Wrapped in Peace of Sindoro-Sumbing Valley
Looking out from the slope of Sindoro, the eyes and soul are calmed by the sight of an overlay of pine forest, paddy fields and tobacco plantation between the curves of the hills. Though vehicles going back and forth can be seen in the central lane of Central Java, from afar, no noise can be heard. Between Mount Sindoro and Mount Sumbing, time seems to slow down, signaling the time for us to rest for a moment.
Denis Wahyudi, 21, parked his automatic motorbike, took off his helmet and got off his motorbike. After stretching his body, he and two of his friends quickly ordered a cup of tea, coffee and tempe kemul in a small shop in the Posong Natural Resort complex. After a short wait, his order was placed on a wooden table.
“The place is right for a rest. Relax for a while before resuming the journey,” Denis said on Thursday (9/2), on his way from Purwokerto to Ambarawa, Semarang regency.
Denis, who is a student at Jenderal Soedirman University (Unsoed) in Purwokerto, said that it was his first time at the Posong resort. He had previously heard about it from his friends that had visited the place. Of course he had also seen pictures on social media of the natural tourist attraction in the central lane of Central Java.
The three friends continued their light chat while munching away at the fried floured tempe and chives that were still hot. Occasionally they would take selfie pictures of themselves at special locations that has been provided, with the Sindoro-Sumbing valley as background.
The location of the Posong natural resort in Tlahab village, Kedung district, Temanggung, is strategic. It is located right on the north side of the winding Wonosobo-Temanggung road. From the ticket counter near the main road, visitors only need to travel another 3.5 kilometers to the tourism destination, which is managed by the local residents and local administration. The journey through the coffee and tobacco plantation is a comfortable one, with a road that is wide and layered by macadam.
The Posong Natural Resort manager, Zuniyanto, explained that the tourism destination, which occupies a 1.2-hectare sight, was developed by local youths in 2010. “For a long time, Posong has been holding some tourism potential. Therefore, after discussing it with the village head, we agreed to develop this location gradually,” he said.
Nurziyo, another member of the Posong Natural Resort management team, said that the local administration had requested a budget of Rp 9 billion for the regency administration, even though only Rp 5 billion was approved.
Sun rising
According to Nurziyo, visitors mainly come to watch the sunrise. “Every day there are around 100 visitors. The amount increases by 10 times on weekends, Saturday and Sunday. Soon, we will add the rides such as a flying fox and outbound activities,” he said.
Another location in the Sindoro-Sumbing valley that is currently being developed into a tourist destination is Sedengkeng Pass in Petarangan village, which is also in Kledung district. The difference is thatPosong is on the slopes of Sindoro while Sedengkeng Pass is on the slopes of Mount Sumbing.
This tourist attraction started to go viral on social media in mid-2016. There were many photos on social media showing the view of the valley from high altitude. In fact, from the location, the Java Sea at the north coast could even be seen.
However, the track towards Sedengkeng Pass is quite extreme. From the main road, cars and motorbikes must go through a village with a narrow, stony and uphill road stretching as far as 5 kilometers. Car drivers also need to be extra careful, especially when going through the agricultural land. On either side of the land, there are really low lands. Two cars coming from opposite directions must take turns to pass because the width of the road is only around 3 kilometers.
After traveling for 30-45 minutes, there is a parking space. From there, the journey is continued by foot, going up the Mount Sumbing slope, a journey of around 800 meters.
From the location with a height of 1,823 meters above sea level, the peak of Mount Sindoro is seen clearly together with an overlay of vegetable and fruit farm which follows the contour of the mountain slope. “The view here brings peace, the clouds and the hills below it fills us with awe,” said Jefri, 19, a university student from Temanggung, Tuesday (7/2).
Most of the visitors come to take photographs. A wooden tower and a swing in front of the natural beauty of Mount Sumbing valley is the spot most-liked by visitors. “Not many places have views as good as this. If the picture is posted on social media, there will definitely be lots of people asking about it,” said Sukma, 18, a student from Semarang.
Petarangan village head Jumarno said that Sedengkeng Pass was opened in June 2016. The tourist attraction was developed by a group of nature-lovers. It is planned that Sedengkeng Pass will be a tourist destination integrated with Situs Watu Kandang and Ngeson waterfall. The village administration has allocated a fund of Rp 1 billion for this plan.
Resting place
Geographically, the location of the Sindoro-Sumbing valley is not far from the Dieng High Land. Both are of more or less of the same height. The height of Sumbing is around 3,340 meters above sea level, while Sindoro is 3,155 above sea level. The activity of the agrarian population typical of Central Java adds to the modesty.
The slope of Sindoro-Sumbing also offers agrotourism, particularly in the forms of longan, tobacco, vanilla, coffee and tea plantations. Other tourist attraction include, for example, Tambi Agrotourism tea plantation on the slope of Sindoro. For Catholics, there is a religious tourist attraction in the form of the Anggunggondok Spiritual Park Maria Cave or usually shortened as Taro Anggro in Reco village, Kertek district, Wonosobo. The location is not far from the Wonosobo-Temanggung main road.
Sindoro-Sumbing is also ideal resting location in the Lebaran homecoming time. The central lane can be an alternative for homecoming travelers from Jakarta heading towards Yogyakarta who wish to avoid dense south lane. The best time to enjoy the panoramic beauty of Sindoro-Sumbing is in the morning time.
The growing tourism prospect has started to raise the price of land around the Sindoro-Sumbing valley. Joko Setiawan, a resident of Tlahab village, said that a lot of investors, including those from outside of the region, have started to target some lands in areas considered strategic. The price of land which used to be tens of millions per hectare has now skyrocketed to Rp 400 million per hectare.
Both the positive and negative impacts of such tourism development must be anticipated by the local administration. The blessing of natural beauty of the Sindoro-Sumbing valley should be managed and prioritized for the prosperity of its locals.