Hey, local guides! Hope all of you doing great.
Caption: picture waterfall and sunshine around the rocky rivers
So let me share my last week traveling around my hometown, Sukabumi Indonesia.
Early morning on the weekend, riding a motorbike to some unknown place, wet track, just follow a route on Google maps, there is some local sign and finally no road anymore. Time for parking the motorbike and here we go.
Caption: wet track road with a sign on the side
Ask local people about our destination, don’t forget to buy some local food as a campaign local guides to support small businesses, and fill the tumbler drink. We join another group fortunately so feel so save because one of them is local people.
The first challenge is to cross the small river without a bridge. Let’s get wet and walk slowly between rocky rivers. The second one is to walk on wet soil as a road. You should be careful because so slippery.
Caption:walking riverside in the forest
Get ready to wet again because the second river to cross, and one more again river as the third cross the river and still no bridge. By the way deep river around the knees so that is still safe but sure you must extra careful, who knows flooded rob can come anytime.
Back to walk riverside for a few minutes and finally arrived at our destination. Sounds pretty good this place is not too far and not really in the forest. Just need a little bit of some public facility like a bridge
This place is called “Curug Larangan” in Bahasa Indonesia. Curug is mean waterfall and Larangan is disallowance, a ban that means something forbidden or something like that.
Here link on google maps
Curug Larangan
https://maps.google.com/?cid=15065914767174053401&entry=gps
And this is my single-shot 360 photo from my phone.
Curug Larangan
https://maps.app.goo.gl/68rHfvj3Th7LtM2Q8
I don’t know why this beautiful waterfall is called the forbidden waterfall. Something mysterious thing in the past as history or because challenging effort to reach here? I never ask local people about this issue.
Caption: Posing love in front of a waterfall local guide Nyainurjanah and cousin.
More than 100 reviews on google maps, that’s impressive. Unfortunately, this place is without a signal internet on my phone provider, So forget about showing off on social media on location haha. I tried to create a photo path on my Street view maps but some of the files were broken and my phone battery ran out.
Curug larangan maybe hear so weird but trust me that’s a naturally beautiful place. This is open to tourists and I see development progress still going on for the building better facility.
The local people are so friendly even they give me free steamed bananas as a snack and offer for borrowing their sandals to cross the river for our shoes are still dry. We politely said thank you and keep walking in our shoes.
One thing that comes to my mind is why called forbidden waterfall maybe because of location remote area and the danger for reach there. Nowadays is better but a few years ago I’m sure that waterfall was untouchable.
So forget about the forbidden for visitors because reality welcomes tourists and enjoys the waterfall.
So do you feel my effort is worth it for this waterfall?
Leave your comments below and see you on the next journey!
Update:
Thanks to local guides Kang Dedi Suhendra ( He is very best person for ask all about Sukabumi especially about history and tourist attractions Sukabumi ) @d3d1s explain to us in detail why these places are called forbidden waterfalls. The main reason this place is untouchable before and the favorite place habits of wild animals are so very dangerous for humans. The additional suggestion is don’t try to bring strong smell food barbecue like meat because can invite wild animals. Be polite and wise as visitors do not vandalism, throw some trash, or even drink alcohol or drugs. Be respectful to nature, enjoy the main view, and leave good reviews including reminding other visitors to keep that place stay natural.
Bonus:
5 minutes video when I cross the rivers and a 1-minute video show the entire waterfall. Enjoy!