Ie Seuum Geosite at the Foot of Mount Seulawah

Thin white steam rises gently between the rocks, drifting slowly into the air. In the distance, trees on the slopes of Mount Seulawah Agam sway softly in the wind. A faint whiff of sulfur mingles with the scent of damp earth and wet leaves. This is Ie Seuum, a natural hot spring long known to the Acehnese as a place where both body and spirit can rest.

Located about 40 kilometers from Banda Aceh, Ie Seuum sits in Ie Seuum Village, Krueng Raya Mukim, Masjid Raya District, Aceh Besar, Aceh —an area on the island of Sumatra. More than just a tourist attraction, this hot spring is also believed to have therapeutic benefits for health and skin care.

The journey to Ie Seuum takes visitors along winding roads at the foot of Seulawah. The Banda Aceh–Krueng Raya route serves as the main access, with views of villages and roadside greenery that occasionally open into vistas of wide green valleys.

An alternative route from Sultan Iskandar Muda Airport in Blang Bintang offers no less stunning scenery: expanses of rice fields, valleys, and rolling hills that seem to stretch endlessly.

For first-time visitors, hiring a local guide is recommended to avoid getting lost along the small roads leading deeper into the interior.

Upon arriving at the hot spring area, a gentle wave of heat greets you from the steaming water. Temperatures at Ie Seuum reach 80–85 degrees Celsius, fed by a natural source believed to originate from geothermal activity beneath Seulawah Agam.

Three main pools collect the ever-flowing sulfuric water. One shallow concrete pool is designated for children, while the other two are separated for male and female visitors.

Though open 24 hours, the best time to visit is late afternoon. Sunlight filtering through the trees casts shimmering reflections on the water’s surface, glinting between drifting patches of warm vapor. Laughter from visitors blends with the murmur of water trickling between the stones.

The distinct scent of sulfur adds to the natural ambience — as if being gently embraced by a living, breathing earth.

Many visitors come not only to soak but to seek tranquility. Ie Seuum’s hot water is believed to improve blood circulation, relax tight muscles, and even help cure certain skin ailments.

“If your body is sore, just soak for half an hour — you’ll feel refreshed,” said Satria, a visitor from Banda Aceh, while sipping a cup of hot coffee at a small stall near the pool.

Around the bathing area, several vendors sell instant noodles, Acehnese coffee, and fried bananas — simple snacks that somehow feel special after being enveloped in the hot water. Some vendors also sell eggs for visitors to boil in the hot water streams flowing outside the bathing pools.

The prices are modest and affordable for a tourist spot.

In the distance, Mount Seulawah stands in bluish-purple tones behind a veil of thin mist, as if safeguarding this quiet place for centuries.

As evening approaches, the mountain air begins to descend. Small stalls by the pools light their dim lamps, casting a warm yellow glow that ripples gently across the water’s surface. Here, warmth and coolness meet: geothermal steam rising from the earth of Seulawah blends with the soft valley breeze. In that stillness, time seems to move more slowly.

At Ie Seuum, the body may recover from fatigue — but the soul, too, feels gently simmered into calm by the silence of nature.***