide, it was difficult to reach the location.
It took about two hours from Lhokseumawe City to reach the nearest point with a cell phone signal, Dusun Bukit Sandi. Here, we loaded our belongings, including clothes, food, and tents, into a vehicle known locally as a zonder.
This is essentially a tractor with metal chains attached to large tires. Its purpose is to traverse the muddy and rugged terrain. The zonder made our journey easier. The nature-loving students, meanwhile, traversed the rugged terrain on foot. Perhaps they were used to it.
Before arriving at Dusun Bukit Sandi, the two-hour pickup truck ride was arduous, especially since the pickup truck we and the students were riding in had two tire blowouts. And we had to wait under the scorching heat of the sun.
For tourists living in colder regions like Europe, the journey to Dusun Bukit Sandi is torture. There's no cool place to take shelter, as all you see along the way are palm oil plantations, palm oil plantations, and more palm oil plantations.
Oil palms are undoubtedly environmentally friendly. The North Aceh Regency Government has actually issued a moratorium on water-wasting palm oil plantations, but for some reason, many new palm oil plantations are still visible in North Aceh. Hopefully, the palm oil moratorium will be strictly enforced, not only in North Aceh, but throughout Aceh, making the surrounding environment arid, stifling, and hot.
There are several established routes to the Tujuh Bidadari waterfall. However, we took the route through Dusun Bukit Sandi, which is familiar to visitors. Many visitors use trail bikes, which are more agile in navigating difficult terrain like the one leading to Tujuh Bidadari waterfall. The roar of trail bikes actually disturbs the tranquility of the surrounding nature. Wildlife will surely flee in fear when they hear the trail noise.
About 1.5 hours later, we arrived at the Tujuh Bidadari waterfall. There are many interesting spots here, so I've included many photos in this post. I'll feature several other spots, including a river and a waterfall, in future posts.
The Tujuh Bidadari waterfall is actually located on the border between North Aceh and Bener Meriah Regency, as seen on Google Maps and @worldmappin. However, North Aceh is more active in managing this tourist destination, and the location can only be reached through North Aceh.
Thank you all for your support. See you again in the next post.
Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/uY7RJPov97Db1BKv5
