Keling Kumang Agrotourism, Bukit Kelam, Sintang : The Natural Beauty and its Enchanting Ambiance

Casual stroll. While enjoying Keling Kumang Agro and the charm of the natural ambiance of the monolith Kelam Hill, Sintang.Doc. Keling Kumang Agro.

Keling Kumang Agrotourism is open today from 09:00 - 18:00 WIB.

Such is an advertisement on a Facebook page. No doubt. Borneo, especially Sintang and its surroundings, with its unique land contour and natural charm, is becoming a gold mine in the field of tourism. 

Particularly in agro and ecotourism. It is crucial, however, that it is managed based on the creative economy, combined with local flavors.

Who are Keling and Kumang?

Keling Kumang, as a pair of Iban deities, unfolds a love story that symbolizes the beauty and cultural strength within the Iban Dayak community. They are not merely mythological characters but also embrace profound meanings, akin to Romeo and Juliet in Western culture or Rama and Sita in the Ramayana epic.

The Iban Dayak community, spread across at least 24 sub-tribes with a population reaching 1.2 million, is an inseparable part of cultural diversity worldwide. With around 800,000 residing in Sarawak, Malaysia, and approximately 400,000 in West Kalimantan, specifically in the districts of Sekadau, Sintang, and Kapuas Hulu, their presence adorns the map of Borneo's cultural richness.

Keling Kumang is not only a legend in Iban mythology but has also left a historical footprint in the Indonesian economic landscape. Their name is immortalized as part of the Credit Union, one of the largest cooperatives in Indonesia. Centered in Sintang, with 250,000 members actively involved in various businesses, they bring a spirit of camaraderie and economic progress to the community.

Agro Tourism in Bukit Kelam, Sintang, West Kalimantan, is a tangible manifestation of the Keling Kumang legacy. This place not only captivates as a tourist destination with the natural ambiance of Kelam Hill's monolith but also reflects their dedication to blending tradition with innovation through Agro Tourism activities.

With the timeless and spatially transcendent love story of Keling Kumang and their evolving contributions to the realms of economy and tourism, they remain significant icons enriching the narratives of life in Borneo and Indonesia as a whole.

The Keling Kumang Credit Union Movement (GCUKK) can manage it. Look! Pierce your hands into the belly of the unique hill. If in Kalimantan, it can be assured that it is the only monolith (monos lithos), a large single mountain. Indeed, it is the meteor tail that fell from space millions of years ago.

That is the natural charm of Kelam Hill, Sintang. It becomes a flagship ecotourism destination. People from Pontianak, Sanggau, Landak, and Sekadau, even from out of town, enjoy touring this place. Even spiritual pilgrimages are often performed. Because at the foot of that monolithic mountain, there is also spiritual tourism.

Now, GCUKK owns a vast Agrotourism area there. From the words 'ager,' agriculture, and 'wisata,' tourism. Keling Kumang, which now has an Educational Foundation, also has a Vocational School (SMK) and an Institute of Technology. Well, on a 4-hectare land at the foot of Kelam Hill, they are building a plantation tourism area.

Typical Kalimantan scenery

Go there! You will feel a different sensation. Typical Kalimantan scenery. Close to local culinary delights. And, most importantly, still in the same area as the longhouses of the Dayak Ibanik tribe, one of the increasingly rare traditional longhouses in Kalimantan. Its name: Ensaid longhouse.

Witness the natural ambiance on Earth. A handful of land fallen from the Garden of Eden!

Keling Kumang Institute of Technology (ITKK), whose campus is in Sekadau - several tens of kilometers from this location, can make Keling Kumang Agrotourism a living laboratory. This Agrotourism area of Keling Kumang belongs to GCUKK, which has undergone spin-offs. Now it owns various business entities, including, yes, this is it. 

Not only Credit Union, hotel, and cooperative, but the Keling Kumang CU Movement also has an Educational Foundation that manages a Vocational School and an Institute of Technology, namely Keling Kumang Institute of Technology (Institut Teknologi Keling Kumang - ITKK), whose campus is in Sekadau - several tens of kilometers from this location.

One of the ITKK study programs is Agroecotechnology.

At present, there is rapid business development in the field of plantation commodities, food, horticulture, and forestry.

Graduates of the Agroecotechnology program can become/work as:

Entrepreneurs or business actors in the field of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, other agricultural production facilities, home-based food industry, etc.

Manage plantations, whether private, government, or private industry. Work in national and multinational seed, fertilizer, and pesticide industries.

Employees in the Ministry of the Central Government and various research agencies (Research and Development), Regional Governments (Pemda) with their technical departments.

Looking ahead, ITKK will open a Tourism Study Program. "It's already in our roadmap. Just wait for the play date," says Dr. Drs. Masiun, Rector of ITKK. 

Our tourism, including the highly promising creative economy, is collectively understood in the future. Unfortunately, this sector has not been thoroughly explored, including through comprehensive studies from upstream to downstream. Yet, tourism, especially in the West Kalimantan region, has the potential to be unearthed and developed. The goals of tourism, including ecotourism and the cultural richness of West Kalimantan, have not been maximally developed and packaged into a primary tourist destination; yet its potential is tremendous.

 The agricultural sector is a mainstay

The presence of this study program is very suitable for the current situation of the West Kalimantan community, where the agricultural sector is a mainstay. 

Based on these considerations, the Tourism Study Program was chosen as one of the proposed study programs. Its graduates will work in sectors such as:

1. Tour guides
2. Entrepreneurs in the tourism industry
3. Directors in the field of tourist attractions
4. Socio-economic Agriculture

Facilities, including living laboratories, are already available. One of the living labs of the Agroecotechnology Study Program is Keling Kumang Agrotourism in Bukit Kelam, Sintang, West Kalimantan.

(Masri Sareb Putra)