panjang trek gunung leuser

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Ulasan Lengkap Jalur Pendakian Gunung Leuser

Mulai dari estimasi waktu jalur pendakian Gunung Leuser hingga bagaimana cara ke sana. Berikut ini informasi lengkapnya!

Ditulis Oleh: Wike Sulistiarmi

Pendaki pasti tak asing lagi dengan Gunung Leuser. Ini merupakan gunung di Kawasan Taman Nasional Gunung Leuser di Provinsi Aceh dan Sumatera Utara yang memiliki ketinggian 3404 mdpl yang juga dikenal dengan kawasan paru-paru dunia. Jalur pendakian Gunung Leuser cukup sulit untuk ditakhlukkan karena medannya berbeda jauh dari jalur pendakian lain di Indonesia.

Pendaki setidaknya harus menemupuh waktu 16 hari untuk naik dan turun. Tracknya pun sangat sadis dan terjal dengan dua pilihan jalur dari arah utara (Desa Kedah) dan jalur Selatan.

Baca juga:  Daftar Kontak Basecamp Gunung-Gunung di Seluruh Indonesia

Gunung Leuser ini sendiri memiliki tiga puncak, yakni Puncak Leuser, Puncak Loser, dan puncak Tanpa Nama sebagai puncak tertingginya.

Nah, kali ini Phinemo akan memberikan tips dan gambaran umum tentang jalur pendakian Gunung Leuser via Kedah, karena inilah jalur yang kerap menjadi pilihan para pendaki.

Untuk bisa sampai ke Desa Kedah, Kamu harus melakukan perjalanan panjang dari Medan

Meskipun puncak Gunung Leuser berada di Aceh, namun perjalanan menuju ke basecamp Desa Kedah lebih mudah diakses dari Medan, Sumatera Utara. Untuk bisa sampai ke sana, Kamu cukup naik mobil PO. BTN atau PO. Karisma dengan mobil jenis L300 yang biasanya berangkat dari jam 19.00 WIB.

Mobil ini akan sampai pagi di Desa Kedah dan biasanya supir mobil mau mengantarkan hingga ke dusun titik awal pendakian Gunung Leuser.

Selain itu, Kamu juga bisa sampai ke tujuan dengan angkutan umum regular jurusan Kutapanjang atau Blang Jerango yang berjarak 9 km lalu dilanjutkan naik becak mesin hingga ke Dusun Kedah sejauh 5 km.

Jalur Pendakian Gunung Leuser

Gerbang Gunung Leuser. Foto/ pendakigunung.top

1. Desa Kedah – Sinnebuk Green (perjalanan sekitar 1 jam)

Perjalanan dimulai dari Desa Kedah atau rumah porter yang menemati para rombongan pendaki menuju Sinnebuk Green. Dalam perjalanan pemandangna berupa bentangan perkebunan penduduk hingga menyeberangi sungai dan mulai memasuki hutan rapat dengan waktu sekitar 1 jam.

Di sana terdapat Sinnebuk Green, berupa kawasan untuk istirahat dengan lima buah bangunan berteduh.

2. Sinnebuk Green – Tobacco Hut (perjalanan sekitar 4 jam)

Pada perjalanan ini Kamu akan mendapati tanjakan yang menguras tenaga dan mental. Adapula tanjakan yang cukup dilalui ketika mendekati kawasan Tabacco Hut, penduduk menamainya dengan Tanjakan Pantat.

Jika sudah hampir sampai kawasan Pos Tabacco Hut, ditandai dengan bentangan kebun tembakau milik penduduk. Menurut cerita, ini adalah lokasi perang saat konfluk Aceh di masa lalu.

3. Tabacco Hut – Simpang Angkasan (perjalanan sekitar 5 jam)

Setelah melewati bentangan kebun tembakau, Kamu akan menuruni beberapa tebing yang akan mengantarkanmu ke Pintu Rimba, batas vegetasi hutan lebat Gunung Leuser.

Setelah sampai di Pintu Rimba, jika berjalan sedikit Kamu akan menemukan Simpang Angkasan. Ini merupakan sebuah persimpangan yang mengantarkanmu ke Puncak Angkasan.

4. Simpang Angkasan – Camp I (Perjalanan 1 jam)

Sudah hampir gelap, bergegaslah ke Camp I. Medannya tidak terlalu terjal dengan vegetasi rapat dan udara yang cukup lembab dan pemandangna pohon yang penuh dengan lumut khas hutan hujan tropis pada umumnya.

Area camp ini cukup luas dengan daya tampung sekitar 10 tenda. Di sini aman karena Kamu bisa menemukan sumber air untuk mengisi bekal minum.

5. Camp I – Puncak Angkasan (Perjalanan 4 jam)

Bangun pagi, jangan lupa sarapan dan  melanjutkan perjalanan ke Puncak Angkasan. Medannya berupa jalur sempit diapit jurang kanan dan kirinya. Pendaki harus berhati-hati saat musim hujan karena jalurnya cukup licin dengan ranting-ranting pohon yang menjulur ke jalur pendakian.

Setelah empat jam perjalanan, Kamu akan menemukan mendapati daratan yang cukup luas untuk mendirikan tenda sekitar 4 tenda. Jika cuaca sedang cerah, dari pos ini Kamu bisa melihat puncak Leuser.

6. Puncak Angkasan menuju Kayu Manis I (perjalanan sekitar 2 jam)

Lanjutkan perjalananmu menuju pos selanjutnya dengan menuruni track terjal dengan vegetasi tertutup dan diselimuti lumur. Perjalanan dengan medan ini membutuhkan waktu 2 jam an. Jadi sabar ya.

7. Pos Kayu Manis I – Pos Kayu Manis II – Kayu Manis II (perjalanan sekitar 3 jam)

Setelah puas dengan jalan berlumut, Kamu akan disambut dengan jalur perbukitan yang identik dengan ilalang-ilalang tinggi Pos Kayu Manis II. Jalannya tidak begitu jelas karena ilalang terlalu tinggi dan membutuhkan waktu sekitar 2 jam.

Setelah melewati Kayu Manis II, jalanan akan menurun kemudian najak drastis. Setelah itu, Kamu akan menemukan pemandangan terbuka dengan area yang cukup luas untuk membangun tenda, sekitar 5 tenda.

8. Kayu Manis III – Lintasan Badak (perjalanan sekitar 2 jam)

Lanjutkan perjalanan ke Lintas Badak. Ini merupakan kalur menurun tajam licin karena ditumbuhi oleh lumut dan beberapa pohon besar dan tumbuhan rotan yang menghalangi jalan membuat pendaki harus berhati-hati.

Setelah melakukan perjalanan sekitar 2 jam, sampailah di Lintasan Badak berupa lahan terbuka dan tidak terlalu luas.

9. Lintasan Badak – Papanji (perjalanan sekitar 3 jam)

Selama menuju Papanji, jalur yang akan dilakui adalah track terjal naik – turun pegunungan dengan vegetasi sangat tertutup. Jalur pendakian cukup kurang jelas sehingga pendaki harus teliti dan berhati-hati.

Pada pos Papanji ini Kamu akan dibawa ke Hutan Papanji yang merupakan habitat Harimau Sumatera sehingga pendaki dilarang melintas sendiri di hutan ini agar tidak terkena serangan harimau.

Di sini terdapat genangan air besar yang bisa menjadi tempat isi air minum. Bagi traveler yang naik dilarang isi air pada sore dan pagi karena pada waktu itu harimau sedang mencari minum di sana.

10. Pos Papanji – Blangbeke

Medan dari Pos Papanji ke Blangbeke berupa vegetasi rapat naik turun pegunungan. Ketika mendekati Pos Blangbeke, traveler akan menjumpai Padang Rumput luas dengan bebatuan vulkanik, di sini kadang terlihat jejak harimau Sumatera. Inilah tempat di mana si harimau sering berkeliaran.

Pos Blangbeke berada di tengah padang rumput luas nyaman dengan sumber air dan sumur yang sengaja digali. Sumur ini kemungkinan kering ketika musim panas.

11. Pos Blangbeke – Camp Alas

Dalam perjalanan menuju Camp Alas, Kamu akan diuji untuk berhati-hati karena harus melewati 3 aliran sungai. Airnya cukup dingin dengan pijakan batu yang cukup licin. Bila hujan deras kawasan ini akan banjir bandang, lebih baik tunggu hingga surut agar perjalanan aman terkendali.

Setelah melewati sungai terakhir, maka Kamu bisa camping di Campa Alas. Ini adalah hamparan rumput luas yang sering digunakan untuk mendirikan tenda. Di sini terdapat sumber air sehingga nyaman.

12. Camp Alas – Pos Kuta Panjang – Kolam Badak

Perjalanan camp Alas ke Pos Kuta Pajang cukup unik dengan medan hutan pohon perdu dan padang rumput. Pos ini sendiri merupakan puncak sebuah bukit yang memiliki pemandangan sedikit terbuka.

Setelah melewati pos Kuta Pajang, Kamu harus menuruni bukit kemudian masuk ke hutan hingga sampai ke Kolam Badak berupa danau besar yang konon menjadi tempat berkumpulnya gerombolan badak Sumatera.

13. Kolam Badak – Bivak I – Camp Putri

Pos Bivak I tidak berbeda jauh dari sebelumnya dengan vegetasi rapat dan ada beberapa pohon tumbang yang menghalangi perjalanan. Namun mendekati pos Bivak I terdapat padang rumput luas dengan dominasi pohon perdu. Pendaki biasanya akan sampai di daerah ini saat hari ke 6 atau 7 pendakian.

Lalu perjalanan dilanjutkan ke Camp Putri. Untuk bisa sampai di sini pendaki tidak akan terlalu menanjak, namun tetap berhati-hati karena jalurnya berupa jurang curam dengan kabut tebal.

Sesampainya di Camp Putri ini pendaki akan disuguhi dengan pemandangan indah dengan gugusan puncak Gunung Leuser.

Para ranger gunung leuser dengan skill yang hebat. Foto Junaidi Hanafiah

14. Camp Putri – Bivak Kaleng – Bivak Batu

Setelah sampai di Camp Putri, jalur akan menurun ke gunung Bivak, konon  Bivak Kaleng ini dahulu digunakan jaman penjajahan Belanda dan tempat ngedrop makanan bagi tentara Belanda.

Setelah melewati Bivak Kaleng, Kamu harus menanjak tanjam melewati pepohonan perdu dengan jurang dalam di kanan. Sesampainya di pos Bivak Batu, Kamu akan mendapatkan tempat istirahat dengan area yang cukup luas dengan pemandangan puncak Loser.

15. Bivak Batu – Simpang Tanpa Nama – Puncak Loser

Perjalanan menuju pos Simpang Tanpa Nama ini melewati dua aliran sungai kecil bernama Krueng Kruet dan Krueng Kruet II. Setelah sampai si persimpangan tanpa nama ini ambil jalan ke sebelah kiri maka Kamu akan menuju ke Puncak Loser.

Di Puncak Loser Kamu akan mendapati kawasan pos Lapangan Bola luas dengan kontur tanah yang kering dan padat. Di sini seringkali terlihat Harimau Sumatera terlihat.

16. Puncak Loser – Puncak Leuser – Puncak Tanpa Nama

Perjalanan terakhir memang harus penuh rintangan, di sini Kamu akan diuji menuju perjalanan ekstrem di mana jalur dihiasi dengan kerikil kecil dan kabut menuju ke Puncak Leuser.

Setelah menuju Puncak Leuser, cobalah untuk datang ke Puncak Tanpa Nama sebagai ujung perjalananmu. Ini adalah puncak tertinggi dengan are yang sangat luas dengan pemandangan indah gugusan puncak Loser dan Leuser dari kejauhan.

Baca jua:  Puncak Gagoan di Sumatera Barat, Spot Wisata yang Disebut Mirip Tebing Keraton

Syarat yang perlu untuk dilengkapi saat mendaki gunung leuser.

Jika Kamu berencana untuk mendaki Gunung Leuser lebih baik persiapkan fisik terlebih dahulu,  karena setidaknya butuh waktu setengah bulan untuk naik dan turun gunung ini. Selain itu lengkapi juga data dan keperluan pendakian agar keselamatan tetap terjaga. Berikut ini daftarnya:

• Foto copy kartu identitas 4 lembar dan surat permohonan kepada Balai Besar TNGL
• Menyerahkan SIMAKSI ke BBTNGL yang dibuat di Seksi Pengelolaan TNGL wilayah III, Kota Blangkerjen, Gayo Lues.
• Menyerahkan surat sehat dari dokter
• Wajib pakai guide untuk menjaga keselamatan dan perlindungan terhadap Harimau Sumatera
• Untuk informasi lebih lanjut kunjungi website resmi Taman Nasional Gunung Leuser di  www.gunungleuser.or.id.

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MOUNT LEUSER RAINFOREST EXPEDITION

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We are a team with passion of outdoor activity and we are happy to talk to you.

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Mt Leuser – 3,466 meters, the second-highest mountain in Sumatra, with a total trekking distance of 102 km (back and forth). Climbing Mount Leuser is dubbed as one of the most exciting, challenging, and rewarding rainforest expeditions in Indonesia.  During 14 days of trekking, you will experience tranquility, solitude, and pristine nature with jungles, national parks, and beautiful mountains range which remain untouched by commercial tourism.

Mount Leuser located at Gunung Leuser National Park, one of the richest tropical rainforests in the world, covering up to 7,927 km2 and straddling in the border of North Sumatera and Aceh province. The national park is the only place left on earth where tigers, elephants, orangutans, and rhinos live together in the wild.

This thrilling journey involves hiking through pristine forest, crossing crystal-clear rivers and passing through several different types of vegetation, including a montane zone, mossy cloud forest, and wind-stunted trees often covered with moss. It is a long challenging expedition, but it is an amazing journey from the start to finish.

Contact us for program details and quotations 

Adventure Details

Trip summary.

• A trip exploring Mt leuser National Park and hike the second highest mountain in Sumatera
• Start/End: Medan, North Sumatera
• Duration: 17 days (including traveling day from local airport)
• Elevation 3,466m located in Aceh, Indonesia
• Trekking distance 102 km (round trip)
• Elevation gain from the entry point of Mt Leuser : xx
• Accommodation: Camping & homestay
• Difficulty Level: Challenging

What We Offer

• Best value for excellent hassle-free services – either you are seeking a challenging adventure or simply want to enjoy quiet time with the nature, your trips will be fully supported and equipped by our local crew English speaking mountain guides that have summitted Mt Leuser
• Attention to safety and punctuality without diminishing personal touch

Departure & Return Location

Medan, North Sumatera 

Price Includes

• 17 days of HASSLE-FREE ADVENTURE, which included meals as indicated in the itinerary
• Certified and English speaking mountain guides
• Mountain Entrance Fees
• Roundtrip overland transfer from Kualanamu, Medan Airport
• 2 night accommodation at local homestay
• Standard first aid kit
• Camping equipment, including comfortable tents, mattress, sleeping bag, lights, chairs and camping tables
• Group porter. In case you have more equipment/belonging like big camera or tripod then we suggest you to hire extra porter, the cost to hire extra porter to carry personal belongings is IDR 400.000,-/porter/day

Price Excludes

• Travel Insurance
• Personal Expenses including for the case of emergency rescue
• Personal equipment
• Extra meals and drinks
• Private porter which carry your personal equipment (Jacket, Camera, Tripod etc)
• Services not mentioned above

What to bring

• Dry bag - medium and big size
• Durable long trouser for day to day trekking
• Proper and durable raincoat
• UV protector & Lip Balm
• Gloves and socks
• Headlamp, spare headlamp and spare batteries
• Trekking shoes and hiking sandal
• Trekking pole
• Personal Medicine
• ID Card, Passport/ KITAS/ KTP

Note Before Hiking Mount Leuser

Day 1 jakarta - medan - kedah.

– Meeting point in Jakarta or Medan – Transfer to Kedah in Aceh Province ( 12 hours drive from Medan)

Day 2 KEDAH - LEUSER HOMESTAY

– One day rest day at local homestay in Kedah – Final preparation for the expedition

Day 3 START LEUSER RAINFOREST EXPEDITION, SET OFF FROM KEDAH

– Trek to Bivak I campsite at Mt Leuser

Day 4 TREK TO PUNCAK ANGKASAN CAMPSITE

Day 5 trek to lintasan badak campsite, day 6 trek to blanbeke campsite, day 7 trek to kolam badak campsite, day 8 trek to bivak kaleng campsite, day 9 trek to lapangan bola campsite, day 10 reach leuser summit - back to lapangan bola campsite, day 11 trek to puncak tanpa nama, day 12 trek to bivak batu, day 13 trek to bivak batu koba ii, day 14 trek to sungai alas campsite, day 15 trek to puncak angkasan, day 16 trek to kedah, day 16 one day rest at local homestay in kedah, day 17 transfer back to medan - end of trip.

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MOUNT TALAMAU – BEAUTIFUL RAINFOREST HIKE

Difficulty: Moderate

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Gunung Leuser National Park Trekking

Home • Tour Package • Gunung Leuser National Park Trekking

Gunung Leuser National Park Trekking is considered to be a complete experience of jungle trekking in Sumatra. You will be trekking in a well-preserved jungle of Leuser National Park. The area is the habitat of most endangered animals such as the Sumatran Tiger, Elephant, Rhino, and Orangutan. You also can meet any other wildlife such as the Thomas Leaf Monkey, black gibbon or siamang, and white-handed gibbon.

