Bantimurung National Park was discovered by a British naturalist, Alfred
Russell Wallace when he travelled to South Sulawesi Indonesia. He found that
the area of the national park was home many species of flora and fauna. Today,
the area where Alfred Wallace did his research has become the most amazing
national park, Bantimurung.
In this
national park, you can find thousands of species, such as enchanting
butterflies with its various colors and sizes. About 150 species of butterflies
are found in this park. The national
park also has magnificent caves and incredible waterfall.
The total area
of the national park is about 43,759 hectares. It is divided into three major
types of ecosystems, i.e. karts, a lowland forest and a lower mountain forest
ecosystem. The three ecosystems are ideal habitats for thousands of species,
including rare endemic species like birds, insects and butterflies.
Location
Bantimurung National Park is situated in Maros Regency, South Sulawesi Province,
Indonesia. It is only about 20 km from Hasanuddin Airport or 50 km from
Makassar. You can reach the national park by local public transportation called
pete-pete. It takes about 30 minutes by pete-pete from Makassar to the national
park. You will have to pay for Rp5,000 (US$0.50) driving pete-pete to the
national park.
However, if
you are in Makassar, you can go by public bus like Damri to Bantimurung. You
need to pay for Rp8,500 (less than 1 US dollar) from Makassar to Bantimurung.
Public transportation can easily be found in Makassar, so you don’t have to
worry about how you can get to Bantimurung.
Activities
Bantimurung National Park offers many things to visitors, like hiking, trekking
and a challenging adventure. You can visit Bantimurung Waterfall to take
pictures and enjoy the beautiful scenery. The waterfall is not too far from the
entrance. You can enjoy the stunning panorama of the waterfall. You can jump
into the clean and clear water. The water is so refreshing that you will not
want to move out of the water.
You can also
visit the Butterfly Conservation captivity and the
butterfly Museum. You can learn
various species in both of the location. Butterflies are the main attraction in
Bantimurung, so it is a must to visit the location. You can also have a
challenging advanture by exploring the Karst hills as well as the stunning
caves in this national park.
Accommodations
If you decide to stay in Bantimurung
National Park longer, you can stay in one of
the bungalows and inns available around the park. You can select one of the
bungalows or inns that are nearest to the entrance of the Bantimurung
Bulusaraung, so that you don’t to walk too
far when you want to visit the park again. The rate for the bungalows and inns
range from Rp50,000 to Rp80,000 (US$5.00 to US$8.00). With such rate, you can enjoy adequate
facilities and sleep comfortably.
If you love nature along with its various species, Bantimurung
National Park is the best place to visit.
You can visit the park to learn more about the living species in the park.
Pictures
taken from www.wahw33d.blogspot.com
