Location : Dusun Melayang, Desa Sahan, Kecamatan Seluas, Kabupaten Bengkayang, Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia.
This is probably the most expensive and time consuming waterfall to recce for us so far. With a vertical drop of 98 meter this is the highest waterfall in the province of Kalimantan Barat (West Kalimantan). Upon learning about Berawatn, which means gold in the Bekati language, from my facebook friend Mr Frans Wijaya who works for the Tourism Ministry in Bengkayang, we decided to do it last February via the ‘legal’ entry point of Tebedu/Entikong CIQS. We took the Singkawang private taxi that plied daily on the Kuching/Singkawang route. Pick up time from our doorstep was 5am much to my annoyance. They call the shots as always. We reached Bengkayang town at about 1pm after 2 breaks at Ngabang & Sosok. After rejecting the driver’s recommended hotel we decided to shop around for a better one and made no second thought after 15minuntes walking under the hot sun to Lala Hotel, the best in Bengkayang with nice big pools and matching landscape. Surprisingly, food prices here in the hotel is cheap compared to roadside stalls in Pontianak. More info on our trip in Bengkayang, please click here.
We met up with Frans on the second day to make arrangements for the guides from Kampung Melayang. Prior to the trip we had arranged for Bengkayang brothers, Aras & Bujang who worked in Kuching, to be our ‘ojeks’ from Bengkayang to Sanggau Ledo & Seluas. The 90 minutes motorbike ride to Sanggau Ledo was very relaxing with beautiful paddy fields lining both sides of the road. While at Sanggau Ledo we decided to do Riam Merasap & Riam Pangar first and stayed the night.
Early next morning we continued on towards Seluas and arrived at Kampung Melayang where the guides led by Peter were waiting. The ride to the waterfall was about 20 minutes passing a corn factory and school.
Entrance to Melayang village.
Right : Post harvest corn plants
Condition of this dirt road is bad and 4X4 vehicles or motorbikes are your only choices. But it does give you a glimpse of off road adventure. 
We were innocently led by Peter through the oil palm estate right to the fall as he admitted later he was too lazy to trek through the jungle the last village of Melayang Pangkok.
After so many traveling hours we finally saw the beauty of Berawat’n at its fullest as it was the time of the monsoon season. Seeing is believing. Frankly, when Frans told me on Facebook that the drop was 98m I had always given him the benefit of the doubt. I had thought maybe he messed up with the units, feet instead of meters! He was so damn right.
The huge thundering water produced so much spray and ferocious current that it was almost impossible to cross the pool or take photos near it without getting our cameras wet.
The excitement and satisfaction in seeing this giant made us forgive this restriction. For I knew one fine day we would back to catch it under more conducive conditions, during the drier season from March to September.
nice spot to swim around
After getting out of Berawat’n to the main road I decided that I must explore the easier route of Serikin/Seluas so Malaysians or any tourists coming into Sarawak can use this shorter option to enjoy Berawat’n.
On the way back to Bengkayang
Look out for Part 2 story of our trip to Berawat’n via Seluas.
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