The orangutan is still the main highlight of this program during Leuser National Park tours. However, plenty of Thomas leaf monkeys and white-handed gibbons are visible everywhere in the jungle during trekking at Gunung Leuser. The variety of flora in this lush green tropical rainforest will give you valuable experience of living in the wild. You can learn about the local people’s way of life surviving in the jungle.

Mount Leuser National Park is located around 90 km northwest of Medan. UNESCO lists the national park as the main conservatory place for orangutans as well as other Sumatran species. The area covers more than 7,900 km2 of forest and has become one of the infamous spots in the world where you can see the primates in wildlife.

Gunung Leuser National Park Tours Season.

It’s also best to avoid the rainy season when you want to have a jungle adventure tour at Leuser National Park. From October to March, you can expect rain at least once daily, and the intensity is higher than in other months. In general, Mount Leuser National Park is always humid, consists of a mountainous landscape, and has more than 1,500 m of elevation.

Gunung Leuser National Park offers breathtaking wilderness and provides a home for other 7 Sumatran mammals as well as vibrant flora. The Gunung Leuser tours give you the chance to capture natural interaction between the animals or enjoy the sight of greenery accompanied by flowing river sounds and bird chirps.

Morning arrival at Kuala Namu Airport, meet service and then drive to Bukit Lawang passing via Binjai for around 4 hours drive, thru some plantations and villages, in which some part of the roads are bumpy. Arriving in Bukit Lawang check-in at Eco Lodge Bukit Lawang Cottage or similar. Lunch included and Dinner on own expenses. Accommodation : Bukit Lawang Ecolodge or similar (Non Star) Meals                  : Lunch

After breakfast then walking down the bank of the river and crossing the river by traditional canoe, walked up the jungle, and if we are lucky, we can see the Orangutan. Trekking through the Leuser National Park . Walking around Leuser National Park is the time to experience many kinds of flora and fauna as well enjoy the song of birds and Siamang "The Black Gibbon". Accommodation : Tent Meals                : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today explore deep in the jungle and move to another camp site, possibilities to find more orangutan and another wildlife. Accommodation : Tent Meals                : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, today is another half day walking and explore the rain tropical forest with their wild life living in their natural habitat. Lunch is included. In mid noon return back to Bukit Lawang Lodge, tubing down the river to the lodge.  Dinner on own expenses. Accommodation : Bukit Lawang Lodge Meals                : Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast,  time to transfer you to the airport for catching your flight to next destination. Meals                : Breakfast

END OF YOUR TRIP

Content not Available

• All land transport and tours as mention at the itinerary 
• Private english speaking guide
• Accommodation as mention at the itinerary
• All admission and entrance fees
• Meals as stated above (B : Breakfast, L : Lunch, D : Dinner) 
• All meals not mention at the itinerary  
• Air fare, airport tax, airport porter
• All activities not mention at the above itinerary
• Any kinds of insurance
• Additional tour, meals, laundry, phone call and other personal expenses
• Any cost happend due to the flight delay or cancellation
• Tailor Made Program
• Flexible Departure Date
• Private Trip

Related Tour

Bukit lawang orangutan trek, pacu jawi west sumatra bull race, sumatra overland tour, way kambas national park tours, wild orangutan tour at ketambe, elephant volunteer program.

BALI OFFICE

• Jalan Danau Poso no 77, Sanur Denpasar - 80227
• + 62 (361) 472 00 20
• [email protected]

JAKARTA OFFICE

• Jalan Guru Serih no. 38, Kalisari, Pasar Rebo Jakarta - 13790
• +62 (21) 22 32 75 18
• [email protected]
• Testimonial

Touareg Adventure Services

We bring you to the World

Pendakian Gunung Leuser

Gunung Leuser merupakan salah satu dari 7 gunung berketinggian lebih dari 2500 mdpl yang terletak didalam kawasan Taman Nasional Gunung Leuser. Ketujuh gunung tersebut adalah Gunung Leuser (3119 mdpl), Loser (3404 mdpl), Bipak II (2940 mdpl), Karang Putih (3371 mdppl), Kemiri, Bendahara dan gunung Tanpa Nama (3466 mdpl). Puncak Gunung Leuser merupakan puncak tertinggi ketiga dari ketujuh gunung didalam kawasan Taman Nasional ini.

Taman Nasional Gunung Leuser memiliki luas area sekitar 1.094.692 hektar yang mencakup wilayah di provinsi Aceh dan Sumatera Utara. Karena kondisinya, Taman Nasional Gunung Leuser (TNGL) ditetapkan oleh UNESCO sebagai Cagar Biosfer pada tahun 1981, kemudian menjadikannya sebagai situs warisan dunia (World Herritage) pada tahun 2004 yang sekaligus mengukuhkannya menjadi Taman nasional. Penghargaan ini bukan tanpa sebab, kawasan hutan di Leuser adalah penyumbang oksigen yang sangat besar yang dapat menghidupi lebih dari 4 juta manusia. Selain itu kawasan tersebut adalah tempat hidup berbagai flora-fauna yang beranekaragam dan beberapa merupakan spesies yang hampir punah.

Terdapat 3 jalur pendakian untuk menuju puncaknya, yaitu Jalur Kedah, Agusan dan jalur Meukek. Jalur Kedah adalah jalur paling populer dan direkomendasikan karena sudah sering dilalui dan jalurnya lebih nyaman. Jalur Kedah memiliki panjang trek sekitar 51 km dengan 21 point camp. Waktu tempuh normal yang dibutuhkan untuk mendaki gunung ini adalah sekitar 14-16 hari. Jalur Agusan sendiri adalah jalur pilihan kedua, selain lebih panjang, jalur ini juga memiliki tingkat kesulitan lebih besar. Sedangkan jalur Meukek adalah jalur yang paling sulit, karena bukan hanya panjang, jalur pendakiannya juga lebih curam dan harus menggunakan peralatan khusus. Secara umum ketiga jalur pendakian tersebut merupakan jalur pendakian gunung terpanjang di Indonesia.

Walaupun ketinggian gunung-gunung di kawasan Taman Nasional ini masih dibawah gunung Kerinci namun pendakian gunung Leuser normalnya memerlukan waktu 14-16 hari untuk naik dan turun. Pendaki harus bersiap dengan segala rintangan baik itu cuaca, penyakit, hewan dan tumbuhan liar. Trek panjang dan waktu pendakian yang lama mengharuskan pendaki untuk memiliki kondisi fisik dan mental yang prima serta kemampuan mengatur logistik dan survival skill yang baik.

Pendakian gunung Leuser seperti juga pendakian gunung Tambora dan Raung yang merupakan salah satu paket pendakian gunung anti mainstream Touareg Adventure untuk menikmati pengalaman pendakian dengan jalur terpanjang sekaligus menikmati sensasi berada di atap ujung utara pulau Sumatera.

Jakarta - Medan - Kedah

Day 2: (B, L, D) Kedah – Simpang Air

Day 3: (B, L, D) Simpang Air – Puncak Angkasan

Day 4: (B, L, D) Puncak Angkasan – LINTASAN Badak

Day 5: (B, L, D) LINTASAN Badak – Blang Beke / Padang Rumput

Day 6: (B, L, D) Blang Beke / Padang Rumput – KOLAM Badak

Day 7: (B, L, D) KOLAM Badak – Bipak Kaleng

Day 8: (B, L, D) Bipak Kaleng – Lapangan Bola

Day 9: (B, L, D) Lapangan Bola – Puncak Loser - Puncak Leuser - Lapangan Bola

Day 10: (B, L, D) Lapangan Bola

Day 11: (B, L, D) Lapangan Bola - Camp Bivak

Day 12: (B, L, D) Camp Bivak - Lintasan Badak

Day 13: (B, L, D) Lintasan Badak - Simpang Angkasan

Day 14: (B, L, D) Simpang Angkasan - Kedah

Day 15: (B, L, D) Kedah - Medan - Jakarta. Trip Selesai.

Harga Paket Termasuk:

• Transportasi Medan - Kedah PP
• Penginapan di Kedah 2N
• Pendampingan program pra pendakian
• Makan sesuai itinerary
• Certified guide, chef, dan porter
• Seluruh perizinan dan Tiket masuk
• Perlengkapan Camping (tenda, matras, alat makan)
• Perlengkapan Masak
• Telepon satelit untuk emergency dan SMS
• Dokumentasi
• Kaos exclusive Touareg Adventure

Tidak Termasuk:

• Tiket penerbangan menuju dan dari Medan
• Perlengkapan dan pengeluaran pribadi
• Travel Insurance termasuk biaya Evakuasi
• Biaya-biaya yang timbul karena pulang dari gunung diluar jadwal yang telah ditentukan akibat sakit atau masalah lainnya, penundaan perjalanan akibat suatu force majeure, evakuasi porter local maupun karena penundaan, pembatalan atau perubahan jadwal penerbangan.
• Makan diluar itinerary
• Tips Guide & Porter

1. Tanyakan informasi kuota atau ketersediaan seat ke nomor 08158913334 SMS/WA 2. Kirim SMS/WA/BBM pendaftaran dengan format : Nama Trip – Nama : – No Hp : – No KTP : – Domisili : – Meeting Point : – Email : atau dengan mengirim foto/scan KTP/SIM ke alamat email : [email protected] Subject : Nama Trip Isi Email : Nama No HP Domisili Meeting Point 1. Pembayaran Down Payment (DP) sebesar Rp. 5.000.000 ke rekening Bank Mandiri no. 1150005862034 an. HARYONO 2. Bukti pembayaran harap dikirimkan melalui SMS/WA/BBM/Email 3. Peserta akan dinyatakan fix ikut apabila sudah melunasi pembayaran 4. Pembayaran tidak dapat dikembalikan namun dapat digantikan KETENTUAN UMUM 1. Minimal pendaftaran peserta trip adalah 1 orang 2. OPEN TRIP akan berjalan jika terkumpul kuota peserta minimal sesuai dengan ketentuan masing-masing trip yang telah dipublikasikan (gabungan dari beberapa rombongan maupun personal) kecuali paket PRIVATE TRIP. 3. Jika kuota tidak terpenuhi maka pilihannya trip dibatalkan atau trip tetap berjalan dengan penyesuaian harga (sesuai kesepakatan kedua belah pihak) 4. Pendaftaran, pindah jadwal, upgrade atau koreksi pendaftaran dapat dilakukan via SMS/WA/BBM/Email yang tercatat dan kita akui serta kita konfirmasi. 5. Batas usia peserta minimal 1 tahun dan maksimal 65 tahun dalam kondisi sehat 6. Usia peserta dibawah 2 tahun membayar 50% dari biaya paket dan 2th ke atas dikenakan biaya penuh 7. Peserta tidak mempunyai riwayat penyakit yang membahayakan diri sendiri atau orang lain 8. Pembatalan acara pada hari H oleh pihak Touareg Adventure dengan pertimbangan kondisi alam yang kurang bersahabat dan dirasa membahayakan keselamatan, pengembalian biaya trip dilakukan sesuai kesepakatan kedua belah pihak 9. Pembatalan acara sebelum hari H oleh pihak Touareg Adventure jika dirasa membahayakan keselamatan peserta dengan pertimbangan kondisi di lapangan (banjir/ tanah longsor/ gempa/ tsunami) yang mengakibatkan trip tidak mungkin dilaksanakan, biaya trip akan dikembalikan 100% 10. Apabila terjadi perubahan harga dikarenakan berbagai hal dan telah dipertimbangkan oleh Touareg Adventure (cont: kenaikan harga BBM, tiket masuk, dll), peserta akan diberitahukan terlebih dahulu untuk diteruskan atau refund (maksimal 7 hari setelah pemberitahuan, bila tidak ada konfirmasi berarti dianggap setuju) 11. Khusus untuk trip yang biayanya termasuk tiket, baik Kereta/ Pesawat/ Bus/ Kapal PP, ketentuan pada poin 9 tidak berlaku, pengembalian biaya tiket PP akan mengikuti kebijakan dimasing-masing perusahaan penyedia jasa transportasi. 12. Biaya ekstra atau kerugian lainnya karena keterlambatan kepulangan yang disebabkan adanya gangguan, baik transportasi, cuaca, kerusuhan dan kejadian force majeur lainnya menjadi tanggungan peserta 13. Peserta yang terlambat datang di meeting point yang disepakati yang menyebabkan tertinggal trip, maka tiket/ biaya trip menjadi hangus 14. DP dianggap hangus apabila sampai batas waktu pelunasan (H-7) belum melunasi seluruh biaya trip 15. Foto dokumentasi dari Touareg Adventure hak publikasi dan komersil menjadi milik Touareg Adventure peserta hanya memiliki copy file tanpa hak komersil 16. Itinerary sewaktu-waktu dapat berubah menyesuaikan situasi dan kondisi pada saat trip berjalan. 17. Perjalanan bersifat personal, pihak Touareg Adventure tidak bertanggung jawab apabila terjadi sesuatu hal yang tidak diinginkan dan diluar kemampuan pihak Touareg Adventure 18. Pemesan/ peserta dianggap mengerti dan menyetujui syarat dan ketentuan di atas KETENTUAN DALAM KEGIATAN WISATA 1. Seluruh peserta dalam kondisi sehat ketika mengikuti kegiatan selama wisata 2. Seluruh peserta wajib mematuhi aturan yang berlaku di setiap destinasi yang dituju 3. Seluruh Peserta wajib menjaga dan mematuhi norma yang ada di masyarakat sekitar destinasi yang dituju 4. Seluruh peserta dilarang membawa minuman keras, obat-obatan terlarang dan narkotika seperti diatur dalam Undang-Undang yang berlaku di Indonesia 5. Seluruh Peserta dilarang membawa senjata api, atupun benda-benda yang bisa membahayakan keselamatan diri sendiri dan orang lain 6. Seluruh peserta wajib menjaga barang-barang yang menjadi fasilitas dari kami, Seluruh peserta wajib mematuhi arahan yang diberikan secara lisan oleh guide/tour leader atau crew yang bertugas 7. Touareg Adventure berhak menghentikan kegiatan wisata jika dirasa kondisi cuaca dan hal lainnya yang tidak memungkinkan demi keselamatan semua peserta 8. Peserta dianggap mengerti dan menyetujui syarat dan ketentuan di atas SANKSI 1. Crew kami berhak menegur peserta jika diketahui peserta melanggar aturan dan norma yang berlaku di setiap destinasi yang dituju 2. Crew kami berhak melarang peserta ikut kegiatan wisata jika diketahui tidak dalam kondisi sehat 3. Crew kami berhak mengeluarkan dan memulangkan peserta dari rombongan jika dirasa mengganggu keamanan dan kenyamanan Crew kami ataupun peserta lain 4. Crew kami akan membawa ke pihak yang berwajib jika diketahui peserta membawa minuman keras, obat-obatan terlarang dan narkotika dan benda benda terlarang lainnya 5. Jika ada salah satu peserta menghilangkan atau merusakkan alat-alat dan fasilitas yang diberikan (misal alat snorkling), peserta tersebut wajib menggantinya sesuai nominal harganya. 6. Pemesan/ peserta dianggap mengerti dan menyetujui syarat dan ketentuan di atas * FORCE MAJEURE : Force Majeure yang dimaksud dalam ketentuan ini adalah suatu keadaan memaksa di luar batas kemampuan kedua belah pihak yang dapat mengganggu bahkan menggagalkan terlaksananya kegiatan, seperti bencana alam, peperangan, pemogokan, sabotase, pemberontakan masyarakat, blokade, kebijaksanaan Pemerintah khususnya yang disebabkan karena keadaan di luar kemampuan manusia. Selain trip ini, kamu juga bisa memilih waktu, tanggal, destinasi, dan fasilitas sesuai keinginan sendiri atau grup kamu. Hubungi kami untuk pendaftaran dan informasi lebih lanjut.

You can send your enquiry via the form below.

• group-size 6 peserta dan kelipatanya
• transportation Private
• altitude >3000 Mdpl

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GUNUNG LEUSER: Tiket & Medan Jalur Pendakian - Agustus 2024

• Diperbarui: 25/06/2024

Gunung Leuser

• Harga Tiket Masuk: Rp3.000 - Rp7.500
• Jam Buka: 08.00 - 15.00
• Nomor Telepon: -

Gunung Leuser merupakan salah satu gunung dengan puncak tertinggi di Sumatera. Juga merupakan bagian utama dari Taman Nasional Gunung Leuser . Gunung ini berada di Aceh dengan puncak yang meliputi empat kabupaten.

Pendakian di gunung ini adalah tantangan berat bagi hikers berpengalaman sekalipun. Dengan ketinggian setidaknya 3.000 mdpl, panjang rutenya mencapai 51 kilometer. Waktu tempuhnya bisa berhari-hari dengan medan hutan yang menjadi habitat satwa liar.

Tiket Masuk Gunung Leuser

Untuk memasuki kawasan Gunung Leuser, terdapat tarif tiket yang berbeda untuk wisatawan lokal dan WNA. Tiket ini belum termasuk biaya SIMAKSI untuk pendakian.

