IO – The beauty of the beach and the underwater riches of the Belitung region are common knowledge, but the question is then “Is that the only charm of Belitung”? A tourist location called Peramun Hill is located there.
The place is a forest whose top is a viewpoint for Belitung from a height. Peramun Hill is located in Air Selumar Village, Bangka Belitung Islands. It is located 21.8 km or about 30 minutes from Hanandjoeddin Airport in Belitung. This forest has 147 species of trees, most of which have medicinal properties, eight types of orchid plants and 30 species of moss. It is managed directly by the local community called Arsel under the guidance of Bank Central Asia (BCA).
The head of the Arsel community, Adie Darmawan, who is familiarly called Adong, explains that the term ‘peramun’ is derived from the word ‘peramuan’. It is taken from historical evidence that says that around the location there was a village inhabited by herbal medicine experts. The location is now a conservation area and is closed to general visitors.
“According to the story, there once stood a small village located in a peramun hut or granite aisle. The people are very good at concocting local plants that have medicinal properties. This is reinforced by the discovery of a variety of medicinal plants on the lip of the granite tunnel which was thought to have been a peramun’s hut, “Adong said.
To reach the peak, which is 129 meters above sea level, tourists have to walk for about 30 minutes with a 35-degree elevation angle. Although the terrain is quite challenging for those who are not used to it, the view presented upon arrival at the summit is really beautiful.
At the peak, tourists can enjoy the beauty of nature while taking pictures around the granite with various facilities ranging from cars, bicycles, to the top of the tree trimmed for a photo. If the weather supports it, tourists can also enjoy the sunset there.
Watching tarsius closely
Entering night, tourists can see the wide-eyed mini monkey, better known as the tarsius. Locals usually call it pelilian.
The shape of the tarsius is indeed unique. The size of a kitten, monkey-shaped with a long tail and has large eyes and can rotate the neck as much as 180 degrees. It is a nocturnal animal.
The existence of tarsius is very much protected by residents because of their small numbers. Within one week, only three times are visitors allowed to see tarsius.
The way visitors can see tarsius is also unique. Residents who let tarsius live freely in the forest will only look for it when there are visitors who want to see. They don’t put tarsius in cages. This was done to preserve the tarsius.
Tourists can see tarsius at night when they are looking for crickets. The ideal time is 18:30 until 21:00. Usually, tourists are given about 10- 15 minutes with a minimum distance of 1 meter from tarsius.
It is also not permitted to use a flash during shooting. For lighting, residents will help by using a small lamp that is bright enough that is placed behind the body of the tarsius so that it does not disturb the small animal.
“Flashlight can damage the eyes of the tarsius. His eyes can run a lot of water and it takes a long time to cure,” said Adong again.
The time to see the tarsius ends when the animal shows signs of jumping into another tree. If that’s the case, tarsius shooting should end by letting them go.
The guide will straighten the tree trunk where the tarsius stands as before and let it jump to another tree. (Pramitha Hendra)