Santok Natural Cave in Sambas Regency, West Kalimantan Province
Sambas Regency becomes a good alternative to spend an adventure in nature during holidays. Aside from the beautiful natural landscapes, the region even has a famous cave called Santok. This Maria cave is indeed well-known among Catholics. Those people often come to the cave for praying and conducting numerous religious events, in fact. What about commoners or tourists? Well, they can take advantage of the site for caving, photography, and sightseeing. As the name suggests, the cave is located on Santok Mountain at Sajingan Besar Sub-District. Tourists only need to park their vehicle at Santaban Village and walk to the cave right away. The distance between the village and the site is around 5 km.
The Nuance
As mentioned before, the location is on a mountain and it is surrounded by lush trees. That means the nuance is both shady and comfortable. Tourists even need to conduct trekking in order to reach the site. Once arriving on the location, tourists may see two unique statues that seem to become the guide of the entrance. In terms of size, the cave has a total area of 10 x 24 meters. The location is underground, however. Plus, in the midst of the cave, tourists would see small water flow. The nuance is quite natural and pristine despite the dark ambiance.
Exploring Santok Natural Cave
The first thing that tourists can do in Santok Natural Cave is to learn the history and further information regarding the cave. For instance, it is related to the name. Santok derives from the word “Tasantak”, which means getting tripped. It is said people often stumbled when hunting or exploring the area back then. As time went by, the local Catholics found the cave and made it as one of their praying sites. Thus, tourists would find many people there during religious ceremonies like “Pemberkatan”.
The next thing to enjoy when visiting Santok Natural Cave is none other than photography. Tourists can find many unique objects while exploring the cave, after all. For instance, there is the famous Maria Statue, having a height of about 2 meters. Above this statue, there is a big cross as well. Visitors usually take photos of these objects during the visit. Outside, two small statues also reside beautifully. Don’t forget to take photos of them, too, later.
Next, it is recommended to visit Santok Natural Cave either in May or October. The purpose is to watch special religious ceremonies called Maria and Rosario. At these times, the site would be crowded and the nuance becomes more sacred! Even though tourists are allowed to join the event, they must not cause disturbance during the procession.
Nearby Attractions
- Mount Rumput
- Batu Kuran
- Riam Pancarek
- Kilawik Waterfall
How to Get There
Those who live outside West Kalimantan Province would take some time to reach Santok Cave. First, it is recommended to drop by at Pontianak City and the best way to get there is by airplane. From Jakarta City, for instance, tourists may spend about 1 hour and 25 minutes to reach Pontianak. They can get the airplane service at Soekarno – Hatta International Airport and fly to Supadio Airport right away. From Pontianak, it takes around 4 hours and 51 minutes in order to reach Sambas, as the distance is 229 km. For a faster trip, it is better to take Ahmad Yani Street. From Sambas, tourists should take Lintas Kalimantan Poros Utara Street and head to the cave right away. The distance is 93.1 km, so the trip would take about 1 hour and 49 minutes.
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