Baca Juga: Pilihan Tempat Wisata Terbaik Di Aceh

Kawasan Gunung Leuser terbuka untuk umum setiap hari mulai pukul 08.00 hingga 3 sore. Namun, pelayanan pengunjung dibuka di jam operasional tertentu. Pendaki dapat melakukan registrasi SIMAKSI secara online.

Seluk-beluk Pendakian Gunung Leuser

Kegiatan mendaki gunung memang menuntut stamina yang tinggi. Seringkali, pendaki harus berkemah di perjalanan karena waktu tempuh yang panjang. Beberapa gunung dengan ketinggian tertentu membutuhkan waktu hingga satu hari untuk mencapai puncak. Namun, Gunung Leuser menuntut lebih dari itu.

Jika ingin menguji ketahanan fisik dan mental, pendakian Gunung ini adalah tempatnya. Dengan ketinggian hampir 3.500 mdpl, butuh lebih dari satu hari untuk menaklukkannya. Pendaki harus siap berjalan sedikitnya 10 hari naik hingga turun kembali.

Sebenarnya, ada jalur alternatif lain untuk mendaki gunung ini. Jalur Agusan memiliki rute yang lebih panjang. Sementara Jalur Meukek terlalu beresiko karena medannya yang curam. Sehingga, Jalur Kedah menjadi rute yang paling sering menjadi pilihan.

Persiapan Mendaki

SIMAKSI adalah hal penting yang perlu disiapkan sebelum mendaki Leuser. Untuk mendapatkan surat izin ini, pendaki bisa mendaftar lewat situs resmi TN Gunung Leuser. Pendaki harus memperlihatkan SIMAKSI ini pada petugas di basecamp sebelum mulai mendaki.

Pendakian akan menjadi perjalanan yang panjang. Jadi, siapkan peralatan dan perbekalan yang kira-kira akan dibutuhkan. Udara dingin serta minim sumber air bersih adalah situasi yang perlu pertimbangan khusus. Tidak lupa alas kaki yang sesuai karena medannya akan sangat beragam.

Kegiatan pendakian sebaiknya dilakukan minimal tujuh hingga sepuluh orang. Jika kurang dari itu, pendaki wajib menggunakan jasa pemandu. Bagi yang membawa banyak perbekalan, bisa juga menyewa jasa porter hingga ke puncak.

Medan Pendakian

Perjalanan menuju gerbang pendakian penuh dengan hamparan perkebunan dan perkampungan. Setelah melintasi sungai, pendaki baru mulai memasuki kawasan hutan lebat. Medan jalannya langsung curam dan cukup menguras tenaga. Tanjakan ini terus ada hingga titik Puncak Angkasan.

Dari sini, jalanan lebih variatif dengan adanya turunan dan medan landai. Sedangkan untuk sumber air bersih terdapat di beberapa titik. Selanjutnya area hutan terputus dan memasuki kawasan padang rumput Blang Beke. Setelah itu, pendaki kembali memasuki hutan hingga pos Kolam Badak.

Jalur setelah Kolam Badak merupakan jalur yang rawan sebagai perlintasan harimau. Pendaki harus terus berjalan bersama-sama di area ini. Dari sini, medan kembali berupa tanjakan licin dengan kemiringan tinggi. Hingga pos Bivak Kaleng, pendaki harus melewati tepian tebing yang terjal.

Dari Bivak Kaleng, selanjutnya perjalanan akan melewati beberapa titik area perkemahan. Pendaki bisa beristirahat atau menunda hingga Pos Lapangan Bola. Sesuai namanya, pos ini merupakan lapangan rumput yang luas. Pos ini adalah pos terakhir tempat berkemah.

Puncak Leuser

Gunung Leuser memiliki beberapa puncak. Ada Puncak Tanpa Nama, Puncak Loser, dan Puncak Leuser. Puncak Tanpa Nama bisa disambangi dari titik Simpang Tanpa Nama sebelum Pos Lapangan Bola.

Puncak Loser adalah puncak tertinggi di gunung ini sekaligus yang kedua di Sumatera. Dengan ketinggian 3.404 mdpl, pendaki bisa menikmati panorama pesisir Aceh dari sini. Jika cuaca kurang mendukung, kawasan ini akan berselimut lautan awan tebal.

Puncak selanjutnya adalah Puncak Leuser yang berjarak kurang-lebih 3 kilometer dari Loser. Di lembahnya, terdapat Danau Leuser yang jernih. Di sinilah perjalanan pendakian Gunung Leuser berakhir. Kemudian untuk perjalanan turun, biasanya membutuhkan waktu empat hingga enam hari tergantung kecepatan.

Fasilitas Pendakian Gunung Leuser

Hanya ada satu penginapan untuk para pendaki gunung di Kedah, yaitu Rainforest Lodge. Homestay ini memiliki beberapa pondok yang sudah memiliki toilet dan dapur umum. Di sekitar pondok, terdapat musala, warung makan, dan kios. Pendaki juga bisa menyewa jasa pemandu/guide dan porter dari homestay ini.

Lokasi Pendakian Gunung Leuser

Gunung Leuser terletak di Kabupaten Gayo Lues, Aceh . Basecamp pendakian jalur Kedah sendiri berada di Desa Penosan Sepakat, Kecamatan Blangjerang, Kabupaten Gayo Lues, Aceh. Bisa diakses dari Medan melalui rute Kutacane-Blangkejeran menggunakan kendaraan umum. Waktu tempuh dari Medan sekitar 12 jam.

Ulasan Pembaca

4.5 - 29 Pembaca

Berikan Nilai

Konten Terkait

TAMAN NASIONAL GUNUNG LEUSER Tiket dan Daya Tarik

KIDZILLA Harga Tiket di Berbagai Kota dan Wahana

Pulau Weh Wisata Bawah Laut Paling Indah Di Ujung Indonesia

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Gunung Leuser: Bahasan Lengkap Soal Pendakiannya yang Sampai 16 Hari!

Article Date : 15/04/2019

Article Category : Wilderness

Berada di Sumatera Utara, tepatnya di Provinsi Aceh membuat Gunung Leuser juga menjadi salah satu perhatian para pecinta alam khususnya para pendaki. Gunung dengan ketinggian 3.404 mdpl ini tentu menyimpan berbagai keindahan alam yang luar biasa.

[readalso url=19782]

Namun, jalur pendakiannya cukup sulit untuk ditaklukan karena medan pendakiannya yang cukup berbeda dengan jalur pendakian gunung-gunung lainnya. Percaya atau tidak, pendakian Gunung Leuser bisa mencapai 16 hari, termasuk saat naik dan turun dari puncaknya.

Gunung Leuser: Bahasan Lengkap Soal Pendakiannya yang Sampai 16 Hari! credit: ejatlas.org

Trek pendakian Gunung Leuser yang cukup terkenal di kalangan para petualang dan pendaki ada dua. Pertama, jalur utara melalui Desa Kedah, dan Kedua adalah jalur selatan. Kedua jalur pendakian tersebut terkenal sadis. Namun, kali ini – lo akan diajak berpetualang ke sana lewat jalur utara atau via Desa Kedah.

Gunung Leuser: Bahasan Lengkap Soal Pendakiannya yang Sampai 16 Hari! credit: phinemo.com

Sudah semakin penasaran bagaimana sih memang bahaya, sadis atau sulitnya jalur pendakian Gunung Leuser ini? Kalau iya, sila siapkan kopi, kudapan dan teman lainnya untuk menjadi teman bacaan bahasan kali ini!

Perjalanan Panjang Dari Medan ke Desa Kedah

Gunung Leuser: Bahasan Lengkap Soal Pendakiannya yang Sampai 16 Hari! credit: gunungleuser.or.id

Walau Gunung Leuser berada di Aceh, namun perjalanan menuju ke basecamp jalur utara – Desa Kedah, akan lebih mudah diakses dari Medan, Sumatera Utara. Untuk sampai di sana, dari Medan lo bisa naik bis-bis antar kota dan provinsi, yang biasanya berangkat dari malam hari.

Mobil atau bis-bis antar kota dan provinsi tersebut biasanya akan sampai di Desa Kedah saat pagi hari. Untuk bisa sampa langsung ke dusun atau titik awal pendakian Gunung Leuser, biasanya lo perlu negosiasi tambahan, nih.

Gunung Leuser: Bahasan Lengkap Soal Pendakiannya yang Sampai 16 Hari! credit: kabaralam.com

Jika sudah sampai Desa Kedah, sila registrasi ulang untuk data pendakian dengan pihak pengelola setempat. Tentu, data para pendaki ini diperlukan jika sekiranya ada hal-hal yang tidak diinginkan terjadi, dan lo akan lebih mudah untuk dievakuasi.

Sudah siap untuk mendaki Gunung Leuser, bro? Mari dimulai dari Desa Kedah – Sinnebuk Green.

Desa Kedah – Sinnebuk Green

Sekitar satu jam, Sinnebuk Green adalah pos pertama yang bisa jadi tempat peristirahatan lo. Setidaknya, dari Desa Kedah menuju pos pertama ini dibutuhkan 1 jam perjalanan. Selama perjalanan 1 jam tersebut, lo akan dimanjakan dengan pemandangan perkebunan warga.

Selain itu, tantangan pertama yang bisa lo lewati di tahap pertama ini adalah menyebrangi sungai dan mulai memasuk hutan yang lebat.

Sinnebuk Green – Tobacco Hut

Sebaiknya di Sinnebuk Green, lo sudah menyiapkan tenaga ekstra karena perjalanan selanjutnya untuk mencapai pos berikutnya mencapai 4 jam trekking. Dari Sinnebuk Green, lo akan menuju ke Tobacco Hut. Pos kedua ini berada di bentangan kebun tembakau milik penduduk setempat.

Nah, tantangan kedua yang ada di perjalanan bagian ini adalah tanjakan yang lumayan menguji stamina. Oleh penduduk setempat, tanjakan tersebut dinamai Tanjakan Pantat.

Tobacco Hut – Simpang Angkasan

Tidak jauh berbeda dari pos kedua ke ketiga – lo mesti menyimpan tenaga atau setidaknya memulihkan stamina yang sudah lo keluarkan sebelumnya, karena dari pos ketiga ke pos keempat atau Simpang Angkasan, perjalanan lo akan memakan waktu sampai 5 jam.

Selama lima jam dan sebelum lo sampai ke Simpang Angkasan tersebut, lo akan melewati Pintu Rimba, atau batas vegetasi hutan lebat di kaki Gunung Leuser.

Simpang Angkasan – Camping Ground 1

Tidak jauh dari Simpang Angkasan, terdapat camping ground pertama yang bisa lo gunakan untuk mendirikan tenda dan beristirahat penuh. Medannya tidak terlalu terjal dan terdapat vegetasi yang cukup rapat sehingga membuat udara di sana cukup lembab.

Udara lembab tersebut membuat deretan pepohonan di sana ditumbuhi lumut khas hutan hujan tropis pada umumnya. Camping ground ini cukup luas, cukup untuk menampung 10 tenda. Di sini juga terdapat sumber air yang bisa lo manfaatkan.

Camping Ground 1 – Puncak Angkasan

Setelah beristirahat di camping ground pertama tersebut, lo akan menempuh 4 jam perjalanan menuju Puncak Angkasan. Sebaiknya sebelum melanjutkan perjalanan ini, lo sudah sarapan dan minum cukup air karena medan pendakiannya mulai sulit.

Kesulitan tersebut dibuktikan dengan beberapa jalur pendakian yang cukup sempit karena kanan dan kirinya jurang dalam. Jika lo datang saat musim hujan, perlu ekstra hati-hati di jalur pendakian ini karena akan jadi semakin licin.

Nah, setelah 4 jam perjalanan mencapai Puncak Angkasan, ada camping ground selanjutnya yang cukup menampung 4 tenda. Di sini lo bisa beristirahat sejenak sembari melihat puncak Gunung Leuser jika udara cukup bersih.

Puncak Angkasan – Kayu Manis I

Pos selanjutnya dari Puncak Angkasan adalah Kayu Manis I. Perjalanan ini akan memakan waktu dua jam, bro. Pastikan di bagian ini – lo menggunakan sepatu yang cukup ampuh untuk di berbagai medan karena lo akan menuruni trek terjal serta berlumpur.

Kayu Manis I – Kayu Manis II

Dari Kayu Manis I ke Kayu Manis II – setidaknya membutuhkan 3 jam waktu perjalanan bro. Di sana, lo akan disambut dengan jalur pendakian Gunung Leuser yang mempunyai pemandangan perbukitan serta ilalang-ilalang tinggi.

Jika sudak sampai di Kayu Manis II dan lo berniat langsung melanjutkan perjalanan, lo akan menuruni perbukitan serta tanjakan yang cukup menguras tenaga. Namun, setelah itu, lo bisa menemukan camping ground selanjutnya yang bisa memuat 5 tenda sekaligus.

Kayu Manis III – Lintasan Badak

Dari Kayu Manis III ke Lintasan Badak, setidaknya lo membutuhkan 2 jam perjalanan. Jalur pendakian yang menurun tajam licin ini tentu menjadi tantangan tersendiri buat lo. Jalurnya ditumbuhi lumut serta beberapa pohon besar yang cukup menghalangi perjalanan lo.

Lintasan Badak – Papanji

Dari Lintasan Badak – jika lo tidak beristirahat dahulu di sana, setidaknya lo butuh 3 jam perjalanan lagi untuk sampai k epos berikutnya yaitu Papanji. Trek menanjak dan menurun serta vegetasi yang bercampur aduk membuat lo mesti ekstra hati-hati saat meniti jalur pendakian Gunung Leuser di bagian ini.

Di Pos Papanji ini – lo akan dibawa ke Hutan Papanji yang merupakan habitat asli dari Harimau Sumatera. Oleh karena itu, ada himbauan untuk para pendaki jangan melewati jalur hutan ini sendirian jika tidak ingin dimangsa oleh harimau di sana.

Pos Papanji – Blangbeke

Dari Papanji, lo akan melewati vegetasi rapat serta tanjakan dan turunan yang menguras tenaga. Nah, dari sana lo akan menuju Blangbeke. Balngbeke adalah padang rumput luas dengan bebatuan vulkanik. Di sini, lo akan dengan mudah menemukan jejak Harimau Sumatera.

Blangbeke – Camp Alas

Dari Pos Blangbeke – lo akan menuju ke Camp Alas . Harus berhati-hati nih bro karena tantangannya adalah lo mesti menyebrangi 3 aliran sungai yang mempunyai karakter yang berbeda-beda. Pijakan yang cukup licin serta arus air yang cukup deras tentu akan menyulitkan lo.

Namun, setelah melewati sungai terakhir, lo akan menemukan tempat terbuka yaitu Camp Alas . Di sini, sudah ada sumber air yang aman untuk dikonsumsi dan lo bisa mendirikan tenda di sini.

Camp Alas – Pos Kuta Panjang – Kolam Badak

Nah, dari camping ground sebelumnya, lo akan berangkat lagi menuju ke Pos Kuta Panjang dan Kolam Badak. Pos Kuta Panjang adalah vegetasi perbuktan dengan hutan-hutan lebat, kemudian lo akan bertemu dengan kolam besar serupa danau.

Danau tersebut adalah tempat di mana gerombolan Badak Sumatera berkumpul.

Kolam Badak – Bivak I – Camp Putri

Bingung sudah hari ke berapa ini? Tenang bro – pada umumnya, buat para pendaki yang sudah berada di Kolam Badak dan akan masuk ke area Bivak I, sudah memasuki pendakian di hari keenam atau ketujuh.

Dari Bivak I – lo mesti melanjutkan pendakian lagi yang cukup menantang ke Camp Putri . Pendakian menantang yang dimaksud adalah lo akan melewati jalur-jalur dengan jurang dalam dan curam serta kabut-kabut tebal.

Camp Putri – Bivak Kaleng – Bivak Batu

Dari Camp Putri – lo akan melanjutkan pendakian atau perjalanan menuju Bivak Kaleng dan Bivak Batu. Oh iya, konon katanya – Bivak Kaleng adalah tempat di mana para kolonialis memasok makanan ke para tentaranya.

Nah, jika lo sudah sampai ke Bivak Batu, terdapat area yang luas untuk beristirahat. Dari area tersebut, lo juga sudah bisa melihat Puncak Loser.

Bivak Batu – Simpang Tanpa Nama – Puncak Loser

Jangan heran nih bro – kalau Gunung Leuser ternyata punya tiga puncak sekaligus dengan ketinggian yang berbeda-beda. Puncak pertama adalah Puncak Loser yang bisa lo taklukan setelah melewati Simpang Tanpa Nama.

Puncak Loser – Puncak Leuser – Puncak Tanpa Nama

Nah, jika sudah sampai ke Puncak Loser – untuk menuju ke Puncak Leuser dan Puncak Tanpa Nama cukup singkat. Namun, tentu ada tanjakan serta turunan yang dihiasi oleh kerikil kecil serta kabut-kabut tipis yang mengganggu pemandangan.

Begitu sampai di semua puncak, terbayar sudah pendakian lo yang penuh perjuangan tersebut.

