Word: Ayu Arman
The beauty of Kali Baliem combined with the scenery of a 25,000 square kilometre green grass carpet promises an ecotourism enchantment that is not only soothing, but also awe-inspiring. At the Baliem spring of life, you witness the universe at work.
Welcome to Kali Baliem. Such is the meaning of the word Baliem Waga-Waga. Baliem Waga-Waga is taken from the name of a village in Wamena that has a spring. The name was then pinned on a natural tourist location on Mayon Poros Road, Kuala Kencana, Timika.
When entering Baliem Waga-Waga, you will find a beautiful natural atmosphere. On 25,000 square metres of land, the grass is neatly laid out like a green carpet with a panoramic view of the mountains covered in light mist and vast forests.
This tourist attraction has a spring that springs upstream in the Kuala Kencana Freeport Forest area and two artificial pools for bathing children and adults.
The water is crystal clear with various types of domesticated fish, such as goldfish, tilapia, koi and tilapia. In the morning, the colourful fish will come to the surface of the lake. Seating is provided by old tyres, tree trunks and wooden boats.
The clarity of the spring water pool is enough to attract the attention of many local people and tourists. In fact, some of them make this place a fun family tourist destination. Visitors can also go boating by rowing themselves or swimming in the clear and cool water.
Visitors who come to this tourist site are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages, let alone coming in a drunken condition. Baliem Waga-Waga takes the safety, comfort and cleanliness of this place very seriously.
Currently, Baliem Waga-Waga has gazebo facilities, meeting rooms, a large garden, toilets and parking. Baliem Waga-Waga continues to complement its facilities by building honai-shaped lodgings as well as a souvenir shop that sells various community handicrafts and local culinary products.
There is a long history behind Baliem Waga-Waga’s success story. In the past, the area was a wilderness that was later turned into a pig farm. When it rained, the area flooded, so no one wanted to live there. The government also made no effort to develop the area, even though there was a spring in the centre of town.
These springs have undergone natural purification so that the water can be used for drinking and other human needs.
The spring is also very important for animal and plant ecosystems. Therefore, the government and local residents are obliged to care for and protect it as a source of life.
One way to protect and care for the spring is by utilising it as a natural tourist attraction based on local wisdom.
That’s what Sergeant Two Panius Kogoya from Wamena, who is assigned to Kodim 1710 Mimika, is doing. He is the initiator of Baliem Waga- Waga nature tourism.
We met Panius during a visit there. He told us that Papua has very rich and beautiful natural potential. The potential of natural wealth must
be managed, must not be destroyed, must not be left unattended, let alone sold. Papuans must be able to manage and maintain it so that nature will provide real benefits to them.
To develop Baliem Waga-Waga, Panius is willing to cut his salary to rent heavy equipment. With this equipment, he transformed Baliem Waga-Waga into a natural tourist attraction worth visiting. It took Panius almost ten years to build it.
In 2021, this tourist area began to be opened to the public. Each visitor is charged IDR 10,000 per person and vehicle parking fees start from IDR5,000 for motorbikes, IDR10,000 for cars, and IDR20,000 for buses.
If you want to play in the water and relax by a lake filled with shady trees in the middle of Timika City, you can come to Baliem Waga-Waga.