The Beauty Of Lake Lau Kawar At The Foot Of Mount Sinabung, Is No Less Than Lake Toba

Lau Kawar Lake (Shutterstock/Usman Ridwansyah)

YOGYAKARTA - Lake Lau Kawar in North Sumatra Province is no less beautiful than Lake Toba. This 200-hectare lake is under the foot of Mount Sinabung, Sinabung Kutagung Village, Namanteran District, Karo Regency.

Although not as popular as Lake Toba, Lake Lau Kawar offers natural beauty which is also amazing. In addition to presenting the charm of nature, this lake is also known as a cool and beautiful recreation area. So what are the attractions of Lake Lau Kawar for those of you who are curious about visiting there?

Located on the lower slopes of Mount Sinabung, Lake Lau Kawar is surrounded by green mountains and tropical rainforests. This lake is included in the Leuser Ecosystem Area (KEL) which is located at an altitude of 2,451 meters above sea level.

The Lake Lau Kawar area has a cool atmosphere with temperatures of 16 to 17 degrees Celsius. The area here is also classified as fertile for the growth of various plants and trees. This lake also presents beautiful natural views around it.

Spread over an area of 3 ha on the outskirts of this lake which is suitable for a place to spend the night and camping. Many visitors come here to camp by setting up tents in the lake area. In addition to seeing the beauty of the lake, tourists can also try various activities such as renting boats, fishing, boarding boat, and rock climbing.

Lake Lau Kawar tourist attractions are opened freely, so visitors are not charged a retribution fee. Visitors who enter this lake only need to pay for a vehicle parking ticket of IDR 5,000 for two-wheeled vehicles and IDR 10,000 for four-wheeled vehicles.

The location of Lake Lau Kawar is about 27 km from Berastagi City. If you depart from Berastagi City, you will pass Jalan Simpang Empat-Jalan Lau Kawar-Danau Lau Kawar. The journey to this lake is quite exciting because of the beautiful scenery around it.

When traveling to Lake Lau Kawar, you can see the beauty of the forest and the various kinds of trees that grow. The journey to this location will also pass through Karo's traditional house in Lingga Village. This traditional house is a special attraction because it is hundreds of years old.

There are various versions of stories about the origin of Lake Lau Kawar circulating in the surrounding community. The name "kawar" attached to this lake comes from a fertile village with a largely growing population, so that the harvest is always abundant.

Once upon a time, Kawar Village got far more crops than in previous years. As an expression of gratitude, villagers hold traditional parties that are more lively than the previous year. Preparations are done carefully, starting from cooking, preparing colorful clothes, jewelry, to decorating the village.

All residents work together for the smooth running of the traditional ceremony. This traditional ceremony was enlivened by the performance of Gendang Guro-Guro Aron, the typical music of the people of Karo. This annual party was attended by all residents except for a paralyzed old grandmother. The child, grandson, and grandmother-in-law forgot to send her food.

After the party was over, they just remembered to send food to their grandmother. However, in the middle of the trip, his grandson ate the contents of the food package and the only thing left was my bones.

Grandma, who didn't know it, thought that her son and daughter-in-law had the heart to do this. He felt sad and insulted, then prayed to God to condemn his son and son-in-law.

Suddenly, the sky became cloudy, thunderous thunder broke the sky. Not long after that it rained heavily. Villagers tried to save themselves, but to no avail. The village and the entire population drowned due to natural ferocity.

As a result, the village turned into Lake Lau Kawar. In addition to this legendary story, there are a number of taboos around the lake, such as the prohibition of saying dirty things and committing immorality. If violated, the lake's waiter will be angry and cause a storm suddenly.

Demikian daya tarik Danau Lau Kawar yang berada di Karo, Sumatera Utara. Danau di bawah Gunung Sinabung ini menyusangkan kebuatan alam yang tak kalah dibandingkan dengan Danau Toba. Baca juga mengenal margas Batak ter oldest dan asal-danya.

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