[readalso url=19785]

Feature Image - leuserconservation.org

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Gunung Leuser National Park in Sumatra

Gunung Leuser National Park is a vast and biodiverse national park located in the northern part of Sumatra, Indonesia. Covering an area of approximately 7,927 square kilometers, it is one of the largest national parks in the country. The park is named after its prominent mountain, Mount Leuser, which reaches a height of 3,381 meters. It is home to a wide range of plant and animal species, making it a popular destination for nature enthusiasts and conservationists.

Exploring the Remarkable Biodiversity of Gunung Leuser National Park

The biodiversity found in Gunung Leuser National Park is truly remarkable. The lush rainforests within the park support a diverse array of wildlife, including iconic species such as the Sumatran orangutan, Sumatran tiger, and Sumatran rhinoceros. Besides, the park is also an important habitat for other primates, reptiles, birds, and insects. Exploring the park allows visitors to witness the incredible beauty of its flora and fauna.

Also Read : Ketambe Research Station KetambeTrek.Com

Exploring Gunung Leuser National Park: Trekking, Wildlife Encounters, and River Rafting

There are several ways to explore Gunung Leuser National Park. One popular activity is trekking through the park’s trails, which offer breathtaking views and encounters with wildlife along the way. Experienced guides are available to lead visitors through the park, ensuring their safety and providing valuable information about the park’s ecology. Another way to explore the park is by taking a river rafting along the Alas River, which runs through the park. This allows visitors to observe wildlife from a different perspective while enjoying the tranquility of the river. Additionally, for those who want to delve deeper into the park’s conservation efforts, there are volunteer programs that provide opportunities to contribute to the preservation of the park’s delicate ecosystem.

In conclusion.

Gunung Leuser National Park is a treasure trove of biodiversity in Indonesia. With its stunning landscapes and incredible wildlife, it offers a unique and immersive experience for those who seek to explore its wonders. Whether it’s trekking through its trails, taking a river cruise, or participating in volunteer programs, there are plenty of opportunities to discover and appreciate the beauty and importance of this remarkable national park.

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Independent travel & culture guides to indonesia, a guide to gunung leuser national park.

July 26, 2018 Elliot Aceh & North Sumatra 10

The national park

Gunung Leuser is the second largest national park of Sumatra (after Kerinci Seblat) and definitely Indonesia’s most famous.

Started as a nature reserve of about 150’000ha in 1934, the protected area nowadays covers an area larger than 1’000’000ha. Most of it belongs to Aceh province but it overlaps with North Sumatra too.

This is the last known place on Earth where orangutans, tigers, rhinos and elephants coexist in the wild.

In 1998, an area known as the ‘Leuser Ecosystem’ 2 times larger than the national park has been recognized by the government who acknowledged that the park alone wasn’t sufficient to protect all the biodiversity of the area.

Getting in the park requires the purchase of a daily entry ticket. Price is 150’000Rp per day for foreigner and 5’000Rp for locals. On weekends and national holidays, the tarif is supposed to increase to 225’000Rp/7’500Rp but it doesn’t seem to be enforced.

Tickets can be obtained through your guesthouse, insist to get an official ticket from the park in return (it must bear a visitor number on it).

Leuser’s wildlife

The park is home to 350 birds species, 194 reptile species and 129 types of mamals. Still, orangutans are the main draw here. Males, especially flanged one are scarcer, which is logical given they occupy a much larger territory than females.

Don’t get hyped on tigers and rhinos, both are elusive species mostly seen by camera traps. The situation of the Sumatran rhino is especially dire.

A visit to Gunung Leuser National Park would be very judicially organized when the trees are full of fruits.

The most reliable period is between December and January but November and February are not bad either. Groups of several (up to 10) orangutans are often reported feasting on fruiting ficus trees at this time for instance.

Visiting from Ketambe

The patch of forest opened to tourism is located on the eastern bank of the river. The western bank of the river is closed to visitors and fully dedicated to research. Unfortunately, the conditions of the forest on the West bank is immensily better than the one on the East which is not that large as you can see on Google Maps’ satellite images.

Still, I found Ketambe to be a great place thanks to its well-developped trail system. An experienced forest trekker could explore a large part of it on its own.

Leeches are an issue in Ketambe. But I found that tucking my pants in my socks and clearing them regularly from those who still try to go through was enough.

Spotting orangutan was not as easy as I thought, I found several nests but besides a young one that I was lucky enough to spot from very close on the second day it was quite hard. I came back on the same spot on the third day to find maybe the same orangutan but it was very high in the canopea.

The area between the road and the first camp by the river is allegedly the best for orangutan spotting, even though vehicles from the road can be heard all over the place. From the moment you reach the river, the noise gets covered.

Overall I found the forest of Ketambe to be slightly less pristine that in Kedah, huge tree beeings less common.

I stayed at Friendship Guesthouse (check their great website ) . 70’000Rp per night for a double room with cold shower. The staff is very nice and not pushy. They have a restaurant but I eventually took all my meals outside in a local restaurant 500m away that serves food not arranged for Western tastebuds (also cheaper and larger serving).

If I were to come back to Ketambe, I may decide to stay a bit further in Gurah village. Accomodations right in the middle of a small patch of forest are available which should be great for bird spotting.

Visiting from Kedah

My stay in Kedah owes much to Mr Jali’s Kedah Rainforest Guesthouse. The full-board rate is 150’000Rp per person per day. No roads, no sound of motorbike, only you and the nature. Guided treks are charged 500’000Rp per day. The staff is quite nice, food is simple but good. Of course the shower is cold and there is barely any phone signal there.

The immediate surroundings of the lodge are already very rich in wildlife.

Over the 3 days spent hiking, I’ve seen a higher variety of primates than anywhere else in the park :

Groups of Thomas leaf monkeys were rather easily seen. Siamang can be heard every morning and the pictures shown above has been taken right from the lodge. I was lucky enough to spot orangutan on 2 days, which might not be the standard. Outside fruit season (which peaked in December-January) they might be hard to spot.

The trail system is quite good especially in the small patch of forest around the lodge. The other bank of the river can be explored after crossing on a log but progressing through the forest is much more difficult.

Plenty of insects to be seen. The lodge itself and the riverbanks are a good place to check for butterflies.

On the 3rd day I took a guy from the lodge with me to take me to the moss forest. This is actually the beginning of the trek to Mount Leuser summit. I found this area to be better for bird spotting. The change of vegetation is also very interesting to observe.

We also saw interesting vegetation, including pitcher plants. Finally we spotted some civet, squirrel, eagles and 2 wild chicken.

Visiting from Bukit Lawang

Bukit Lawang became a rehabilitation center in 1978 when it was decided that Ketambe would be fully dedicated to researchers. The government ordered the termination of rehabilitation operations in Bukit Lawang in 1991 given the mixed result of the original approach. Since then, the place serves only as a viewing center for tourists. The released population is dependent on daily feeding consisting of banana and milk.

Bukit Lawang is located on the edge of wild orangutans habitats but most visitors end up seeing orangutan regularly fed. They’re free, but definetely not wild.

That’s the closest park entrance gate from an airport (here Medan) and also the most popular.

I visited this place in 2013 with limited interests in wildlife and booked a classic 2D1N tour. It wasn’t bad but I don’t remember seeing any other wildlife but the couple of orangutans roaming near the entrance to get fed. Our groups were way too large and hence noisy.

Unfortunately wildlife feeding by most guides seems to be a common practice in Bukit Lawang. Given that some orangutans are very familiar to humans, I found it possible to get much closer to the apes in Bukit Lawang. Getting such conditions in Ketambe or Kedah requires more luck.

The population of “semi-wild” orangutans in Bukit Lawang shows clear signs of disturbance, including very unusual behaviour (such as mother-infant cannibalism) as well as a dramatically high rate of infant mortality. Please read this study for in-depth analysis.

Additionaly, Sumatran orangutan are very seldomly spotted near the ground in the wild which is obviously not what’s happening in Bukit Lawang.

I believe that a responsible traveller should make the extra effort to visit places where the apes are actually wild. Despite its status, the park is facing a significant number of threats. Better bring revenue to areas actually supporting wild animals which are the ones that need to be preserved in priority.

Transportation guide to Kedah and Ketambe

Kedah is reached from the town of Blangkejeren, itself reachable by bus from Takengon, Aceh and Lhokseumawe from the North, or Kutacane from the South.

Ketambe is a short ride from Kutacane but is also on the way from Kutacane to Blangkejeren.

I tried to put all the places quoted below in my general map of Sumatra.

All prices given below are from 2018.

Coming from Medan

Get from medan kualanamu airport to town.

Medan has an international airport with cheap connections to Kuala Lumpur thanks to Air Asia, as well as flight to Bangkok, Singapore and Penang. Locally it is well connected with most cities in Sumatra as well as Jakarta, Surabaya and Yogjakarta.

From the airport, touts will definetly offer taxi ride to any destination you want (including Bukit Lawang, Lake Toba or even Ketambe). Price might be interesting if you share it with a large group

From the airport a train takes you to Medan train station in about 40min for 100’000Rp. Otherwise follow the signs for buses (check the airport website for updated information about frequency and fares) :

• DAMRI takes you near the Independance square in town and then to Amplas bus terminal where you can take bus to lake Toba. Fare is 15’000 for the square and 20’000 for Amplas as of 2018.
• ALS takes you to directly to Binjai (from where you can reach Bukit Lawang) for 40’000Rp. A ride to town is charged 20’000Rp.

If you want to go straight to Ketambe with no connection, the recommended solution seems to be catching a minibus or a collective taxi in Padang Bulan.

Direct transport from Medan to Kutacane

Different companies offering transportation to destinations west of Medan are gathered on Jamin Ginting Street ( Jl. Jamin Ginting ). Departures are from morning to late afternoon, the car or the minibus leaves when it’s full. Shared taxis are likely to go pick up other passengers in town

Friendship Guesthouse gives detailed information s on their website, I’m goint to rely on it given I never did it that way. To put in a nutshell, minibuses cost 70’000Rp and shared taxi 130’000Rp for about a 7 hours ride.

The most convenient way to reach Padang Bulan from Medan train station or DAMRI bus stop near Independance Square is most likely to use online taxis (car or motorbikes) operated by Grab or Gojek. It requires an Indonesian SIM card though. Rickshaws ( becak ), regular motorbike taxis ( ojek ) or taxis are also availabe but they will probably be more expensive. City minibus ( angkot ) are very likely to be helpful too but they can be confusing to navigate, try to ask around for help about directions.

From Medan to Berastagi / Kabanjahe

If you plan to stop en route in Berastagi or at least the Karo regency, do as following :

• From the airport board ALS bus and ask to be dropped at Simpang Pos . 20’000Rp, 1h15 because of the traffic.
• From here you have regular minibus heading to Kabanjahe (Berastagi is on the way). They leave when full until night, costs 10’000Rp. It’s a 1h15 ride to Berastagi and 1h30 to Kabanjahe.

From Berastagi’s main road, almost every bemo is heading to Kabanjahe. Fare is 5’000Rp for a 20 minutes ride. Cheap accomodation are easier to find in Berastagi.

Get from Kabanjahe to Ketambe

From Kabanjahe you need to go to Kutacane first. Minibus leaves from behind Terminal Bawah Tigabaru on Jl. Mariam Ginting. If I remember well there was 2 companies available, the fare was 60’000Rp or 80’000Rp for a more comfortable minibus dubbed ‘royal’. Took us 3h30 (plus the waiting time of the minibus in Kabanjahe) and an additional 30min for the lunch break.

From Kabanjahe, you need to take a form of collective transport which looks like a pick-up with a roof and benches on the side. It’s called labi-labi . Ask the driver of your minibus from Kabanjahe to drop you at the right place in town. The 30min labi-labi ride costs 20’000Rp (official price seems to be 15’000Rp though).

Get from Kutacane / Ketambe to Blangkejeren / Kedah

There is a bus terminal in Kutacane. When we arrived mid-afternoon, my driver from Kabanjahe advised me to head to another place in town on Jl. Ahmad Yani because bus would be scarce at this time. He dropped me there. Soon we left in a shared regular car if I remember well, fare was 60’000Rp and it took us 3h. This road going right through the middle of the park is beautiful, even though low-scale deforestation can be observed:

Kedah is about 30min away from Blangkejeren, my minibus driver was ok to drop me for no extra cost there given there was another passenger heading in the same direction. Otherwise, ask Mr Jali to arrange a pick-up. He charged me 50’000Rp for an ojek ride from the lodge to Blangkejeren bus station.

On the way back, take a minibus from Blangkjeren to Kutacane. Ketambe is on the way, just asked to be dropped. Fare is 50’000Rp for that portion.

Direct transport from Medan to Blangkejeren

According to Gayo Lues regency tourism department, a few companies operate shared taxis from Medan to Blangkejeren. The companies are CV Kursima, CV Raja World Travel and CV Trans 88. Their office in Medan can be found on Google Maps.

Collective taxis usually offer pick up, including at the airport. Call them for schedule and price, they usually have a WA number. You might need to get assisted by someone speaking Indonesian.

Coming from the North : Bandah Aceh and Takengon

Blangkejeren is served by bus leaving from Banda Aceh and passing Takengon.

Please note that Wings Air now operates direct flights from Medan to Takengon. It you aim at minimizing the driving time, this would be the fastest solution leaving only the bus from Takengon to Blangkjeren that should take about 3 hours.

Susi Air operates small airplanes twice a week between Bandah Aceh and Blangkejeren (the destination is refered to as Gayo Lues) and 3 times a week between Bandah Aceh and Kutacane. According to undated information I got, price should be around 400’000-500’000Rp. The issue is that you cannot book those flights online but only through a travel agency.

Online ressources

• Guidebook to the Gunung Leuser National Park, Yayasan Orangutan Sumatera Lestari – Orangutan Information Center (YOSL-OIC), 2009, Medan, Indonesia. Downloadable here .
• Witch & al, Orangutans and the Economics of Sustainable Forests Management in Sumatra , 2011, UNEP/GRASP/ PanEco/YEL/ICRAF/Grid-Arendal. Downloadable here .
• D.Dellatore, Behavioural Health of Reintroduced Orangutans (Pongo abelii) in Bukit Lawang, Sumatra, Indonesia , 2007, Master of Science dissertation, Oxford Brookes University. Downloadable here .
• The good website of Friendship Guesthouse in Ketambe.
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10 Comments

Hi there, Thanks very much for this very helpful post. I’m planning to spend a week to trek Gunung Leuser national park for the first time ever. What would you recommend to be the best point of entry? I’m leaning towards Ketambe because Bukit Lawang seems to be overcrowded with tourists. Also, Ketambe seems to offer other more interesting sites nearby, like Kedah. Looking forward to your response. Best wishes!

Hi Basten, glad it helps. Over the 3 entry points I presented, I prefered Kedah which is a bit away from any road. Ketambe (or nearby Gurah) is also good but you are never very far from the road (you need to walk about 30 minutes in Ketambe forest to be far enough for the sounds of cars and motorbikes not to reach you). I also saw the greatest diversity of widlife in Kedah but I’m not sure you can draw any conclusions from that given I just spent a couple of nights in each places. December and January is supposed to be the best season for orangutan spotting 😉

By the way are you working for Mongabay ? Keep up with the good work, I’m a regular reader. Elliot.

Dear Basten and Elliot Do you guys know if Mr. Jali is still active in Kedah giving tours?

I’m quite sure his business is still up and running. His phone number should be 081362291844.

This website is incredibly useful. Thank you for taking the time to construct this.

Thank you Nickolas, have a nice trip to Sumatra 🙂

Thanks to this post we switched from Bukit Lawang to Ketambe. Thanks for the insight.

Hello, So it is possible to walk without a guide on the National Park area or not? I want to go to Gunung Leuser, but want to go with guide, cause is the only way. Now I think go to the Kedah first and make some independent trek after guided 3 days trek, and do the same in Ketambe. You made independent trek in Kedah nera the campsite and then took a guide to the jungle, and in Ketambe only independent. You wrote about the east side to visitors and west side to research. What about guided long trek for 4-5 days is also east side? I dont get it, how does it look? I am gonna to Indonesia only for jungle trek and want to do it best I can. 4 treks, two 3days guided treks and some independent walks. I wanna do it in August but I think better change it for December/January/February when fruits are. Is really big difference between jungle in this places? I mean there is no such huge trees in Kedah or Ketambe like in Bukit Lawang? I dont wanna to Bukit Lawang but I wanna see this magnificient trees.

4-5 days trek on the east side are sold by guides but I guess that you mostly walk in circles in the forest. Old guidebooks refer to week long trek from Ketambe to Bukit Lawang but very few guides are willing to undertake such a trip.

Trail system in Kedah is not very extensive besides the trailhead leading to the Mount Leuser (but it goes into subalpine forest and it’s not the best if you’re looking into large trees and primates). The forest on the other bank on the river in Kedah requires a machette if you want to explore it.

Nevertheless both sites are very interesting and worth a visit.

Do you have current contact info for Kedah? Are they operating still I wonder? Would love be to go there.

Gunung Leuser National Park Indonesia – Your Quick Travel Guide

In a nutshell.

