The charming Danau Biru of Tangerang
As a Jakarta resident, I always confused if someone asked me any place she/he can visit to have a scenic view in Jakarta or not too far from Jakarta. But recently I got the answer, a place I visited as a super short escape to refresh my sight and snap some nature photographs.
It is Danau Biru or the Blue Lake in Cisoka, Tangerang regency Banten. Which took around one hour trip from my home in South Jakarta. Nestled on the western outskirts of Jakarta, Danau Biru or Lake Blue offers a short getaway if you want to escape from the crowded capital for a while.
The charming Danau Biru.
When I mentioned Blue Lake, actually it is not a lake. Danau Biru has not one but three lakes in one area. They are all offer a picturesque natural view that will please your eyes.
I opted to take a train trip and followed by taking the local motorcycle taxi or ojek. I think that was a good decision I made because of the trip we passed through and the stories I got from my ojek driver as a local resident there. The bike went past the breathtaking view of the rice fields and local houses. Indeed, the rice fields is a rare view I can see in Jakarta.
Take a train to Tigaraksa Station.
The blue and green lakes
During the journey, my ojek driver also shared a lot of stories about Danau Biru until we finally arrived at the parking lot. As I set my eyes on the blue lake, my mind traveled back to Lake Kaolin in Belitung Island in Sumatra that I visited a couple of years ago, and I think that Danau Biru of Cisoka Village is similar to Lake Kaolin. It turns out they share quite the same background as well.
Lake Kaolin became popular due to its blue color caused by kaolin mining in Belitung Island, while Cisoka’s Danau Biru is caused by the exploitation of sand mining around the area. The local residents said that the sand mining has been abandoned since 2014. Every since then, the site has three basins. Some other I met said the mining activity probably reached several water springs that caused the basins to not only collect water from rain, but also from the ground.
The lake water used to look normal. But two years ago, its surface started to change color, from turbid water that sometimes looked almost green to become really green and then changed again into tosca green.
The first two lakes are located around 100 meters from the parking lot. I can see them directly from the parking lot.
View from the parking lot.
The one on the left has a moss green color and is surrounded by trees that looked more like a small forest.
The first lake.
The lake on the right side is pretty much different with tosca green water, and is surrounded by white rocks and sandy ground. Moving further, I could see the third lake is situated behind the first two lakes. It is also the largest one among them. And like the second lake, the surface is tosca green and the lake is surrounded by white rocks and sandy ground.
The first two lakes.
The local residents I met around the lakes had no idea why these lakes have different colors despite their location that is pretty close to each other. They are even afraid to taste the water or use it for their daily lives. The simplest explanation is probably because there is a chemical process under the surface or somewhere deep under the bottom of the lakes.
The second lake.
Tips:
- Like in other mining sites, the temperature at Danau Biru is scorching hot. That’s why it is vital to bring a hat or sunglasses and apply sunscreen while visiting Danau Biru. However, the higher the sun is, the more beautiful the color of the lake is.
- As Danau Biru is also a non-mainstream beautiful place for photography enthusiasts, be it nature or wedding photography, make sure that you visit the lakes when the fine or sunny weather. If you’re lucky enough, you may find the lake is yours alone and you can easily take photos without a crowd of people disturbing your background.
How to get there?
It’s pretty easy because Danau Biru can be easily reached by a train or a car.
- The easiest way is for you to take the Tanah Abang-Maja or Tanah Abang Rangkas Bitung train from Tanah Abang Station and stop at the Tigaraksa Station in Tangerang in Banten. The train journey takes about an hour. Then, continue your trip by taking a local public transportation or a motorcycle taxi (ojek). The ojek costs you Rp.60,000 for a return trip, ask the Ojek driver to wait for you at the parking lot.
- If you go by car, just type ‘Danau Biru Cigaru’ on your Google Maps, you will be directed to Danau Biru.
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This post has been published originally on Bali & Beyond Magazine on August 2017 edition.
Take mee there kaaa.. Indah yaa dan ternyata dekaatt 😊 thx infonyaa ka ed 😙
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Naik kereta yuuk ke sana..
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Could there possibly be a geothermal activity there?
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I don’t think so. according to some online journal/article I read, the color is most likely because of water body, the concentrations and the surroundings. not sure about it.
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It’s called Cigaru, near my home. I found it ironic since Tangerang don’t have a lot of tourism site like this, but when we have one, it’s simply because of human exploitation, not because natural cause. Anyway, there’s another place, a valley called ‘Tebing Koja’ near Cigaru, now it’s kinda hype too.
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