June 17, 2015

1674 INDONESIA (Sulawesi) - Bantimurung Waterfall - part of Prehistoric Cave Sites in Maros-Pangkep (UNESCO WHS - Tentative List)


Bantimurung Bulusaraung National Park is a national park in South Sulawesi, in Maros Regency, which contains Maros Pangkep limestone hill, the second largest karst area known in the world after the one in China. Most of the karst formations are tall and steep at almost a 90 degree angle line along both sides of the road from Maros city to Bantimurung. The area has 286 caves which includes 16 pre-historic caves in Maros Regency and 17 pre-historic caves in Pangkep, Bone Regency. There is waterfall with 2 caves: the one on the left side is known as the dream cave (one-kilometer long) and the one on the right is known as the stone cave.

Bantimurung waterfall has a width of 20m and a height of 15m with hills panorama and natural waterfall cascading from the top of cliffs. The water is crystal clear and cool off from the rock by rain throughout the year. Under the waterfall flow there is a bathhouse from the foundation of hard limestone and covered with a layer of minerals due to the flow of water for hundreds of years. The depth of water in these baths is between the ankles to the waist. There are many butterflies around the waterfall, so as the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace referred to the site as a Kingdom of Butterflly.

About the stamps
The second stamps is part of the series Landmark, issued on September 27, 2011:
1/5 Ampera bridge (2.500 IDR)
2/5 Lawang Sewu Building (2.500 IDR)
3/5 Equator Monument (2.500 IDR)
4/5 Garuda Wisnu Kencana (2.500 IDR)
5/5 Fort Rotterdam (2.500 IDR) - It's on the postcard 1674

References
Bantimurung-Bulusaraung National Park - Wikipedia
Bantimurung Natural Waterfall Overview, Maros Regency, South Sulawesi - Sulawesi Experience
Prehistoric Cave Sites in Maros-Pangkep - UNESCO official website

Sender: Rahmah Usman Karateng
Sent from Maros (Sulawesi / Indonesia), on 16.05.2015

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