Coving an area of approximately 9,000 sq km, the UNESCO-listed Gunung Leuser National Park is not only the stomping ground of an impressive and abundant range of wildlife, but is also considered to be one of the earth’s most significant and immensely bio-diverse conservation areas. Home to around 400 species of birds, elephants, reptiles, rhinos, tigers, gibbons, and of course, orang-utans, the park also comprises of a dizzying array of spectacular flowers, plants, trees, insects and spiders.

Why go to Gunung Leuser National Park

Visitors are allowed to access the park through two main gates – the more popular, Bukit Lawang ; or the quieter and less well-known, Ketambe. Visitors will need to arrange a permit at a Gunung Leuser National Park prior to entering. The fee is IDR 150,000 for a foreign passport holder and IDR 50,000 for a local.

“In the jungle, the mighty jungle...” We can’t help humming this song under our breath as we write this article and this national park is undoubtedly the perfect place to visit for those who love animals, getting lost in the wild and are looking to submerge themselves in all things designed by Mother Nature herself. Trekking, trekking and some more trekking . Travellers who think that taking long hikes along lightly trodden paths with birdsong above their heads, mud squishing through the grooves in their hiking boots, and the likely event of seeing wild orang-utans before the day is over, might call Gunung Leuser, ‘A wild, tropical paradise.’ And in our pinion, they would be completely right. This national park is a nirvana for nature lovers, adventurous hikers, and those who relish in the great outdoors.

After a long, sticky trek spent getting lost; visitors can also rinse off in the nearby hot springs, go rafting along the Alas River in Ketambe, or tubing in Bukit Lawang. Bring your bug spray, decent footwear and a spirit of adventure, the treasures of Gunung Leuser await.

When to go to Gunung Leuser National Park

Although the national park receives plenty of rainfall and humidity throughout the year, the rain comes down daily during the wet season, which occurs from October to March with November and December offering the most amount of rainfall. However, for those who don’t mind getting wet, these wetter months are actually the best time of year to spot orang-utans as the trees bear the most fruit during this time.

Where to stay in Gunung Leuser National Park

Accommodation options in the lush, tropical rainforest are basic, comfortable and rustic. There is little point expecting 5-star facilities out here in the jungle and amenities are rudimentary at best. What you’ll lack in Egyptian-cotton sheets and Wi-Fi, will be more than made up for with the enchanting jungle view; the uniqueness of the experience; and the quiet, peaceful solitude that only really come with poor cellphone reception.

Travellers’ main accommodation selection will vary from setting up a tent and camping for the night, or stopping at the end of your daily trek and sleeping in a simple lodge. Both camping and lodging facilities are arranged by your hiking guide when trekking through the rainforest and are included generally in your packaged tour guide price.

Visitors do not need to worry about bringing along any linen, sleeping bags or crockery as everything down to leech socks should be organised and provided by the Gunung Leuser guides.

Some camp sites include comfy furniture and hot, sustainable meals; while others use simple hammock-tents and go for a more Spartan, non-indulgent approach. Trust us, after a day spent excitedly trudging through the rainforest your aching muscles and weary feet will be more than comfortable with whatever simple, yet cosy, accommodation facilities are provided.

Where and what to eat in Gunung Leuser National Park

With nature being the main highlight and draw for visitors, the culinary options in the national park are something of an afterthought and the options are very basic and rather limited.

Fortunately, visitors will find that all of the lodges and guest houses have attached restaurants that conveniently offer guests breakfast, lunch, dinner and light snacks in the way of food. The cuisine is mostly Indonesian fare with a couple of simple western options thrown in for good measure. The prices of food are slightly more expensive than outside of the park perhaps as a result of the transport costs involved in brining the produce and products into the national park from the outside.

The food, while rather rudimentary, is tasty, nutritious and of generous portions. Trekkers who have spent hours walking the jungle floors will find the meals to be satisfying and hearty and the furthest thing from their mind while shovelling in spoonfuls of nasi goreng, will be the lack of presentation or the mismatched crockery. Guest houses also sell plenty of snacks and refreshments that you can stock up on prior to going off on a trek and your guide will generally bring along extra water.

How to get around Gunung Leuser National Park

Considering that the rainforest is the home to an abundance of wildlife and plant life, the roads for driving are dirt, and the bumpy two-hour journey from Tangkahan from Bukit Lawang is mostly completed on motorbike. However, for travellers here during the rainy season, this route becomes not only treacherous, but impossible to travel and jeep rides are the only option. The local villages in the park are made up of little more than a scattering of guest houses, several native residences and the odd café or snack shop; and so walking is the main means of exploring the small area although there really isn’t all that much to see or do unless you’re on a tour or trek.

How to get to and from Gunung Leuser National Park

Due to the park being reached and explored only by a rigorous exercise in hard, rough travel, many travellers choose to make use of a fully organised and guided tour which usually start with an airport pick-up from Medan Kualanamu International Airport.

Medan is the gateway to Gunung Leuser National Park and it is here that travellers wanting to explore the secrets of the park need to journey to. Fortunately, this airport is serviced with direct flights from Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore and getting to the airport can be achieved relatively easily.

Upon touchdown in Medan, travellers wishing to venture directly onwards to Gunung Leuser will need to catch a non air-conditioned bus, a shared minivan arranged via a travel agent, or a pre-arranged taxi from the Pinang Baris Bus Terminal and head to one of the park’s villages.

For travellers wanting to head to the small village of Bukwit Lawang that is one of the gateways to Gunung Leuser, you can catch a bus from the same terminal at the airport on one of the large, non-air-conned buses plying this journey. The route is around 90 kilometers, takes around 4 hours and costs roughly IDR 20,000 per person. Usually the buses leave every half an hour and will drop passengers at the Bukwit Lawang Bus Terminal.

Those wishing to head to the quieter and further, Ketembe gate, will need to catch a minibus from Medan to Kutacane. This can also be done at the airport bus terminal for around IDR 70,000. The journey is a 7-hour one making it the less popular choice. However, for travellers longing to experience the true Gunung Leuser away from the maddening crowds and tourism, this is the better, although more challenging, alternative. The buses that ply this route usually take a detour to Berastagi so if you’re leaving from here, the buses are relatively easy to flag down. Hopping off is also an option for those wishing for a detour off the beaten path. Once arriving in Kutacane, you’ll need to grab a local jeep or minivan heading to Ketembe from the station near to the market. The journey shouldn’t take much longer than an hour and will cost around IDR 15,000.

Is Gunung Leuser National Park a safe place to visit?

Regarding staying safe in the national park, your biggest concern is the weather and getting lost in the jungle. It’s important to always carry more than enough water, a warm jacket and to ensure that you are trekking with a trusted and reputable guide.

In the past there have been unsavoury reports from female travellers stating that their guide has been rather suggestive and flirtatious and so its advisable to always ensure that you are hiking in a large group rather than solo.

Keep in mind that Northern Sumatra experiences heavy monsoon rains in March and April, and then again in September and October. While tours will not necessarily stop during these months, the wet weather obviously presents problems of its own. The heavy rainfall may mean that the rivers are too dangerous to go rafting, boating or tubing and hikers can expect muddy conditions and an abundance of leeches in the rainforest.

GUIDE TO GUNUNG LEUSER NATIONAL PARK

Guide to GUNUNG LEUSER NATIONAL PARK

One of the last strongholds for wild orangutans in the world, Gunung Leuser National Park has gotten attention recently by being featured on Netflix’s Barack Obama series: Our Great National Parks. This may have prompted you to look into the possibility of visiting the park during your stay in Indonesia, and rightly so. After spending three days and two nights in the jungles of Gunung Leuser National Park and having the opportunity to see wild orangutans in their natural habitat, I can say that the hurdles that need to be overcome to reach this destination are worth the lifelong memories that you will gain. This is a quick guide to travel to Gunung Leuser National Park, made after my visit in May 2022.

Is Gunung Leuser National Park worth visiting?

Yes, if you are lucky and understand that wildlife sightings are not guaranteed. For me, Gunung Leuser National Park was worth the time and money to reach since I was fortunate enough to see and photograph wild orangutans. For years I had planned on visiting either Borneo or Sumatra to see these magnificent animals before they are inevitably driven towards extinction. However, this is never guaranteed as I found out when speaking with two disappointed German travelers that arrived at my jungle camp and had not seen any orangutans during their two days of trekking. Spotting orangutans is never guaranteed.

How fit do I need to be to trek in Gunung Leuser National Park?

As one my guide told me during my 3 day/2 night jungle trek, the only reason why the vast forests of Gunung Leuser National Park have not shared the same fate as the decimated jungles of Borneo is the landscape that one must overcome while trekking through it. Flat terrain is hard to come by in these jungles, where trekking involves hiking up steep and at times slippery hills, only to hike down the opposite side and hike up the following one, again and again until you reach your jungle camp. These challenging natural features are what made it impossible for palm tree plantations to be built and have natural resource exploration at bay. They also create a challenging environment for jungle treks, especially when factoring in the extreme humidity that you are faced with within the rain forest. That being said, I am not a regular hiker, and the two people that joined me on my trek had never done anything of the sorts before. As long as you understand that the treks will challenge you both physically and mentally (having to push yourself even when your legs begin to shake), anyone that has a reasonable level of fitness can do a jungle trek. For those who don’t feel comfortable trekking for days in the jungle, there is always the option of doing a day hike within the park, which in many cases will still allow you to see orangutans without having the exert yourself too much. This is the option almost all Indonesians take, so keep in mind that the paths will be much busier and noisier.

What jungle trek tour is the best?

No matter what jungle trek option you take, the majority of the orangutans you will likely encounter will be at the entrance of the park. This is due in most part to the fact that the vast majority of Indonesians do not do jungle treks and in order for money to keep flowing towards this town, some local guides will entice the orangutans by giving them food. Although these are still very much wild orangutans, some are from the rehabilitation program that ceased in 2002, and are less afraid of human presence than the orangutans you may meet deeper within the park. That being said, here are the best options depending on your level of fitness and overall objectives. Note that all entrance into the park must be made with a guide, as they have experience in dealing with the animals in the park which can at times be hostile to guests. Option 1: Day walk – Easy The entrance of Gunung Leuser National Park can be accessed by almost everyone, with the biggest physical challenge being a long set of steep stairs that you must climb before reaching the park entrance. The day walk, not a trek since it is far from strenuous, will be spent going along paths that are well worn and easy to navigate with high chances of spotting orangutans in the trees. I saw the majority of the orangutans during my trek in this area. Note that this is the only option taken by the vast majority of Indonesians, meaning that depending on the day you are there it can be quite crowded and noisy, with some tourists bringing portable speakers for their walk in the wilderness. Typically, your guide will provide you a lunch during this day walk and you return to your accommodations in the afternoon. For me, I found that although this option did provide the cheapest and easiest way to potentially see orangutans, it did not offer the authentic challenge I felt was necessary for me to truly feel like I earned my orangutan spotting, with the orangutans I saw deeper within the jungle giving me more of a sense of accomplishment than the ones I saw within minutes of entering the park. Option 2: 2 Day/1 Night – Challenging This option gives you a taste of jungle adventure with a day spent trekking through the first section of the park that day tours visit, followed by the rest of the day trekking through the dense jungle to a jungle camp along a river, which you’ll be more than happy to wash and refresh yourself in after a day of sweating through all your clothes. This will serve as your home base for the night. The camp offers basic accommodations, with a tarp covered wooden structure keeping you dry and a bug net keeping the critters out. You will be sleeping on a very thin mattress and small pillow, so don’t expect to get the best sleep. Cooks which are there once you arrive will prepare various delicious local dishes for you to enjoy while sitting by the river enjoying the peacefulness of the jungle. The second day is spent trekking back to Bukit Lawang, with opportunities to spot more wild orangutans and other animals such as Thomas Leaf Monkeys. This is a great option for people who want to have a trekking experience but who are limited on time. Option 3: 3day/2 Night- Challenging and best all around adventure This option is the one I took and the reason I took it was because getting to Gunung Leuser National Park takes time and money and if you’re going to make it all the way there you may as well make a full adventure out of it. Another reason is the way you return to Bukit Lawang is different than how you would in option 2. This option takes you along the same way as the previous one, however the 2nd day is spent trekking up the river and into the jungles with the end goal of reaching a camp further away along the main river that leads to Bukit Lawang. During this day, I was fortunate enough to see a young female orangutan, along with gibbons and Thomas Leaf monkeys. The strain on your body will be felt much more on the 2nd day of trekking with your legs taking a beating going up and down the hills. The reward at the end of your journey however is a stunning camp site along a river frequented by many monkeys, where you can swim and bathe while being lulled into relaxation from the hum of the river and the sounds of the jungle. The camp here is slightly more built-up, with the mattress being a little more comfortable, along with better toilet facilities (though still very rudimentary). The 3rd day is spent relaxing by the river and visiting a nearby waterfall where you can swim and truly take in the surroundings. The journey back to town is by rafts made from tubes that you see the locals using when they float down the river for fun. This is an experience in itself, with the entire journey taking roughly 30 minutes going down a fast moving river with rapids, flowing through the towering jungles and offering more lifelong memories to cherish.

Getting to Bukit Lawang – Gunung Leuser National Park from Medan

Getting to Gunung Leuser National Park is one of the main challenges you’ll need to overcome. Getting to Gunung Leuser National Park will require you to fly to the city of Medan and from there travel to Bukit Lawang by one of the following ways.

Option 1: First and most expensive method is hiring a driver to take you to Bukit Lawang, the town that serves as the main entry point to the national park. This option will cost you roughly 700 000 IDR (price quoted to me in May 2022) and must be arranged ahead of time through either the hostel/hotel you will be staying at in Bukit Lawang, or the tour company that you will use. Though more expensive, this will afford you A/C on your drive there, a must faster drive than the alternative, the ability to bring all your luggage without any worry and can be a more affordable option if you’re traveling in a group. Furthermore, this option can allow you to be picked up from the airport directly, saving you the cost of staying in Medan, a city that doesn’t offer a tremendous amount of things to see for tourists.

Option 2: The alternative option is for the more adventurous travelers who are not afraid of traveling the local way. This means being one of roughly 20 passengers packed into an old van with no A/C. This journey will also be longer (roughly 4 hours) since you will be stopping along the way to pickup and drop off passengers and you will need to pack lightly as there is not much room for bags. I chose this option and to mitigate the amount of luggage I had with me, I left the bulk of my things at the hotel I stayed in Medan with the promise that I would spend the night I returned to the city at that same hotel. This allowed me to pack only the essentials in a backpack and have it on my knees during the drive. Since I had expensive camera equipment with me, I did not let them take my bag to store on the roof or in the trunk of the bus. Furthermore, this option means that you may encounter local scam artists that will try to make you pay a much higher price. BEWARE : YOU MUST ONLY PAY UPON ARRIVAL IN BUKIT LAWANG. Any person approaching you asking for money up front is trying to scam you, which can lead to an uncomfortable situation. Once again, this travel method is for those who are perhaps more capable or experienced travelers. However, I should mention that I traveled this way and had no issues, other than having to pay slightly more than the local rate, which still amounted to only 40 000 IDR, though this may vary depending on your driver.

Where and how to get the bus from Medan to Bukit Lawang

How to get the bus from Medan to Bukit Lawang: You will not be going to a bus terminal, as you would expect, but rather take a Grab Taxi to Mawar Bakery, here are the coordinates: Jl. Pinang Baris Medan No.261, Lalang, Kec. Medan Sunggal, Kota Medan, Sumatera Utara 20218, Indonesia https://goo.gl/maps/KbLGvBwY7ZJ2JoSj7 , make sure you select the one nearest to Pinang Baris Bus Terminal, since there are many Mawar Bakeries in Medan. On the side of the road close to this bakery is where you will find the buses that go to various locations. Look for the red or orange bus that shows Bukit Lawang on the window, tell the driver you want to go to Bukit Lawang and hop in. Best to choose a seat next to the window if possible and know that even if seats aren’t all taken upon leaving, they will all be filled up during the course of the journey. Remember, anyone asking you to pay ahead of time is trying to take your money.

Where to stay in Bukit Lawang

No matter where you stay in Bukit Lawang, you will only be able to reach your accommodation by foot, since there are only a few people that ride motorcycles along the narrow paths that serve as roads in the village. When choosing a place to stay in Bukit Lawang, keep in mind that depending on the tour you take you will only be staying there the first night you arrive in town and the night you return from your jungle trek. Obviously, if you want to stay longer in Bukit Lawang, that is a possibility since the town does have a certain charm to it, nestled along the river that serves as the natural border between man and jungle. Depending on your level of desired comfort, Bukit Lawang offers accommodation suited for all types of travelers. Things to keep in mind when booking accommodations are that some homestays/hostels do not have WiFi, some can arrange tours and expect you to arrange tours with them when booking at their location. Find accommodations here : WHERE TO STAY IN BUKIT LAWANG The only place I can truly recommend is Sahnan Guest House , the price is fair for the quality of the rooms, it has reliable WiFi and has a decent restaurant on-site. It is also located close to Gunung Leuser National Park entrance.

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Bukit Lawang Jungle Trek (Hiking In Gunung Leuser National Park)

Last Updated: February 7 2024

Gunung Lesuer National Park is one of the most magical destinations in North Sumatra . This UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the richest tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia. As such, you’ll find a wide variety of wildlife here.

