Last year I took part in a rather intense expedition to explore a jungle river in Papua in eastern Indonesia. Whilst we didn’t succeed in descending as much of the river as hoped, it opened my eyes to the huge variety of cultures, wildlife and landscapes that Indonesia has to offer.
I got married in May this year (about 6 months after the Papua trip), and suggested to my better half that Indonesia might be a good honeymoon destination. Instead of the typical week-in-a-five-star hotel approach, we decided to go for a longer holiday and island hop around Indonesia – not doing things on the cheap – but making the most of the money we had!
Saving money by getting cheap local flights
But not skimping on other things
We’d told our wedding guests that if they wanted to get us a gift, money towards the honeymoon would be welcomed, provided they made a suggestion of what we should use that money for. Gifts that were bought for us included going scuba diving, trekking, SUP’ing, dolphin spotting, etc etc. And, whilst taking our boats on honeymoon was ruled out, it went without saying that as both Amie and I kayak, we’d spend at least a couple of days in boats.
SUPing… Just need a river to take these down!
In the end we managed to borrow boats to go kayaking in two places on our travels. Both runs were lovely grade 3, with bits of 4, in tropical jungle setting. Dry cags most definitely not required – shorts and t-shirt all the way (the t-shirt is only being to prevent sunburn).
Nimanga River, North Sulawesi.
Franky at Waraney Rafting was extremely hospitable. Although not set up for kayaking, he lent us the only two boats in his possession – one modern creekboat he’d borrowed from a friend on Java with matching modern blades – and one brittle 4m long plastic craft he’d picked up in Australia with paddles to match. We topped off the look with centre-helmets and life jackets. Win!
Bringing back the old skool
Chilling out during a flat section
Amie on the Nimanga river in Sulawesi
Franky joined us in a raft with a couple of his guides and a couple of students from Manado Universities adventure sports society. The Nimanga River proved to be a fun run for kayaking, made even more spicy for me by rapidly having to re-learn to control the ancient barge using long zero feather splits which cracked if you pulled too hard on them.
Whilst I’ve not painted a particularly good picture of Franky’s kayaking equipment, his rafting set-up is much better and his enthusiasm, generosity and hospitality is unmatched. If you’re planning to explore North Sulawesi, get in touch with him through Manado Adventure.
This (un-run) roadside waterfall is on the river which flows towards the rafting base – and this is in low water season. There’s another bigger one on the same section, with another half a dozen or so on another similarly sized trib – that’s barely scratching the surface of what else is out there. I’m definitely coming back to explore one day!
Citarik River, Java
A few hours drive south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, the Arus Lair rafting base has been developed with corporate events and hospitality in mind. Their extensive and immaculate grounds spread over a few hundred meters down the river bank, with a restaurant, an area for camping (that conveniently remains in the shade early morning) and a dozen or so new bungalows – some of which are located on an island in the middle of the river. A great place for hanging out with a beer, or planning which river to head to next – if only we’d had more time! He’s also got a shed full of modern kayaks to hire.
The bridge to Arus Liar’s Island
Arus Liar’s Island huts
The Citarik isn’t the only river in Java worth paddling, near the rafting base are a selection of great rivers, ranging from class 3 to 5. Once again, Lody – the head honcho at Arus Lair, is the man to talk to about this.
Shudder ruddering outside Arus Liar’s newest batch of bungalows
We were there in May/June, which is low water season – both rivers would be improved by a visit at a different time of year, but then kayaking wasn’t the prime reason for this trip!
Low water on the Citarik river
One way not to miss the takeout
Wildlife & Culture
Indonesia is a huge country, with rich cultures and a massively diverse array of weird and wonderful flora and fauna. There’s no more paddling in the rest of these photos – but a taste of what there is to see and do off the river.
Tarsiers – one of the worlds smallest monkeys
Komodo Dragons
Huge hissing beetle (that’s a 72mm lens cap)
Dolphins in Sulawesi
Clownfish
Crazy spiders
Planting Rice in Bali’s Paddy Fields
Kecak fire dance – Bali
If anyone wants any information about visiting Indonesia for paddling, let me know and I’ll pass on as much of the info as I can, that I gathered during last year’s Papua trip and this (somewhat more relaxing) one!