Bukit Jamur, a Piece of Heaven at the Country’s Frontier

Kompas/Emanuel Edi Saputra

Bukit Jamur tourists destination in Bengkayang regency, West Kalimantan, Saturday (7/10). From a height of around 500 meters above sea level, visitors are able to see an overlay of clouds from above.

Thin clouds lurked from behind the tropical trees on the hills of Bengkayang regency. From behind the hills sandwiched between West Kalimantan and Malaysia, the sun slowly appeared. Walking on top of Bukit Jamur (Mushroom Hill), you will feel as if you entering a “land above the clouds”

Located at an altitude of 500 meters above sea level, Bukit Jamur is a tourist site in Bengkayang regency, West Kalimantan that has been gained popularity among nature lovers and photographers in recent years. It is them who have popularized the destination on social media channels.

Bengkayang hill is located 174.1 kilometers away from provincial capital of Pontianak. On Saturday (7/10/2017) at 4:30 a.m., Kompas was accompanied by Bengkayang local Beni Projasa to visit the location.

There are two routes to reach the place: one goes through Jaku Bawah hamlet and the other through Jaku Atas hamlet. The path through Jaku Bawah is more convenient as the road is well-managed. The route through Jaku Atas is more challenging and necessitates visitors to use ropes in traversing a number of cliffs and rivers. Nature lovers will sure love these challenges.

From downtown Bengkayang, Bukit Jamur is reachable by car in 30 minutes. Once you park your vehicles, you need to continue the journey on foot towards the hiking path. That morning, the path was still dark and we needed to use a flashlight. At the beginning of the path, visitors will go through one-meter-wide cement road with dozens of stairs. The inclination is between 35 degrees and 45 degrees. It is surrounded by a relatively well-preserved tropical forest that contributed to a fresh morning air.

Enjoying local fruits

Some 10 minutes into your trekking, you will encounter dozens of local fruit trees by the path, including durian and tamarind trees. That morning, we stopped for a while at the spot. “During fruit seasons, travelers going through this path can eat the fruit. However, they need to eat the fruits here and it is free. Unfortunately, there is no fruit season in this time of year,” Beni said.

After the clusters of fruit trees, the path became steeper. The cement road is replaced by dirt stairs. Our journey was becoming more difficult and our steps slower. Our clothes were drenched with sweat. The cold that had pierced through our clothes was replaced by our body heat. We stopped a few times to catch a breath.

Finallt, at around 5:30 a.m., we reached the top of Bukit Jamur. It took us around 90 minutes to reach the top from the parking lot.

At the top of Bukit Jamur, hikers can find big rocks that are often used as a backdrop for selfies. Often times, especially on weekends, youth camp on the hilltop. They enjoy the flickering city lights of Bengkayang in the evening and hope to witness expanses of clouds and the rising sun in the morning.

From the top of Bukit Jamur, visitors can see expanses of clouds. There are certain moments when clouds stretch into the horizon all around you. Amid these clouds, you can see the hilltops that separate West Kalimantan and Malaysia. This is why many call Bukit Jamur “a land above the clouds”

Clusters of clouds

In cloudy days and in long dry seasons, clusters of thick clouds stretch out right in front of the hill. These are the moments nature lovers are waiting for and setting up camp at the hilltop for. Photographers commonly call Bukit Jamur a visual heaven.

The travel destination located in Bhakti Mulya village, Bengkayang district, gets more popular as travelers upload their photos of the place in the social media. Every year, the place receives around 32,100 travelers from in and out of West Kalimantan.

Every weekend, between 10 and 30 youths camp on the hilltop. On holidays, there can be hundreds of campers in the area. This figure is still considered small as the destination is still being developed.

Khoirul, 40, a traveler from Pontianak, said that he was interested on visiting Bukit Jamur due to photos he found in the social media. “The landscape from above is beautiful. My family and I are trying this new destination,” he said.

Bengkayang regency tourism and creative economy agency travel destination development section head Endrikus Erwan said that Bukit Jamur was first discovered by local youth nature lovers. At first, the hill was known as a good hiking spot due to its challenging terrain.

As time went by, photographers began to visit the area. Nature lovers and photographers then published their photos on mass and social media. Eventually, many more are introduced to and interested to visit the destination.

“People are giving positive response regarding the area. Eventually, the hill is visited by not only nature lovers but also the general public. Since 2010, it has become a popular destination among the general populace,” Endrikus said.

Seeing the positive response, the local administration has gradually developed the destination. It has opened a new and more walkable route to reach the hilltop. Culinary centers, souvenir shops and rest areas were also built along the hiking route. Four visitor toilets were also provided.

In line with its popularity, Bukit Jamur is now included on the list of 84 priority travel destinations in Bengkayang. The destination and its surrounding area have also been improved so that tourist economy will improve locals’ life.