Although it’s the second-largest national park in Sumatra, there are only two main access points. One of these is Bukit Lawang and we absolutely loved our time here.

If you’re planning a Bukit Lawang Jungle Trek in this amazing national park then we’ve got you covered. This guide will take you through everything you need to know including how to get there, where to stay, and how to choose your tour.

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Table of Contents

How to get to Gunung Leuser National Park

There are two entrance points to Gunung Lesuer National Park , Bukit Lawang and Ketambe. Both villages are very remote, but they are accessible, so let’s dive into the details.

If you’re travelling to Bukit Lawang, you can take a shared taxi or tourist bus from the main tourist spots (Medan, Berastagi , and Lake Toba). The price will differ depending on where you’re travelling from, but it will cost you around 210,000 IDR (about £10.60). Local buses are also available from Medan Airport.

If you’re heading to Ketambe, it’s a very long bus ride from Medan (Sumatra’s capital city). Shared taxis and private transfers are available, but local buses are an option too.

If you opt for the local buses expect the journey to take between 10-20 hours. You’ll also need to make several changeovers so it’s not the most convenient option. That’s why Bukit Lawang is so popular. The price is typically around 150,000 IDR (£about £7.50) per person.

Jungle Trekking in Gunung Leuser National Park

Going on an orangutan trek in Gunng Leauser is one of the best things to do in Sumatra ! Not only does this national park offer you a great chance to spot these incredible apes (among other wildlife) but you’ll be exploring one of Asia’s most beautiful rainforests.

Gunung Leuser National Park is truly wild and covers around 1 million hectares. There are several different types of hikes you can do in this park so it’s best to do your research. Many people opt for just one day, while others prefer a multi-day experience where you can camp.

No matter which option you choose, just make sure you’re appropriately kitted out as this experience certainly isn’t a walk in the park).

If you’re planning a jungle trek from Bukit Lawang , then you’ll need a guide. To help you have the best experience, we’ll dive into who we chose and our experience a bit later on!

How difficult is jungle trekking in Gunung Lesuer National Park?

When planning a Sumatra jungle trek, you must know what to expect. Hiking in Gunung Leuser is an amazing experience but it’s not without its challenges (especially the humidity).

However, in all honesty, we didn’t find the hike as difficult as we first thought. Sure, we were out of breath at times and very hot, but it wasn’t too bad!

In fact, while hiking through the jungle, we saw people of all ages on these treks. What’s great is that the guides suit the experience to a person’s fitness and age, so you don’t have to worry. If you’re concerned, speak to them in advance to discuss the different options.

Alternatively, opt for a hike with river tubing included. Essentially, you’ll hike through the rainforest and then tube along the Bohorok River back to Bukit Lawang. This means you won’t have to hike back so you can save your legs!

What Wildlife can you see in Gunung Leuser National Park?

As one of the most biologically diverse conservation areas on Earth, it’s no surprise that you can spot a variety of wildlife in Gunung Leuser (also known as Mount Leuser National Park).

Around 750 different animal species call this national park home, including 200 mammals. These include the Sumatran elephant, Sumatran tiger, Sumatran rhinoceros, sun bear, and gibbon.

However, Gunung Leuser is best known for its Sumatran orangutans. There are only around 13,000 left in the world and this national park is one of the only places in the world you can spot them.

As well as 380 bird species and around 190 reptiles and amphibians, Gunung Leuser is home to approximately 10,000 plant species. There’s so much to see so keep your eyes peeled!

Going on a Bukit Lawang jungle trek is the best way to spot wildlife. The longer you trek through the jungle, the higher your chances.

How to choose a Bukit Lawang Jungle Trek

When choosing a jungle trekking tour in Bukit Lawang there are a few things to think about. First of all, you want to pick a tour guide who’s suited to you, and who will adjust the trek accordingly to your needs.

Although many people look for an English-speaking guide, this isn’t entirely necessary in our experience. Our guide could communicate well with us, but he wasn’t fluent in English (neither are we sometimes haha), and this didn’t impact our jungle hike at all. As such, we wouldn’t prioritise this one too much!

The main thing we will say is that you want an ethical experience. Some of the tour guides don’t care for the wildlife, only the money that tourism brings in. You want to avoid these tours at all costs as they will only ruin this exciting experience for you.

To book your Bukit Lawang trek, you can wait until you arrive or you can arrange it in advance.

Who should you book your Bukit Lawang jungle trek with?

Although there are tons of great options for jungle trekking tours in Bukit Lawang, we’d recommend going with Putra. He owns Fun Family Guest House which is where we stayed and he’s an incredible guide.

After researching a lot online, we found his tours to have great reviews. He came highly recommended and it was noted by other travellers how much he cared about the animals. Having an ethical tour guide was a necessity so that’s what convinced us.

After talking to Putra, we could see the passion he had for this National Park and its wildlife. He told us that it’s illegal for guides to try and feed the Orangutans to get them closer to tourists but it still happens. Putra told us how angry it made him, and that’s when we knew we had absolutely chosen the right guide!

Our Bukit Lawang Jungle trek Experince

Jungle trekking in Indonesia will leave you with memories to last a lifetime, especially in Gunung Leuser. Unfortunately, as we’d already booked our flight out of Sumatra, we were limited on time, so decided to do a one-day hike into the rainforest.

Our jungle trek with Putra started at 8 am and we returned back to the guesthouse for around 3:30 pm. He really made the most of our time, as many of the other full-day tours we looked at only lasted 5-6 hours.

Repeatedly Putra told us he wasn’t worried about time, and whenever we spotted an animal, he told us to take our time and stay as long as we wanted. This was a huge bonus for us!

Throughout the hike, we also had plenty of breaks, and Putra packed so much food for us. This includes Nasi Goreng served in a bamboo leaf and lots of tropical fruit.

As with many of the local guides here, he was extremely knowledgeable and it didn’t take us long to spot wild orangutans. Thanks to him, we saw seven orangutans, five gibbons, lots of Thomas Leaf Monkeys, and plenty of birds. We also got to see claw marks that had been left on a tree by sun bears.

Although we only did a one-day hike, Putra also offers multi-day hikes. He was telling us stories about previous tours he’d run, including one where his group had spotted a Sumatran tiger and a group of Sumatran elephants!

What Are The Prices Of The Jungle Treks?

The price of a Bukit Lawang jungle trek will differ depending on who you choose and the package you opt for. The jungle treks range from day hikes to 9+ multi-day hikes, where you’ll camp out in the jungle. Naturally, the latter will be much more expensive.

Multi-day hikes can cost anywhere from £70 (for two days) up to £600 (or a week), so prices vary a lot. Unfortunately, we could only fit in a day trek while exploring Sumatra as we were limited on time. A full-day hike with Putra from Fun Family Guest House cost us around £39 each. This included lunch and snacks.

In general, the price of jungle trek tours seems to have increased in the last few years (perhaps thanks to the pandemic). As such, prices may be more now so just keep that in mind. Of course, in our opinion, it’s more about finding a guide that you’re best suited to.

Tips for your Bukit Lawang Jungle Trek

Here are some travel tips to ensure you have the best experience jungle trekking in Sumatra:

• It’s mandatory to visit Gunung Lesuer National Park with a guide. When planning your trip, be aware that there’s also a daily entrance fee to the national park which you’ll need to pay.
• You’ll likely come across ground leeches when you’re hiking through the jungle. To avoid these critters wear long pants and tuck them into your socks. However, even that may not be enough!
• Pack waterproof clothing, especially if you’re visiting in the wet season. Due to the humidity, we’d also recommend wearing light cotton clothing or moisture-wicking clothing.
• If you can, visit with a good quality camera and zoom lens. Although we paid just £100 for our zoom lens, we got some awesome close-up shots of the orangutans!
• Stay quiet while trekking through the forest. If you’re making a lot of noise and raising your voice, you’ll spook the more elusive creatures. Just follow your guide’s lead and we’re sure you’ll get lucky.

Where to stay in Bukit Lawang

Budget: Fun Family Guest House

If you’re looking for a low-cost option check out Fun Family Guest House. This is where we stayed in Bukit Lawang. The rooms are only very basic but cost just £4, and you’ll have a private bathroom.

The main reason to visit this guest house is the owner as he’s a fantastic jungle guide. We did our Bukit Lawang jungle trek with him, and we had such a fabulous experience. The prices are reasonable too.

Budget: Thomas’ Retreat Bukit Lawang

At Thomas’ Retreat Bukit Lawang, you can choose from a variety of rooms. Each one offers a private bathroom and some of them sleep up to four people making this place a great option for families.

If you stay here, you’ll also benefit from the property’s amenities. These include a 24-hour front desk, an on-site restaurant, and an outdoor fireplace. Bike hire is available too and there’s a picnic area.

Mid-range: Garden Inn

Although more expensive than the previous two, Garden Inn is still very affordable. You’ll be staying in a beautiful location and there’s a terrace and garden area that you can enjoy.

Here, you can stay in a room or bungalow, some of which sleep up to 6 people. Some of these rooms also have a balcony. The great thing about this property is that it includes breakfast and free WiFi.

Frequently asked questions about jungle trekking in Sumatra

How long do you need in Bukit Lawang?

For the best experience, we’d recommend spending at least 2-3 days in Bukit Lawang. This gives you enough time to go on a day hike or two, as well as relax in this traditional jungle village.

Some people do spend a day here but in our opinion, that’s not enough. The longer you spend in Bukit Lawang, the more chance you’ve got of spotting orangutans and other wildlife.

Where is the best place to trek with orangutans?

Gunung Leuser is one of the best places to visit if you’re looking to spot orangutans. Both wild and semi-wild orangutans call this place home (there’s an orangutan rehabilitation centre nearby).

Here, you can go out on both day treks and multi-day treks to spot these elusive creatures. You’ll have a local guide with you at all times who knows the best places to spot them too!

How do you prepare for a jungle hike?

When it comes to a Bukit Lawang jungle trek, you’ll want to prepare yourself. The heat and humidity can be a shock to the system, so drink plenty of water and wear light cotton clothing.

In terms of fitness, just make sure you’re heading out on daily walks beforehand. The hiking trails in the park aren’t too treacherous, but you’ll want to be mindful of tangled roots as you go.

Is Sumatra or Borneo better to see orangutans?

We’ve visited both Sumatra and Borneo and each destination has something special to offer. Both of them offer the chance to spot wild orangutans, so the choice is yours.

Gunung Leuser is one of the best places to visit in Sumatra if you’re looking to spot these great apes. In Borneo, Kinabatangan River, Danum Valley, and Tabin Wildlife Reserve are your best options!

Final Thoughts on trekking in Sumatra

Going on a Bukit Lawang jungle trek is a must for any Sumatra bucket list. Not only will you get to hike through an incredible rainforest, but there are endless wildlife-watching opportunities.

Whether you’re after a day tour or an overnight jungle trek, there are tons of options from Bukit Lawang. Just look for a guide who’s most suited to you, and check that the tour will be an ethical experience.

If you have any questions about trekking in Bukit Lawang then be sure to get in touch with us via Facebook, Instagram, or in the comments!

Here are some other guides you may find helpful:

• Visiting Sipiso Piso Waterfall
• Hiking Up Gunung Sibayak
• Sumatra Travel Guide

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Abbie Bevan

I breathe all things travel and nature, with my favourite place being the great outdoors! After exploring 3 continents, I’ve discovered my passion for travelling on a budget, and I want to help you all do the same. I honestly believe travel broadens the mind which is why I want to share all of our adventures!

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The Gunung Leuser National Park

The Gunung Leuser National Park is one of the richest tropical rainforests in South East Asia and is located in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and placed on a list of world heritage sites in danger in 2011,

the Gunung Leuser National Park covers around 1,095,000 ha in northern Sumatra and has amongst one of the most diverse

biodiversity in the world by housing thousands species of indigenous animals, insects and plants. This amazing rainforest provides also a home for endangered and protected species like the Sumatran Tiger, Rhinoceros, Slow Loris, Elephant and of course the wonderful people of the forest, the Sumatran Orangutans!

A rainforest with a unique biodiversity

The rainforest covers around 1,095,000 ha and peaks at 3,404 m with the summit of Gunung Leuser which gave the name to the National Park ! Its unique eco-system hides rivers, volcanoes and lakes. This rainforest is the most  biodiverse in South East Asia with an amazing fauna & flora. It hosts approximately 750 different animal species – more than 200 mammals, 580 birds, 300 reptiles and amphibians. It is the only place in the world where you can see the big Sumatran mammals Tiger, Rhino, Elephant & of course the Sumatran Orangutans. Amongst these 200 mammals species, there are 8 species of primates living in the jungle : the Siamang, the Thomas Leaf Monkey, the White-Handed Gibbon, the Pig-tailed Macaque, The Long-tailed Macaque, the Silver Leaf Monkey and the Slow Loris. The Gunung Leuser National Park also has an enormous richness of plant species. The flora contains approximately 10.000 plant species, including the spectacular Rafflesia Arnoldi and Amorphophallus titanum, the biggest and the highest flower in the world.

Threaten by palm oil plantations

The wonderful Gunung Leuser National Park is an UNESCO World Heritage Site (listed 2004). In 2011 it was placed on the list of world heritage sites in danger. Scientists estimate that 98% of Indonesia’s forests will be destroyed by 2022 and Greenpeace estimates that Indonesia destroys about 51 square kilometers of forests every day, equivalent to 300 football fields every hour.

The biggest threats to the rainforest in North Sumatra, are of course palm oil plantations, mining concessions and induced road development, agricultural encroachment but also illegal logging and poaching. In recent years efforts are undertaken for conservation purposes including attempts to establish community forests as well as other community development activities, and many tropical forests are now under government protection. However the extinction of endemic species especially plants and some of the world’s most endangered animal species remain a great threat!

Home of many endangered species

The 1,095,000 hectares of tropical rainforest which make up Gunung Leuser National Park is one of the last places in Indonesia where the increasingly endangered Sumatran Rhinos, Tigers, Elephants and Orangutans all live. Due to the increasing threats (deforestation, forest degradation, loss of habitat, etc.) to Sumatran rainforest ecosystems, all these endangered species and other fauna & flora species could disappear in the year to come. 

Visiting Bukit Lawang is a good way to save the rainforest ! 

UNESCO and Gunung Leuser NP are collaborating to improve the Gunung Leuser National Park conditions and local capacities for ecotourism market development, as well as promoting the National Park as an international ecotourism stop. The example of Bukit Lawang has shown that tourism can make a difference in changing the attitude of communities towards the rainforest. Once local communities start receiving incentives from the presence of tourism, they will support and protect the biodiversity in the Park and significantly reduce forest crimes in these areas . 

Bukit Lawang Adventure

• Bukit Lawang
• Gunung Leuser National Park
• Travel Tips
• Half Day Jungle Trek
• One Day Jungle Trek
• Two Days Jungle Trek
• Three Days Jungle Trek
• Four Days Jungle Trek
• Five Days Jungle Trek
• Sumatran Village Tour
• Tangkahan Elephant Tour
• Tube Rafting
• Bat Caves Tour
• Ship Caves Tour
• 6-day Bukit Lawang – Berastagi Tour
• 6 day tour Bukit Lawang – Lake Toba
• 8-day Bukit Lawang-Berastagi-Lake Toba tour
• Transportation

See wildlife up close

Experience real jungle, go on an adventure.

This adventurous overnight trek in Gunung Leuser National Park is the most popular option to discover and really experience the tropical rainforest of North Sumatra. During this two-day trek you will go deeper into the jungle, which doubles your chances of seeing orangutans up-close in their natural habitat.

First day  Around 9AM, your English speaking, licensed guide will pick you up from your guesthouse in Bukit Lawang. From there you will walk towards the border of the Gunung Leuser National Park. The walk towards the park is already a great experience. There is a chance to encounter some monkeys, you will pass a garden and a rubber plantation. Your guide will explain about the animals and how rubber is made. Another 10 minute walk will bring you to the entrance of the park. From here you will start your jungle adventure.

During this two day trek you will have a great chance of observing a wide variety of wildlife, which your guide will point out to you. He will explain about all plant species and animals you will encounter in the rainforest. Animals such as orangutans, gibbons, Thomas leaf monkeys, Sumatran Great Argus, pigtail macaques, flying squirrels and hornbills. But you will also see beautiful species of trees and tropic plants.

Half way your trek, your guide will bring you to have a fulfilling lunch in what we call ‘the jungle restaurant’, a place on higher ground which overlooks the jungle. After lunch you will continue your trek for around 3 hours more towards the campsite, while looking for more wildlife, more species of plants and trees. Around 4PM you will arrive at the campsite near the river where you will stay overnight. There is time to relax with a cup of coffee or tea, to go for a swim and rest while your dinner is prepared.

At night time you can enjoy a campfire cooked meal, consisting of several Indonesian dishes. After dinner there is time to play games, sit near the campfire and discuss your jungle experience. Being in the jungle at night time is a completely different experience; there are different animals, different sounds and of course a mesmerizing sky full or stars. You will spend the night in a tent made of bamboo and plastic sheets. Falling asleep and waking up to the sounds of monkeys, birds, insects and Bohorok River is an incredible experience.

