Bantimurung - Bulusaraung National Park
| Bantimurung - Bulusaraung National Park | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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 Bantimurung-Bulusaraung NP
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| Location | Sulawesi, Indonesia |
| Nearest city | Makassar |
| Coordinates | 4°54′S 119°45′E / 4.900°S 119.750°ECoordinates: 4°54′S 119°45′E / 4.900°S 119.750°E |
| Area | 437 km2 |
| Established | 2004 |
| Governing body | Ministry of Forestry |
Bantimurung Bulusaraung National Park is a national park in South Sulawesi in Indonesia. The park contains the Rammang-Rammang karst area, the second largest karst area known in the world after the one in South-Eastern China.
The park is in Maros Regency, 50 kilometers to the north of Makassar (one hour drive) or just 20 kilometers from Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport (30 minutes drive). 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 continuing on up to the Pangkajene Islands Regency.
The karst area is 43,750 hectares and 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 at the national park; 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. Riding on the water on blown up inner tubes is a popular activity for children at the site.
The first main exploration of the Bantimurung area was carried out by Alfred Wallace in July–October 1857. Later he published the results of his explorations in The Malay Archipelago which encouraged numerous researchers to visit Maros. Then, in 1970–1980, there were five chosen conservation areas in Maros-Pangkep Karst, consisting of two nature parks (Bantimurung and Gua Pattunuang) and three wildlife sanctuaries (Bantimurung, Karaenta, and Bulusaurung). In 1993, The XI International Union of Speleology Congress recommended Maros-Pangkep Karst as world a heritage site. Five years after that, Environmental Seminar of Hasanuddin University (PSL-UNHAS) also recommended protection of Maros-Pangkep Karst.
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