Gayo Land, Paradise in Aceh for Travelers

Tanah Gayo, another name for Takengon in Central Aceh, has very beautiful nature. There is a blue sea Lake Tawar, green expanse of rice fields, to clean and fast river. Tanah Gayo is a paradise for travelers, especially for photography enthusiasts.

Like previous trips to Aceh, I always prepare a photo hunting plan to areas that I think have the potential of natural beauty.

When I went to Banda Aceh, Lhokseumawe, and Sabang, which have beautiful beaches and underwater world, this time my heart is more interested in the natural mountains.

The first time I was in Central Aceh, at that time I was still sitting in a school chopping up. Until a dozen years later I never went to the district which is famous for its coffee. Only in 2020 is I interested to go back to see the natural beauty of the Land of Gayo.

As a fan of photography, of course this trip is not just to enjoy the beauty of the famous Lake of the Fresh Sea, but also to capture it with my Nikkon D7100 camera.

Friday afternoon 1/24/2020 after the asar prayer, around 16:35 WIB, the journey to Takengon began. Initially I planned to go using a travel car. But because the family also wants to go on vacation, finally the trip is done by private car.

The distance from East Aceh to Takengon, the capital of Central Aceh district, is approximately 260 km, or about three and a half hours without stopping. The three districts traversed to reach Takengon are North Aceh, Lhoksemawe City and Bener Meriah.

Before starting the trip, don't forget to fill up the car's fuel tank. Because after passing Mount Salak (North Aceh Regency) there are no gas stations that can be found except before arriving in the city of Takengon.

During the trip, actually a lot of objects that can be perpetuated like sunrise. But considering we have to chase time to arrive at Takengon not late at night, so that beautiful moments must be passed away.

On the way, there is a tourist attraction that is quite famous in the Bener Meriah region called Wehni Kulus. This is a rocky river with a swift flow of water and for sure the water is very cold!

Entrance fee to this location is also very cheap, only Rp. 3,000 per visitor. Unfortunately this tourist spot is less well managed. Some cottages to sit and relax are also not maintained, and most cannot be used anymore.

But for photography enthusiasts, the Wehni Kulus river flow will truly arouse the desire to capture it. After taking a few photos, we continued on.

The hiking trail with a narrower road, a bit of a hole, and surrounded by a cliff must be traversed. The speed of the car also sometimes becomes slow because they have to be behind the truck, and it is very difficult to pass because of road conditions that do not allow added fog that surrounds the road.

During the trip, my eyes and neck began to ache because I looked left and right so that I would not miss them if there was a good view to capture. Initially I thought in the mountainous area there were only coffee plantations.

Entering the City of Takengon, I immediately chose to look for lodging. Understandably, the clock showed 11:00 WIB and the night weather was cold.

Actually the Gayo Land area not only presents beautiful scenery for tourists who like the atmosphere of the mountains and also lovers of landscape photography. For fans of wildlife photography, human interest and macro photography can hunt objects there.

Starting from buffalo, horses, birds, insects, various plants, to fishermen who are fishing or fishing fish are all there. After driving around, the car finally arrived in the city center. But don't forget, now is the time to buy souvenirs typical of Takengon.

By:@iskandarishak