Second day  The following morning you will eat a campfire made breakfast and there is time to relax and take a swim. After breakfast you can either start your trek back to the village (around 3 or 4 hours), or relax, swim and enjoy your time at a nearby waterfall when chosen to go back by ‘jungle taxi’ (surcharge).

Also on the second day, a lunch is served. You will eat in the jungle on your way back to Bukit Lawang or at the waterfall before tube-rafting down Bohorok River.

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Climbing the Mountains of Indonesia & Malaysia

Leuser (“Tanpa Nama”)

• Elevation: 3,466 m (11,371 ft)
• Prominence: 2,940 m
• Ribu category: Sangat Tinggi
• Province: Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam
• Google Earth: kml
• Other names: none

Bagging It!

The Gunung Leuser National Park, proclaimed in 1980, lies within the provinces of North Sumatera and Aceh. The Park is split into eastern and western regions by the Kuta Cane ‘rift’ valley running southwards from Gayo country in the highlands of central Aceh to Karo Batak country in North Sumatera. The Alas River flows from the western highlands of Aceh into this ‘rift’ valley following its course to the south. Excellent white-water rafting in rainy periods! Peaks, of interest to trekkers, lie in both the eastern and western sections of the Park. Those on the eastern side are of volcanic origin, and, on the western side, are of ancient, uplifted, sedimentary formations (non-volcanic).

The Leuser Range lies in the western section of the Gunung Leuser National Park in Aceh. The National Park, in this region, is totally devoid of human habitation, and is billed as the largest wilderness area and longest wilderness trek in South-East Asia.

Peaks on the Leuser Range

There are three main peaks on the Leuser Range of interest to trekkers – Gunungs ‘Tanpa Nama’, Loser and Leuser. It is often assumed, incorrectly, that the highest peak on the Leuser Range is Gunung Leuser when in fact it is Gunung ‘Tanpa Nama’. Gunung Leuser is the lowest of the three peaks.

BAKOSURTANAL, the Indonesian Survey and Mapping Agency, provides the names and locations of Loser and Leuser on their topographical maps. Gunung Leuser National Park (GLNP) authorities have adopted these names and locations consistent with those provided by BAKOSURTANAL in their brochure:  Pendakian Gunung Leuser 3,119 MDPL (Climbing Mount Leuser 3,119 m ASL). The brochure also identifies the location of Gunung ‘Tanpa Nama’.

The altitude, coordinates and prominence of the three summits (BAKOSURTANAL data where available; otherwise GPS reading – August 2014) are:

• ‘Tanpa Nama’ (true summit): 3,466 m (11,371 ft); 3.7975 N (3°47’51″N), 97.1219 E (97°13’18”E); prominence 2,940 m (9,646 ft)
• Loser: 3,404 m (11,178 ft); 3.7566 N (3°45’24″N), 97174 E (97°10’24”E); prominence 319 m (1,047 ft)
• Leuser: 3,119 m (10,348 ft); 3.7413 N (3°45’24″N), 97.1551 E (97°9’18”E); prominence 107 m (351 ft)

Gunung ‘Tanpa Nama’ is the highest peak on the Leuser Range and the second highest peak in Sumatra after Mount Kerinci (3,805 m, 12,484 ft). The peak lies inland from the escarpment, is easy to climb and offers spectacular views in all directions of five-six ranges of mountains in the distance each with declining hues of blue, as well as of the trekking route from Puncak Angkasan via the Pepanyi and Bipak ridges to the Leuser Range. It seems that few trekkers seek to reach its true summit as evidenced by the poorly formed track.

The mountain has two knolls: a painted sign on the lower knoll (3,455 m, 11,335 ft) reads “Puncak Tanpa Nama” (summit of Mount ‘Tanpa Nama’). On the higher, more prominent knoll to the north-east, the true summit (3,466m), a plague embedded in a cement block reads, “Prof Dr Syamsuddin Mahmud, Governor Aceh, 1977 …”.

The name, Gunung ‘Tanpa Nama’, literally means mountain ‘without a name’ in Indonesian. BAKOSURTANAL does not attribute a name to this peak on its 1977 map series; only the altitude of the lower knoll is indicated. A formal name for this peak may appear if and when BAKOSURTANAL issues new topographical maps of Sumatra.

Gunungs Loser and Leuser, by comparison with Gunung ‘Tanpa Nama’, rise from the east with precipitous drop-offs on their western faces over the rugged escarpment towards the west coast of Aceh. Most trekkers set Mount Loser as their objective being the higher and more accessible of the two peaks. Both offer spectacular views. Leuser in particular offers unimpeded views of the west coast of Aceh – from Tampak Tuan in the south to Blang Pidi on the north in clear weather.

The Ecology of Sumatra (Periplus, 2000. p. 310) informs that Loser is derived from a Gayo word meaning, “place where animals go to die”. Mr. Rajajalli, guide/operator, Rain Forest Lodge, Kedah, www.gunung-leuser-trek.net, provides a not-unrelated folklore story: a Dutch officer was hunting deer on the Leuser Range in colonial times and accidentally shot his hunting partner on the Loser peak. The porters, accompanying the party, used the Gayo word, los, meaning “dead” to describe the fate of the partner; Gunung Loser thus acquired its name. But how Leuser acquired its so-closely-related name remains obscure.

The Kedah-Leuser Return Trek

The Leuser Range is one of the most remote regions of Indonesia (along with parts of Papua and Kalimantan). With an experienced guide and sound porters, it is an exhilarating but long and, in some parts, tough trek. Allow at least 10-12 days in total, including for bad weather/rest and 2-3 days on the Leuser Range if you plan on climbing all three peaks.

Treks normally start at Desa (village) Kedah, Kecamatan (sub-district) Kuta Panjang, Kabupaten (district) Blangkejeren. There are two options: Kedah-Leuser-return, by the same route (12 days – about 120 kms); and, a much more difficult one-way route, Kedah-Leuser-West Coast (14 days), emerging somewhere near Manggeng or Labuhan Hajji on the west coast of Aceh. The latter is a serious undertaking requiring very experienced guide/porters and food carried from start to finish. For the Kedah-Leuser-return trek, food drops can be made en route thereby progressively reducing loads.

Start Point: Kedah (1,220 m) is reached from Medan by car in one long day (or two days over-night at Berastagi, Kutacane or Ketambe). Kedah can also be reached from Bireuen, in northern Aceh, via Danau (lake) Takengon in the Aceh central highlands. (Suggested car hire in Medan: Pak Ramadhan, 0813 7018 3448).

Guide and Porters: We began our trek at Rain Forest Lodge, operated by Pak Rajajalli (Jalli), 0813 6229 1844.  https://sites.google.com/site/mountleusertrekking/home . Pak Jalli has much accumulated knowledge and experience having trekked in the region since 1981 and is dedicated to the conservation of the Gunung Leuser National Park. He will arrange guide/porters and permits. It may be easier to speak to his son, Rabudin, who in 2018 has WhatsApp (+62822 7222 6213) and email [email protected] .

Fees/Permits: as of August, 2014, the Gunung Leuser National Park authorities have set fees per trekker per day: Indonesian – Rp 5,000/7,500; foreigner – Rp 150,000/225,000. You need to email your plan well in advance and then visit the TNGL Park HQ in Medan to collect permission letters. Bring photocopies of ID/passports. For safety purposes, parties must be accompanied by an experienced guide and consist of a minimum of three persons.

Maps: The relevant BAKO maps are series 50-0-ed, 0519-63, scale 1:50,000, 1977. The trek from Kedah to the Leuser Range is within this map. A second map, to the south, is needed for Gunung Leuser. These maps provide an overview of the terrain but, with a guide and GPS, are not essential. Ask your guide the Gunung Leuser National Park brochure: Pendakian Gunung Leuser 3,119 MDPL (Climbing Mount Leuser 3,119 m ASL) that shows the trek and camp sites superimposed on a satellite photo of the region.

Trekking Season: northern Sumatera has two drier periods: February-March and July-August. The latter corresponds with university holidays when many groups undertake the trek. The Leuser trek is becoming increasingly popular amongst Indonesians and foreigners – some 10 groups in 2010, and 30 in 2014.

Weather: Much of the trek is between about 2,400 and 3,000 ms. Temperatures drop to around 5-10 C before sunrise but are pleasant during the day. The weather is predictable most days: cloud (kabut) rising from the east and/or west around mid-morning often blanketing the entire region by afternoon when drizzle (grimis) begins; sometimes heavy rain (deras) in late afternoon/evening; late nights/early mornings are normally cloud free. Of course, substantial weather systems can come in from the Indian Ocean or South China Sea depending upon seasons. Rely upon your guide for when and where to set camp on account of weather. They don’t want to trek in the rain anymore than you do!

The Track: Your guide will know the route, camp sites and seasonal sources of water well, and anticipate time and distance to the next camp and when/where to set camp. Don’t underestimate the degree of difficulty of the track – much is through moss/cloud forest, climbing up/down/over tree roots, negotiating “floating floors” of moss and peat, scrambling under and over fallen trees, etc. Prickly rattan plants are a continuous bother. Perseverance and stamina are required.

Size of party and porters: we would advise that groups should not exceed four tents – camp space is often limited and, for every extra trekker, one or two additional porters may be required. Guide and porters also require tent/cooking space, which increases size of party and pressure on camp space. Discuss with your guide, in advance, whether you will carry your own heavy pack (or day pack only) so that porters can be arranged accordingly. Trekkers/porters should be prepared to share the load in the event of either being incapacitated.

Trekking Days: Depending on your speed and good use of daylight, 10-12 days should be allocated for the trek: 5-6 days from Kedah to the Leuser range; 2-3 days on the Leuser range if your plan on climbing all three peaks; 3-4 days return to Kedah. Allow for delays due to rain (which are also opportunities for rest). The return trek normally takes less time because the trek is on average downhill, trekkers are fitter and loads much less.

Camp Sites: These are numerous providing some flexibility when and where to set camp in the event of bad weather. Most are limited to 4-5 tents including tents for guide/porters who have their pre-determined places near the fire for cooking and warmth. In the interests of safety, agreed names should always be used for all campsites. Names used in this report are as per brochure issued by the Gunung Leuser National Park and endorsed by Pak Jalli, Rainforest Lodge.

Distance and time between camps: the National Park brochure indicates distance between camps – a total distance from Kedah to Gunung Leuser of 50 kms (our GPS indicated approx. 60 kms). But, time between camps is a more useful guide because it takes account of terrain, etc. Times, reported below, are for medium-strong trekkers – the pace that porters would normally maintain including their frequent cigarette stops. (Note: e.g., 1:45 hrs = 1 hour and 45 minutes.)

Water: during wet periods, water is available at most camp sites often in soaks, a hole dug in the ground where surface water accumulates during rain (exceptions: Camps Simpang Air and Perpayi). Water in dry periods is more problematic – see below by campsite. As there is no human habitation in the mountains, water is generally uncontaminated. Boil or use disinfectant tablets if you have concerns.

Food: Our guide provided a basic diet of rice, mie and dried fish with onions and chilli for breakfast and dinner, and biscuits for lunch – plus tea and coffee. Foods such as muesli, dried fruits and nuts, freeze dried vegetables, cheese, Milo, etc are a welcome addition. Porters cook over open fires with a pot for rice and wok for mie, onions, chilli, etc. Your own small saucepan, mug and spoon will come in handy.

Contingency Planning: Ensure that your group has adequate medical supplies. Think through what you would do if a member sprained an ankle or worse, the need for your group to split up, or emergency evacuation by stretcher or helicopter. Consider carrying a satellite phone. Camp Padang Rumput (2,404 m) has been used as a base for helicopter SAR.

Overview of the Trek: The trek involves five stages corresponding to ridges traversed. Transferring from one ridge to another often involves steep descents/ascents. From Rain Forest Lodge, ascend via the Angkasan Ridge to Puncak Angkasan (2,916 m). Descend along the Kulit Manis (cinnamon) Ridge. Cross over onto Pepanyi Ridge following the upper reaches of the Alas River. Descend to and wade across the Alas River. Ascend and traverse the Bipak Ridge. After reaching the Krueng Kluet streams, climb up onto the Leuser Range.

Angkasan Ridge

Rain Forest Lodge (1,346 m) or Resort, Kedah (1,220m): climb through local forest, tobacco fields and enter tall, dense lower-montane forest at the entrance to the National Park. About 100 m inside the Pintu Rimba, ‘entrance to the forest’, a path to the right leads to a campsite used by Rain Forest Lodge for wildlife tours; continue ahead – long, steep ascent (about 1,600 m) to Puncak Angkasan.

Camp Simpang Air (2,270 m; 2:30 hrs; poor campsite, no potable water in wet/dry season): enter upper-montane forest; trees diminishing in height and density.

Camp Bivak I (2,580 m; 1:30 hrs; reasonable campsite; 5-6 tents; no water in dry season); enter sub-alpine forest with moss forest in damp glades.

Puncak Angkasan (2,916 m in elevation – prominence of approximately 639 m; 2:45 hrs): peak marked by a cement trig point, T3356 (survey plague removed by ‘trophy-hunting’ trekkers!); short descend to ‘Angkasan Intersection’ where you can continue to Camp Angkasan (2,906 m; 0:15 hrs; good camp site; water) or, turn right and begin the descent of Kulit Manis Ridge.

Kulit Manis Ridge

Kulit Manis ridge is characterized by knolls of burnt, regenerating scrubs and heavy undergrowth with moss forest in deep depressions.

Camp Kulit Manis I (2,833 m; 1:00 hrs; 3-4 tents; no water in dry periods).

Camp Kulit Manis II (2,750 m.; 1:10 hrs; 4-5 tents; no water in dry periods). From here, the trail drops steeply down into moss forest before rising towards the hilltop of Kulit Manis III.

Camp Kulit Manis III (2,616 m; 1:15 hrs; 4-5 tents; no water in dry periods).

Pepanyi Ridge

The track now passes over to the Pepanyi Ridge. It drops steeply and enters moss forest with many trees/tree roots lying across the path before rising onto the Pepanyi ridge. This ridge follows the course of the upper reaches of the Alas River passing over two peaks, including Gunung Pepanyi (2,440 m). Most of the trek, until emerging into the open country at Camp Padang Rumput, is through heavy moss forest – laborious, uninteresting trekking! Tigers apparently frequent Pepanyi and have be seen unexpectedly! We did not see any tigers but did see their droppings.

Camp Lintas Badak (rhinoceros trail) (2,333 m; 1:30 hrs; 4-5 tents; water). This trail, and four others that are crossed on the Pepanyi ridge (still quite visible), were used by rhinoceros when moving between the Alas River and their feeding grounds to the north – until they were shot out for their horns and became extinct in the area in the early 1990s (info: Pak Jalli).

Camp Pepanyi (2,433 m; 1:45 hrs; 4-5 tents; no potable water in wet or dry periods). This camp site is in heavy moss forest, not comfortable, and should be avoided.

A welcome respite from the moss forest is a wonderful view of a waterfall on the Alas River, about 0:45 hrs from Camp Pepanyi.

After about another 1:45 hrs, climbing up and over Gunung Pepanyi, the ecology changes abruptly from dense moss forest to open, low alpine bush on shallow soils derived from sedimentary rock. This point is known as the Pintu Rimba, ‘entrance to the forest’; water.

Camp Padang Rumput (meadow) (2,404 m; 2:00 hrs; 4-5 tents; water from ‘soaks’). Porters favour this camp; open and relaxing, about half way through the trek, and offering first views of Leuser Range. From here, the track descends to the Alas River across open country and small streams with Rhododendrons in humid depressions. Wade across the Alas that, at this point, is normally a small, fast-flowing stream. Caution: flash floods can occur – anticipate heavy rain in the upper reaches before crossing.

Camp Alas: (2,285 m; 1:00 hrs; 5-6 tents; pure mountain stream water); a very pleasant camp on the southern side of the Alas River. The track now ascends gradually through open country and several humid depressions; several depressions are of particular interest for the many varieties of orchids dominating the vegetation.

Camp Rantau Panjang: (2,446 m; 1:00 hrs; 5-6 tents; no water in dry season). A pleasant, but exposed, campsite on a sloping grassy slope with views towards Leuser Range and back towards Puncak Angkasan.

Bipak Ridge

The trail now climbs steeply up onto the Bipak Ridge to alpine scrub dominated by rhododendron, magnolia, oak and other vegetation. The ridge comprises of a series of gentle knolls at around 2,900 m – pleasant trekking. The Bipak Ridge continues through Camp Putri to Camp Krueng Kluet.

Our guide informed that Bipak means place of rest; maybe, Bipak is a transliteration of “p” for “v”, i.e., bivak, derived from the French/English, bivouac.

Camp Kolam Badak (rhinoceros wallow); (2,733 m; 1:30 hrs; 3-4 tents; permanent waterhole). The tent area is not very flat. The waterhole is a reminder of the rhinoceros that used to inhabit the region. The track then passes over the highest point on the Bipak Range, Gunung Bipak III, (3,020 m).

Camp Bipak III (2,982 m; 2:10 hrs; 4-5 tents; no water). Good camp site, with great views.  The ridge narrows and the track, in places, follow the edge of the steep escarpment overlooking the rugged country to the west coast. Take care. Spectacular views towards the west coast begin to emerge.

