Rafting at Telaga Waja River Dominated by Mandarin Visitors

Mandarin (Chinese) visitors continue to dominate the adventure attraction exploring the secret vista of Telaga Waja River. They seem moderately happy using a raft at the river that is close enough to the mother temple of Bali, namely Besakih Temple. Nevertheless, there are also other visitors from Korea, Taiwan and Japan, Europe and Australia who relish this rafting challenge in the crystal-clear water of this river.

From its upper course at Mount Agung the Telaga Waja River winds its way through the Rendang, Selat and Sidemen districts in Karangasem Regency. This long river also crosses some areas in Klungkung and eventually empties out into the sea in the territory of Klungkung.
At the moment, there are six rafting companies operating along the channel of this river. From the comments uttered by visitors, they generally like this river because it is clear and the gorges along the river are quite steep together with its attractive crannies. Thousands of large and small black stones along the river add to the attractiveness because they look so clean and shiny.
Besides, the beautiful scenery in the form of bountiful rice fields with stunning terraces also draws visitors. They start the rafting adventure at the upper course of the river, right on the road to Besakih Temple. And then, this challenging adventure ends near the frontier of Karangasem and Klungkung after covering a distance of 5-6 km.
The Head of Karangasem Office of Cultural and Tourism Service, Nengah Parwata said that the number of tourists taking adventure at the river fluctuates as the figures for the last three years shows. In 2005, the total number of visitors coming and taking rafting adventure was 12,677 consisting of 7,462 foreigners and 5,215 domestic. In 2006, this figure dropped drastically to 3,881 (3,538 foreigners and 343 domestic) and in 2007 decreased again to 2,969 (2,946 foreigners and 23 domestic).
Parwata added that rafting at the Telaga Waja River is guided by well-experienced operators. It is proven that they have handled thousands of visitors who are eager to taste the adventure of the river.
Nevertheless, visitors who would like to join this challenging adventure are always provided with short instruction about safety and how to paddle and control the rubber raft. Afterwards, they are uged to wear the safety apparel such as rafting helmet and life jacket. When ready, they are guided into the raft and begin to explore the rapids along the river’s channel.
Parwata habitually reminds visitors to take the adventure cautiously during the rainy season. If it rains in the upper course, at the slope of Mount Agung it will be followed by great flood, threatening the adventurers. Other than rafting in the river, visitors can also select other nature adventures like undersea adventure, trekking that passes through the snakefruit estate with the background of lovely hill ranges. The latter is commonly carried out at the Dukuh Hamlet, Sibetan or by climbing Mount Agung. (BTN/Budana)