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| Sekipan Camping Ground |
What must feel great after months of work-from-home? I’d say, a morning walk at Sekipan Tawangmangu. Famous for its camping ground, Sekipan is a place worth a visit, even if you only have two hours to inhale its fresh air.
Sekipan is a valley in Tawangmangu, Karanganyar, Indonesia. Surrounded by hills, it can give you a feel like a dwarf being placed inside a bowl. The temperature is usually rather cold, foggy and it rains a lot there. What is the main attraction there? I would say, fresh air and mountainous view. It takes about 1-2 hour from Solo or from Sragen, my hometown.
Sekipan is a valley in Tawangmangu, Karanganyar, Indonesia. Surrounded by hills, it can give you a feel like a dwarf being placed inside a bowl. The temperature is usually rather cold, foggy and it rains a lot there. What is the main attraction there? I would say, fresh air and mountainous view. It takes about 1-2 hour from Solo or from Sragen, my hometown.
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About four-three years ago, I went there frequently with my family on weekends. My father-in-law once needed therapy and the therapist lives in the beautiful village. We would usually depart from Sragen very early on Sunday morning, right after fajr prayer. We would arrive there at around 6 a.m., before the therapist opened hso doors. We needed to come early because he only admitted very few people everyday. While my father was doing the therapy, I would have a walk with my husband and my nephews, exploring the village. After the therapy finishes, we would have our breakfast in a local masjid nearby, if my mother-in-law brings us some food. Sometimes we would stop at a Warung Bu Tatik, a small local restaurant that offers a variety of fresh local foods. Then we would leave Sekipan at around 9 or 10 a.m.
About four-three years ago, I went there frequently with my family on weekends. My father-in-law once needed therapy and the therapist lives in the beautiful village. We would usually depart from Sragen very early on Sunday morning, right after fajr prayer. We would arrive there at around 6 a.m., before the therapist opened hso doors. We needed to come early because he only admitted very few people everyday. While my father was doing the therapy, I would have a walk with my husband and my nephews, exploring the village. After the therapy finishes, we would have our breakfast in a local masjid nearby, if my mother-in-law brings us some food. Sometimes we would stop at a Warung Bu Tatik, a small local restaurant that offers a variety of fresh local foods. Then we would leave Sekipan at around 9 or 10 a.m.
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| Vegetable fields of Sekipan locals |
Touristic Attractions in Sekipan
There are several places you can visit in Sekipan. Two of the most populars are Bukit Sekipan and Sekipan Camping Ground.Bukit Sekipan
Bukit Sekipan is a recreational site, just in front of our therapist’s house. It was once a strawberry field, my father said. Now, it is a resort that provides foods, miniatures of world landmarks, a playground for kids and a swimming pool. I have never entered the site because we would always leave early but there were always crowds starting at around 8 a.m. The parking lot is quite wide. It can fit several minibuses.Sekipan Camping Ground
Sekipan is also famous for its Sekipan Camping Ground or Bumi Perkemahan Sekipan. Following the only wide road in Sekipan, the road will end at Sekipan Camping Ground, at the edge of the forest. You actually need to pay some tickets to enter the sites, but because my husband and I came very early in the morning just to see around for some time, we were never asked for a ticket. :)As you enter the site from the main gate, you will see a small building, the office. The building reminds me of my old elementary school building, with classic white and brown paint, a little garden and our national flag stands at the front. Look at the picture, does it look similar to your elementary school building, too?
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| Sekipan Camping Ground Office |
Sekipan Camping Ground is so wide that I haven't explored all of the spots there. It is basically a forest. Real forest with big trees. And animals. I can hear birds ( I can not spot it), and insects. I saw butterflies, and the caterpillars. Worms, millipedes, centipedes, various insects, and molluscs. Some people saw snake, I better not. There are huge forest flowers blooming every here and there. Moss and huge ferns. There are small streams with small wooden bridges, and people say you can find a waterfall if you go much deeper. Nature is so awesome in Sekipan.
Sekipan Camp Site, however, is not a plain campsite. There is a wide parking lot for buses and also several toilets. There numerous places for photo spots. I went there with my class for a reading camp. We can choose places to sit, relax, and read some books.
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| Small huts for reading |
Walking in Sekipan
Yes, there are interesting places in Sekipan, but my husband and I like walking in the village more than entering certain sites. We would walk in the rim of the fields, through the forest edge. We met some farmers, some selling their fresh produce directly from the fields.Shopping
Sekipan is famous for its nature. You can buy beautiful living flower plants and other decorative plants sold by the locals. Some sell fruits and vegetables that are famous in Sekipan, like strawberries. On Sundays, just around Bukit Sekipan there will be several people selling rabbit satay or chicken satay if you feel rabbit is too cute to be eaten. There are also some fries: banana, tofu, or tempe. But my favorite is pentol (don’t laugh!), mini meatballs with hot slurphy soup I always finish until the last drop. |
| View of Sekipan Valley |
Horse riding
You can also experience horse riding in Sekipan. Actually the horses come from another more famous and more crowded site in Tawamangu just across the road, Grojogan Sewu the waterfall. But some will also go to Sekipan on Sundays. My little nephew loves to ride the horse, but he will always ask his father to accompany him.Staying in Villa and Guest Houses
Sekipan has numerous villas and guest houses where you can stay overnight. Staying overnight gives you the benefit of experiencing Sekipan from very early in the morning. As I love being in Sekipan so much, I arranged my class to stay in Sekipan for our school reading camp. We stayed in the House of Lawu and Joglo Lawu for about a week. Beware, though, nights in Sekipan are extremely cold!Some Advice if You Want to Visit Sekipan
- Go very early in the morning, so you don’t meet many crowds and you can get a large portion of fresh air for yourself. Or choose to stay in a guest house
- Wear thick clothing. Wear a jacket or sweater. The temperature can be very low.
- Bring a thermos/vacuum flask. It is nice to have some tea in the cold weather, but cold tea when you feel cold can ruin your mood.
- Don’t forget your umbrella or raincoat, or both. Because it often rains in Sekipan.
- Bring cash! Barely anyone accepts payment with cards. And no ATM machine available nearby.
- If you use your own personal vehicle to travel to sekipan, make sure you fill the gasoline tank full, because you won’t find any nearby.
- It is actually better to bring a driver who already knows the route with you, because the road is quite dangerous for inexperienced drivers, very much winding with corners and many ups and downs.
- Leave Sekipan before lunch because the traffic in Tawangmangu especially during weekends are so packed.
That was Sekipan I remember from three years ago. There might be some changes if you visit Sekipan today. If you visited Sekipan lately, please feel free to tell me how it looks like recently in the comment below.
Kayaknya seru nunggang kuda di sana 😍
ReplyDeleteYa ampun udah berapa tahun aku nggak main ke tawangmangu.. rasanya lamaa banget
ReplyDeleteSaya cuma ngerti gambar yang bagus² aja. Belum pernah ke sana. Tapi naksir nunggang kuda.
ReplyDeleteAsik sekali ada camping ground nya jugaa
ReplyDelete