Kerumutan River in Pelalawan District, Riau

Spending a vacation in Kerumutan River is considered worthy. It belongs to Pelalawan District and located in Kapau Village. The locals, who are mostly fishermen, take advantage of the river to catch fishes. For tourists, the river becomes an interesting spot to witness local activities and relaxing. They can even rent a boat and explore the river along with other passengers. The views around the river are quite excellent, after all. Not to mention they have the chance to visit nearby famous tourist spot called Kerumutan Wildlife Nature Reserve Forest, as well.

The Nuance
Kerumutan River flows to Meranti Bay. The color of the water is a bit dark, but it has stable current. Most of the time, local speedboats (Pompong) are seen there carrying tourists. Each of the boats can carry about 6 people. These people love to ride the boat because they are able to see lush nature during the boat trip. These include the Bencano Tree and a local forest. The best thing is that the river becomes the home of tons of fishes. No wonder, many local fishermen are often seen there.

Exploring Kerumutan River
When exploring Kerumutan River, tourists would be able to witness lush nature view especially peatlands. In fact, the river passes through Kerumutan Forest so tourists can ride a boat and enjoy the views of such woodland. Not to mention they can meet numerous species of flora and fauna. On top of that mangroves surround the area which offers a unique nuance to the river. With the black water, the river may astonish everyone including foreigners. Exploring the river is a new experience, after all. Even families with kids are able to enjoy the vacation.

In a nutshell, Kerumutan River has similar characteristics to other black-water rivers like Siak’s Kayu Ara. The color of the water is dark and it becomes the home of exotic animals like wild ducks, Arowana, and even Sumatran Tiger. Apart from animals, tourists can also see several rare trees especially Ramin. The environment is lush so it feels like exploring an Amazon River. During the adventure, tourists can even see birds hunting snakes on trees. It is an interesting event, so tourists are allowed to use their camera to take pictures of it.

Kerumutan River has some parts with different depth and shape. Some spots even feature local Keramba (Fish Boxes) that belong to villagers. No wonder, people who live in Meranti and Kerumutan Village depend on the river much for a living. Those people are also a nature lover. In fact, they are quite friendly to visitors and tourists. For tourists, they should take the time to enjoy local specialties as well, especially Umbut Rotan Curry!

Nearby Attractions

• Teluk Meranti Sub-District
• Kampar River
• Tesso Nilo National Park

How to Get There
From Pekanbaru City (Riau’s Capital), travelers can take a bus to Pangkalan Kerinci in Pelalawan District. The distance is 137 km so it may take about 3-4 hours to get there. Also, the best route to use is Lintas Timur Street.

Where to Stay

• Lily Homestay
• Sardella Hotel
• Dafam Hotel