Kalisuci is a river located in Gunungkidul district, Yogyakarta. This river with clear water flows between the karst rocks before finally emptying at Baron Beach.
You can find many beautiful and exotic sights along Kalisuci, including when the river passes through karst caves. Local community decided to maximize the beauty of this river for ecotourism. Here are some facts about tourism in Kalisuci.
The holy river
Kalisuci in local language means a holy river. It got its name because the water remained clear even in the rainy season. Most rivers would be murky during the monsoon.
Formerly, Kalisuci functioned to satisfy the basic needs of the surrounding community such as for drinking, bathing or washing. Now the function has shifted.
The springs that became the source of this river is still pristine and safe from any pollution. The locals even believe that you can drink water directly at this river. However, you are strongly advised not to do so as the many tourist activities here makes the water unhygienic for direct consumption.
Location of Kalisuci
The location of Kalisuci cave tubing is in Pacarejo village, Semanu sub-district, Gunungkidul district. This village is located about 60 km from downtown Yogyakarta City, can be reached within 2 hours by car.
In general, the road infrastructure to Kalisuci is very good. However, there are many inclines turns and sharp uphill/downhill roads that you have to go through to get here.
You should go straight to the Kalisuci basecamp to register and make sure the river is safe for tubing. After that, you have to walk about 500 meters past the rocky road to the cave tubing location. There you will see a dramatic view where a river disappear into the mouth of a karst cave.
Preparation for Cave Tubing
You are required to pay IDR70,000 for the ticket to take part in the cave Tubing activity in Kalisuci. Usually, these activities are carried out in groups that generally consist of five or more people.
The cave Tubing’s operational hours here are from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. However, tourism activities can be stopped if the rainfall is very high and the river flows are very heavy so that it is deemed unsafe to explore.
Ticket prices include the cost of renting a tube and safety gear such as helmets, buoy vest, elbow and knee protectors, as well as guide fees. Overall, the safety side of this tour has been very well covered by the management.
Cave tubing
After you wear all safety gear, you can hop on top of an inflated tube that will float and move along the river flow. You don’t even need to spend much energy to move it, just steer it. You can mostly just relax and enjoy the beauty of the caves passed by this river.
The slow flow of the river enables you to freely admire the scenery along the way. You will pass the Holy Cave, Luweng Senglat Cave, Geleng Cave, and Buri Omah Cave. Overall, your cave tubing exploration will take around 90 to 120 minutes.
Cave Tubing at Suci times can be an attractive destination if you want to have a light adventure with your friends. Nothing is too extreme here, but traveling along the river through many caves will be able to bring you closer and create quality time with your friends.
