VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Batu Cermin Cave is located in Wae Sambi Village, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara and only 4 Km from Labuan Bajo, the capital of West Manggarai. The discoverer of this cave was Theodore Verhoven, a Dutch priest who was also an archaeologist in 1951. According to Theodore Verhoven, this cave was under the sea which, after millions of years, it was lifted to the surface of the land. Because the mirror stone cave is a place that was once under the sea, on the walls, you can see some fossils of coral, and turtles. This 19-hectare tourism attraction with a cave height of about 75 meters is usually crowded during the day. When you enter the cave, you will feel your body is flanked by towering cliffs. The deeper you enter the cave, the cooler you feel and less light you will get. Before entering the cave, you will usually be provided with a flashlight by a tour guide. This is because Batu Cermin Cave is very dark and narrow inside.

To be able to see the turtle fossils on the walls of this cave, you have to walk in about 20 meters and because it is narrow and the air is limited. The number of  tourists who enter the cave is also limited; only 10 people may enter once for 30 minutes only. This cave is named Goa Batu Cermin because inside the cave, there is a hole at the top, so that during the day, sunlight can enter the cave through the narrow gap. When it rains, rainwater will enter the cave and cause puddles. The puddle water, which exposes to sunlight, will allow you to see your own face in the puddles that inundate the cave. That is why, this cave is called Batu Cermin Cave.

Getting to the Batu Cermin Cave is not difficult and it only takes about 30 minutes from Labuan Bajo port by public transportation or motorbikes. This transportation can only take you to the front entrance of this area. Afterwards, you have to walk for approximately 10-15 minutes to the Batu Cermin information post. To enter this Cave, you have to pay a ticket worth Rp 10,000 plus fee for a guide while in the cave of around Rp 20,000.