Lake Laut Tawar in Central Aceh

The lake Laut Tawar is the pride of the people of Aceh. It is a natural tourist attraction visited by many domestic and foreign tourists. The lake is a source of water not only used by the people in Central Aceh district, but also by people in other districts.

Traditional stories of Gayo community about the Depik fish, ornamental fish shaped like a slender white scales gleamed with the size of your thumb that live in the lake Laut Tawar. The story, Depik derived from rice grain dumped into the lake. It will come to the surface at certain seasons, especially during the rainy season. Before the season, depik mob hiding in the south of the lake, at the foot of Mount Bur Kelieten. Depik is a gift of God to the Gayo peoples and constantly consumed.

Two hills flanking the lake, it more shows the beauty of the lake. The unification of the waters and terrain provide livelihoods for many communities, especially around the Gayo highlands. The water offered to save a lot of flora and fauna, one of the most famous is the Depik is a fish species that exist only in Lake Laut Tawar. At the lake visitors can see the people who grow crops and fishing. An activity that has becomes a part of life in everyday around the lake. Commodities grown in the Gayo highlands, among others, is the Gayo coffee (arabica coffee) is very popular in Japan, potatoes, passion fruit, tomatoes, chilies, corn, and vegetables. The famous commodity is orange and avocados.

Location
The shady lake is located on the eastern city of Takengon, in the Gayo highlands (1250 feet above sea level), Lut Tawar district, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Province. It is the largest lake in the province of Aceh with an area of about 5472 ha, length about 17 km and 5.5 km wide.