Indonesia does have a lot of hidden natural tourism potential. Kalimantan, is one of the islands that still has a lot of natural attractions. one of them is Aco Lake which is a hidden paradise located in Linggang Melapeh Village, West Kutai, East Kalimantan. Its position is at the top of Linggang Melapeh Village, which is far from residential areas. Lake Aco is a pride that is owned by Kampung Linggang Malaweh, because this village is the only village that has tourist attractions.
Visiting the place takes about 30 minutes from the village gate towards the top, the road that is passed is tortuous and is accompanied by steep bends. Arriving at the lake gate, you can enjoy a beautiful view of a row of green trees. The location of the lake is slightly protruding towards the bottom, therefore to get to the lake you have to climb a long enough ladder to get to the bottom.
However, two large pavilions are available in the middle of the stairs, which visitors can use to rest or enjoy the view of Aco Lake. On the left and right side of the stairs were lined plants with red leaves as if to fence off the stairs. Arriving below, the eyes are presented with a stretch of lake surrounded by dense, green forest. Lake Aco does not have a very large size, its size is only 100 m in diameter, but anyone who visits the place will feel comfortable and at home.
Staying under a shady tree and listening to the ripples of the water in front of you, is sure to bring your own coolness and serenity. The exotic Lake Aco radiates from the clear water surrounded by lush trees. However, behind its beauty, Aco Lake has a heartbreaking legend. this lake used to be a residential area. They live by farming and have a halfway house in the field.
In the settlement at the top of Kampung Linggang Melapeh lived a husband and wife. One day, the husband who had just returned from the fields found his wife at home. It turned out that his wife was performing a healing dance ritual called Belian Bawo. The husband was furious. He approached his wife who was dancing while carrying the tail of the dried monkey. Then then the husband hit the drum using the tail of the monkey as hard as he could. According to people who saw it, it was considered strange and nothing happened so they just laughed when they saw it.
However, something happened in the village, namely a disaster at the top of Linggah Melapeh Village in the form of strong winds and heavy rain that devastated the village. At the time of the incident, the husband fled to his hut in the fields and then turned to stone. While his wife disappeared drowning in the lake, until finally a lake was formed. Lake Aco is taken from the name of the wife who drowned, namely Oso or Aco.
In this tourist spot, you not only enjoy the natural scenery, but you can also enjoy water game facilities such as ducks and rubber boats. The fees charged are quite affordable, namely Rp. 10,000 per person for rubber boats and Rp. 20,000 per boat for duck-bebekan. The entrance ticket is also very cheap, which is IDR 1,000 per person. Access to Aco Lake is also fairly complicated. This is due to the limited number of directions that are only installed at large intersections or bends. Even though there are many turns that must be passed when heading to the lake.
