Kampar - Batu Tilam Waterfall is truly a hidden paradise in Kebun Tinggi Village, Kampar Kiri Hulu District, Kampar Regency, Riau Province. The location is truly remote in the wilderness of Bukit Barisan.

To get to this place requires physical and mental endurance. The reason is, travelers have to travel for hours from the capital of Riau Province, namely Pekanbaru City. This waterfall is a special treat for steel-minded adventurers.

The visitor's journey begins by car or motorbike from Pekanbaru. The destination is Lipat Kain Village which is 71 km away. Travel time is approximately two hours.

^{Batu Tilam, Kebun Tinggi Village, Kampar Regency, Riau}

Arriving at Lipat Kain, the journey continues towards Kebun Tinggi Village. There are several villages that are passed, including Lubuk Agung Village, Muara Selaya, Deras Tajak, Tanjung Karang, Batu Sasak, and Lubuk Bigau.

The real adventure is when departing from Lipat Kain Village. Even though the distance to Kebun Tinggi is 75 km, the travel time is approximately 5 hours.

If the weather conditions are rainy, the travel time will be longer, it could be more than 5 hours. This is because at several points, the condition of the road is still dirt with many steep inclines.

Only dirt bikes or motorbikes with special modifications and cars with 4 wheel drive or four wheel drive. It must be equipped with a load puller so that it can pass through the road during the rainy season.

Arriving at Kebun Tinggi Village the journey continues. To get to the waterfall location you have to travel 3-4 km crossing the wilderness for approximately 1 hour.

In the Batu Tilam waterfall area you can still hear the sounds of wild animals and various types of birds calling to each other. Various types of rare forest wood can still be found in this place. The diameter of the wood is so large that it takes 2-3 adult hugs to reach it.

Batu Tilam waterfall is still virgin and incredibly beautiful. The total number of waterfalls in Kebun Tinggi Village is 27 places. It is estimated that the height varies from 10 meters, 20 meters, 25 meters, 100 meters to 150 meters.

To explore 4 of the 27 accessible waterfalls, tourists are only charged IDR 35 thousand/day. The tariff goes to the local village treasury for capital for cleaning management and so on.

Tourists can enjoy stunning natural panoramas, in the form of a combination of massive rocks and green plants. It is surrounded by virgin forests with various kinds of flora and fauna. The treat is fresh air and a sense of peace and calm

The Beginning of Batu Tilam Waterfall

It is said that the existence of Batu Tilam Waterfall has been passed down from generation to generation, in ancient times there were old people who went abroad to make a living at the location of the waterfall.

The lip of the cave, which is right behind the Batu Tilam waterfall, is the location where ancestors lived to survive during the Dutch war era until Japan colonized Indonesia.

While taking cover, the old man made bencui or ammunition for war. At that location there is a rock for resting, called Batu Tilam. It means bed base. It is from this story that the people call this waterfall its name.

Mutual cooperation

Batu Tilam waterfall was discovered by local villagers at the end of 2009. Then, in 2015 community leaders and village residents returned to explore the existence of this waterfall.

The local community worked together to build facilities at the waterfall. At that time, road accessibility to get to the Batu Tilam waterfall was quite difficult due to limited road infrastructure.

In 2017, Kebun Tinggi village officials together with community leaders and residents held a deliberation to make the Batu Tilam waterfall a tourist attraction. Then, residents began to open road access to the waterfall.

Currently, the Batu Tilam waterfall tourist attraction itself is equipped with 8 fairly spacious resting huts, equipped with toilets for visiting visitors.

Head of the Riau Province Tourism Office, Roni Rakhmat, said that he really appreciated the village officials, community leaders and residents of Batu Tilam Village.

"Batu Tilam has succeeded in winning 1st place in the Indonesian Pesona Award in 2020. This tourist destination is called a hidden paradise in Riau. We continue to synergize with local tourism awareness groups, the Kampar Regency Government, and the central government to develop the tourism sector in Kebun Tinggi Village "said Roni.

Roni admitted that the tourism sector in Kampar Regency continues to grow and develop. This cannot be separated from the commitment of the local government and the support of tourism and creative economy people who continue to boost beauty in the area.

"Kampar Regency continues to prove its commitment to advancing the tourism and creative sector. This is proven by the management of tourist destinations that are able to attract tourists. This tourist destination is also expected to give positive impact for the placed people and MSMEs,” said Roni.

(Mediacenter Riau/MC Riau)