The Upper Pekalen River | Paradise For Rafters

In this district of enchanting beauty lie the headwaters of the Pekalen River, which is chock full of varied and challenging rapids. The Pekalen, around 25 km from Probolinggo, runs through three districts: Tiris, Maron, and Gading. it includes  approximately 29 kilometers of rapids to ride, divided into three areas. One river rafting operator, the pioneer of white - water tourism in East Java, offers the following route packages:

• Upper Pekalen River, 12 km, from Angin - angin hamlet, Ranugedang village to Gembleng hamlet, Pesawahan village;
• Middle Pekalen River, 7 km, at Pesawahan village; and
• Lower Pekalen River, 10 km, from Pesawahan village to Condong village.
  

Tour participants will be fully outfitted with standard life vests and helmets and oars, and trained in the basic techniques of river rafting. Once the guide feels they are ready, he or she will accompany them in a friendly, patient, and above all vigilant way throughout the trip.
So here’s the moment you’ve been waiting for -  entering the river, intense and thrilling are just a few of the words to describe how you feel as you start your raft trip on the Upper Pekalen River. Just seconds after the raft leaves its chute, you enter the “Welcome” rapids, which are quite bothersome for the crew as the rapids are narrow and the raft tends to crash into the steep riverbanks.”

During the 1 2-kilometer journey, the visitors will deal with over 55 rapids of  various sizes. Some have familiar names, such as the Staircase of the Gods (with a beautiful rock stairway on the left), Stupid (because the guide and crew are powerless to deal with it), Extravaganza, Triple Ace, Matador, Rajawali, Paradise, Bidadari, Long Rapid, Goodbye, and many others that remain nameless. Of all the rapids, Angin - angin Falls is still the emblem of the Upper Pekalen, even though there are seven other falls along this route. This waterfall, 25 meters wide and with a drop of over 20 meters, is unique in several ways. The falls are surrounded by rocks anti flow between gaps in the rocks, at one point resembling a giant funnel. This is where the guides take the rafters riding around in circles precisely below and behind the falls. The exotic enchantment of the Upper Pekalen doesn’t stop there — a bat cave, full of thousands of bats, awaits you. Though the smell of bat guano is quite overwhelming, your fatigue will vanish when you see the bats flying about in the dense forest, as well as the other creatures that appear from time to time - monkeys, iguanas, hawks and shrikes, to name but a few, it all leaves you with a sense of endless wonder at God’s creation. This is the excitement of rafting on the Upper Pekalen River.