We hadn't even heard of Curug Sumba until a local mentioned it, but looking back, that spontaneous stop turned out to be the best part of the whole trip.
"Curug" is Javanese for waterfall. In the Greater Banyumas region of Central Java, they are everywhere. Since the area sits right in the valley of Mount Slamet, you can find dozens of them hidden around the hills.
It's a quiet spot since it's tucked away from the city buzz. Since public transport is scarce, renting a car or bike is definitely the way to go.
We were originally there to visit relatives and see their vegetable garden. Since the weather turned sour, we asked around for an interesting spot nearby just to pass the time.
Since we were just following a local tip, we didn't know what to expect. Luckily it wasn't a long trek through the woods. It was just a quick easy walk from the road.
The first thing we noticed was the scents. It had that fresh, earthy scent of wet dirt and trees that you only get right after a big rain. Then came the sound of the water hitting the rocks. It was loud but peaceful, and we had the whole place almost to ourselves.
When I checked google maps for this curug, in most photos, the water here looks blue or green. But when we arrived, it was actually brown. A local told us the heavy rain up in the mountains stirred everything up.
Even though it wasn't "picture perfect," we still found it beautiful. We were just sitting around. My wife and I didn't do much, and that was the best part. We just sat by the water, dipped our feet in, and chatted. There was no rush to get anywhere. We were just enjoying the fact that we found such a cool, quiet spot by accident.
As we walked back to the car, we both agreed on one thing: Always listen to the locals. If we had stuck to our original plan, we would have missed out on the fresh air, the quiet talk, and the peaceful "brown" waterfall. We’ll definitely be back soon. I really want to see the water when it’s back to being bright green and blue!