Camp Putri (2,940 m; 2:00 hrs; broad sloping area; 5-6 tents; water below). Great panoramic views of the Leuser Range and its peaks and of the terrain to the west coast. Fire wood is now exhausted – porters will wish to camp elsewhere.

After an initial steep ascent, the track involves numerous ascents of alpine scrub knolls and descents into moss forest depressions until reaching the Krueng Kluet streams. This part of the trek is strenuous but compensated by great views of the Leuser Range as it comes into closer view.

Camp Bipak Kaleng (2,940 m; 2:00 hrs; 4 tents); wet during rain; no water in dry periods.

Camp Bipak Batu (2,950 m; 1:30 hrs; water; 5-6 tents); good camp with great views. From here, the track descends to the two streams, Krueng (stream) Kluet-1 and 2.

Camp Krueng Kluet (on the second stream); (2,920 m; 1:30 hrs; 4 tents; pure mountain water).

Leuser Range

Camp Krueng Kluet marks the end of the extended Bipak Ridge. From here, the track climbs steeply up onto the Leuser Range; rather long and laborious!

Camp Simpang Puncak Tanpa Nama, literally, ‘intersection to the mountain without a name’ (3,211 m; 1:30 hrs; water nearby but difficult in dry periods; 4-5 tents); also known more simply as Camp Simpang Tiga (T-junction).

The track divides here: the left track leads to Gunung Tanpa Nama; the track ahead leads onwards to Gunungs Loser and Leuser.

The true summit of Gunung Tanpa Nama (3,466 m) is reached through alpine scrub and meadows; an easy climb but, as few trekkers seek to climb this peak, the track is ill-defined and a guide who knows the track would be useful to navigate the scrub but not essential as the route to the peak is obvious.

The mountain has two knolls: a painted sign on the lower knoll (3,455m) reads “Puncak Tanpa Nama” (summit of Mount ‘Tanpa Nama’). Some Acehnese hikers know this peak as Puncak Tribuana. On the higher, more prominent knoll to the north-east, seemingly the true summit (3,466m), a plague embedded in a cement block reads, “Prof Dr Syamsuddin Mahmud, Governor Aceh, 1977 …” The trek to the lower knoll takes about 1:15 hrs and another 0:45 hrs to the true summit. About 4 kilometres to the south-east is another very high mountain ridge known as Karang Putih, the highest point of which is around 3,371m and this is very rarely visited, usually on expeditions of at least two weeks.

Camp Lapangan Bola (football field); (3,130 m; 1:15 hrs; 4-5 tents; water). This is a dry, sloping ridge above marshy swamps that can be very boggy after persistent rain.

Gunung Loser is climbed from here along a well-used track. Cairns of rocks guide trekkers to the summit over ill-defined parts of the track during heavy cloud.

Camp Summit Loser (3,404; 1:30 hrs; one tent at the trig point; water below; no firewood).  A camp at the summit offers the possibility of spectacular sunset and sunrise views. Otherwise, camp somewhere below the summit (4-5 tents; closer to water; limited firewood) and return to the summit for sunset and sunrise.

Gunung Leuser (3,119 m) is reached from Gunung Loser via the escarpment between the two peaks; about 1:45 hrs. Caution: in places the track overhangs the precipitous cliffs dropping down to the west coast. The track is not well defined as, it seems, few trekkers seek to climb Leuser.

Camp Danau (lake) Leuser lies below the final ascent of Gunung Leuser; a delightful little waterhole especially if you wish to see the sunset/rise from Leuser.

The return trek from Leuser to Loser takes more time as Leuser is some 250 m lower than Loser. A trek from Camp Lapangan Bola to Gunungs Loser and Leuser and return in one day is strenuous even for stronger trekkers. Better to camp at Loser, if time and weather permit, and make the trek to Leuser from there.

Information by Nicholas Hughes and Alfred Fahringer (August 2014), with minor updates by Dan Quinn (2019)

Local Accommodation

Practicalities.

• Getting there: One long day to reach the trailhead from Medan. Unless you arrive on the first flight of the day it is better to spend one night en-route. In 2018, a car and driver from Kuala Namu Airport to Kedah is Rp2,200,000 (one way!) but a seat in shared travel car from Medan to Blangkejeren is just Rp170,000 per person.
• Permits: Rather complex, and certainly not easy for those who are quite reasonably expecting an efficient process to allow them to go hiking. As of August, 2014, the Gunung Leuser National Park authorities have set fees per trekker per day: Indonesian – Rp 5,000/7,500 (weekends and holidays); foreigner (even those who have KITAS/KITAP) – Rp 150,000/225,000 (weekends and holidays). Bring photocopies of ID/passports and best email the National Park in advance using [email protected] and/or WhatsApp message to Lila on +6281362228752. You need a formal letter to the head of the Park requesting permission for your group to hike and giving details such as equipment used and itinerary. Taking photographs on the trek using your handphone is fine, but if you wish to use a traditional camera then you are supposed to pay an additional Rp250,000, which seems rather excessive to us. You also need to pay a small sum for ‘materai’ (stamps over which you sign the contract) – these stamps costs Rp6,000 each but you may need 5 or more for your group. You also need a recent Doctor’s letter for each trekker saying that he or she is fit enough to undertake the trek. You need to arrange permits in advance with the office on Jl Selamat in Medan, North Sumatra and sign and collect the ‘SIMAKSI’ on the way to the mountain. For safety purposes, parties must be accompanied by an experienced guide and consist of a minimum of three persons. Note that women should be prepared to wear a jilbab in Kedah and Aceh in general, but thankfully it is not essential once you are trekking in the mountains.
• Water sources: Your guides and porters will advise how much to bring, but best have two water bottles per person to fill up as you go on.

Local Average Monthly Rainfall (mm):

Links and References

Wikipedia English Wikipedia Indonesia

11 thoughts on “Leuser (“Tanpa Nama”)”

I’m back in Jakarta early, after turning around just a few hours into the Leuser hike. The other 3 hikers, plus 3 porters and one guide, have continued and I hope their expedition is a success and that they have decent weather. The following is an outline of what happened, from the very beginning of planning the hike to deciding to turn around and go home early.

Obviously a trek of this length (10 days, 50 something kilometres each way = over 100km return) needs planning well in advance if you have a regular job and limited time off work, and to keep costs reasonable you need a group of 3 or 4. More than 4 and you may struggle to have enough comfortable i.e. flat space at the small camp areas. Once I had the dates fixed based on the term dates at the school I teach at, the response to my email invitation to those on the Gunung Bagging mailing list to join was pretty poor, but this has been the way of things since the beginning back in 2009. Folk tend to want to join trips to famous places over 2 or 3 days (eg the 3000m volcanoes in Java), but anything more obscure or long is much less popular. Finally, 3 experienced Indonesian hikers joined so we were ready to start on planning the trip properly.

I was really looking forward to it, but a little bit apprehensive about such a long hike in terms of days away, and had a good chat with Nick in Jakarta about his experiences having hiked the range twice.

The paperwork for Leuser is laborious now and – for foreigners – expensive. Whereas in previous years you could simply show up at Kedah near Blangkejeren and find a guide ready to set out the next day or so, more recently everything is much more formal and time-consuming, involving submitting requests and plans to the Taman Nasional Gunung Leuser office in Medan. I emailed the Park but received no reply for several days but managed to get a WhatsApp number for a staff member from a guide at the foot of the mountain itself.

I began by asking for the cost of SIMAKSI (basically permission to go hiking in the Leuser range) and they confirmed the daily prices – including the rate for non-Indonesians being 30 times (yes thirty times) the rate for Indonesian hikers. This is based on an Indonesian law which mentions only nationality (WNI – Warga Negara Indonesia versus WNA – Warga Negara Asing) and makes no room for the many foreigners who live, work and pay taxes locally here in Indonesia and thus already contribute to things like National Parks. Thus, a KITAS holder still pays 30 times the local rate per day. As we were going as a group of 1 foreigner and 3 Indonesians and I was the one doing all the arranging of permits, transport, guides, etc, we would split costs equally, but I – perhaps unwisely – mentioned to the Park staff that this was unfair discrimination given that I am a KITAS holder and that such treatment of foreigners in many countries would be illegal.

After this, the Park staff member became less responsive so I ended up being put in touch with another person at Park HQ in Medan to sort things out. The cost for a permit for a 10 day hike would be Rp1,752,000 in total, the majority of that being the cost of the 1 foreigner participating (me). This is not a nice way to get things started, but if you are a foreigner you have to simply accept this discrimination and hope the hike is worth it, or go somewhere else where you will be treated less as a foreigner and more as a human being.

You need health certificates stating you are fit to go hiking. These are simple to get hold of anywhere for a very modest fee if you have a BPJS card, and should be less than Rp50,000 even as a tourist. You need to email these along with your photo ID to the Park office in advance. You also need an outline plan for your hike itself. I was not provided with any guidelines, so simply wrote a letter in Indonesian asking for permission from the Park office to hike Gunung Leuser for ten days (March 20-29th 2019) plus the names, ID numbers, ages of the 4 participants. I sent this well in advance along with our IDs and health certificates. Despite the Park office receiving this months in advance of the hike, it was only the day before we were due to collect the permission documents that I received a message saying that it was not sufficiently detailed!

They forwarded an example from a Malaysian group who had recently hiked, which additionally detailed a reason for hiking (surely enjoyment of hiking should be enough but they expect a paragraph about interest in flora and fauna or similar), plus a detailed outline of each day and where you would be camping. Now, as any guide will tell you, it is virtually impossible to state with much confidence exactly where you will be camping each night on a ten-day hike, simply because that depends completely on the fitness and speed of the participants and the weather. But it seems it would be better to concoct something for this even though you know the reality is likely to be very different indeed. I simply replied that the guide was taking care of food and camp places would be largely determined by the weather. Perhaps realising it was unfair to wait until the last day after months of planning to request a new document, the Park staff used a standard template for the updated hiking plan document. If only they had sent me this example in the first place back in November.

You should also mention logistics, even though you will presumably have arranged this with your guide. Indeed, I sent 4 million rupiah in advance to Bang Rabudin (son of Pak Jally) to purchase all the food in advance so that we wouldn’t waste time on Day 1 waiting for them to go shopping. 4 million covers food for 8 people (4 participants plus 3 porters and 1 guide) so it works out at Rp50,000 per person per day for a 10 day hike, although they will buy a little bit more than strictly needed just incase you need to stay out on the mountain for an extra day or two. You could legitimately question having to pay for the food of porters and guides who are already getting paid for their work and would have to spend money on food even if they were sitting at home doing nothing instead rather than out on the mountains, but it seems to be standard, especially for these longer treks. You will also need to take snacks of your own unless you are happy with simple meals that will be rather monotonous after a few days out there. Light, nutritious things like muesli bars are recommended, plus special treats such as cheese or whatever.

Finally, the day arrived and we met in Medan to collect the paperwork from the HQ on Jalan Selamat and then head to the mountain. It took 1 hour to get to the office from Kualanamu airport, along congested narrow streets for the most part. Distance from Medan to Kedah near Blangkejeren is around 300km and requires around 10 hours (you really need to allow 12 to include traffic problems and meal breaks). Note that you could fly from Medan to Takengon using Wings Air – Takengon is only around 5 hours by road from the usual starting point at Kedah. However there are two issues with this…. There is a 10kg weight limit for Wings Air and it doesn’t seem likely that you could get permission to hike in Takengon. Thus, you need to stop in Medan on the way to get the paperwork to be allowed to hike.

You would think this would be straightforward after having told them of your plans several months ago. I told our driver I expected it to take about 20 minutes, after which we could get breakfast and be on our way on the long journey by road to Blangkejeren. Well, it ended up taking 2 hours and 20 minutes. I needed to provide 5 Rp6000 materai stamps for various documents. I had these ready, fortunately, or else it might have taken even longer. At times as I sat there, never once offered a coffee, I wondered if they were deliberately taking as long as possible in retaliation for me having weeks before said it was unfair to charge foreigners 30 times more and that I was not receiving sufficient responses from the initial Park staff I communicated with, or whether it was simply corruption-free Indonesian bureaucracy in action. Certainly, aside from the admittedly important factor of doing things the legal and proper way by visiting this office, there is very little incentive for hikers to have to suffer this procedure compared to just showing up in the village and seeing if it could be taken care of locally rather than in an office 300 kilometres away in a different province.

Near the end of this awfully long wait, one staff member returned from another building with 8 identical letters and envelopes. All of these letters needed folding and names of those they were meant to be delivered to written on the front of the envelope. One of these was our copy. Others were for a local mayor, the local police, plus various rather obscure addressees including for some bizarre reason a small immigration office in Takengon. Quite who would be expected to deliver the Takengon letter was not mentioned at all – it’s a ten hour return journey by car from the starting point! Anyway, it was taking him so long to prepare these that one of our team starting helping him by folding the letters! Surely one for the local police office and one for us would be sufficient.

If the National Park management genuinely has an interest in increasing the number of visitors to Gunung Leuser, it is pretty clear that they need to take a look at how they might make the procedure a lot, lot simpler and less time consuming. At present it is hard work – even vaguely traumatic. Who on this planet wants to spend their leisure time waiting for literally hours to be given permission to go trekking? Perhaps the powers that be are not interested at all, or perhaps they are simply incapable of seeing how this might not be the best start to a trip, especially when you have another 300km to travel to get to the starting point (where it would be much more convenient to be able to obtain permission). All of these things are blindingly obvious, so why do those with the authority either not see them or have no interest in improving matters? It is utterly mystifying, like something out of a Kafka novel. And to someone like myself who has spent a vast amount of time and money visiting and writing about the mountains of Indonesia for nothing but the sheer pleasure of mountaintop views it is pretty disrespectful.

It was lunchtime by now, and we hadn’t even had breakfast, most of us having flown from Jakarta at 5am and then gone straight to this office. We still had a very long car journey ahead of us – if you have the time I would recommend breaking the journey at Berastagi, Kutacane or Ketambe. The roads are windy and for the first section from Medan to Berastagi to Kabanjahe utterly clogged with trucks and in need of resurfacing and widening. It was fascinating to see so many churches over the border in Aceh as far as Kutacane – I expected zero churches and 100% jilbabs from the borderline but the reality is far from that as many Batak folk live as far up as Kutacane and there appears to be no visible problems whatsoever at present. It is a shame the tiny Alas Leuser and Blangkejeren airports are either too small or simply closed permanently for Wings Air to fly here as it would be ideal to save such a long drive in from Medan.

The mighty Alas river appears at one point on the left of the road…. And there are a few short landslide areas where tributaries have become swollen and destroyed riverside houses as the water rushes down into the Alas river, most notably at Natam.

There are a couple of checkpoints – one at the border and one further up beyond Ketambe, but these are more of an issue for travelling back south again from Aceh, as police seem to be focussed on preventing marijuana from being transported from Aceh into North Sumatra to be sold.

We called off at the Wisma Cinta Alam guesthouse and restaurant. After a lengthy storm and torrential downpour they had no electricity but they got the generator started so we could have a meal. Nice menu – clearly they see quite a few Western tourists here for the orangutans. I said as we were worrying about getting back after our hike in one day in time to check in around 4pm at Kualanamu that staying here on the way back (Rp150,000 per person) would be a good idea as we would be 3 hours (approximately) nearer than Kedah.

Kedah is not in Google Maps (except for Kedah in northern Malaysia) at the moment. Basically you need to search for the nearby town of Blangkejeren, Kedah is a few kilometres west of there around 15 minutes more by car. Blangkejeren has plenty of food shops, a petrol station, probably an ATM or two, plus a ‘travel’ (shared car service to Medan). The turning to Kedah is easily missed – a left turn with a few signs including one mentioning trekking to Loser and Leuser.

We arrived quite late – around 2230 or so – after the long day flying from Jakarta, waiting for the permit in Medan and then the long drive. There appears to be two accommodation options at the trailhead – in previous years you could stay on the edge of the forest, about one hour on foot from the village. Now it appears the simple resort/resor building in the village of Kedah is the place for hikers to spend the night prior to starting the trek (and also upon their return if required). Payment for staying in the simple building with a squat toilet and mattresses and a plug socket is up to you – Rp100,000 per person should be more than enough. Iff you need wifi just ask. You can buy simple snacks and water at the warung opposite but they had no large water bottles when we were there so I would recommend buying 2 big aquas enroute (eg. in Berastagi or Kutacane).

Bang Rabudin obviously knows what he is talking about, having hiked the mountains many times and now seemingly in charge of operations for the Leuser trek as his father Pak Jally gets a little older and leads less lengthy hikes. So I was a little disappointed after previous communication to find that Bang Rabudin would not be our guide. We gave them half payment in advance to give to their wives. He also needed a copy of our IDs for the local police, in addition to the permission letter from the Park office. He took photos on his phone. It seemed to be particularly important for me as a foreigner and it sounded like if I hadn’t had a KITAS I would have had to visit Blangkejeren police station before we could start – a real fuss is made over foreigners and it can get quite tiresome dealing with administrative task after administrative task.

At Rabudin’s house we had a simple breakfast and asked him about Leuser animals. Not many leeches he said, and not many snakes either. He showed us a framed photo he had taken of a Sumatran tiger up on the Leuser range at Camp Lapangan Bola – which is a favoured camp spot before Loser and Leuser peaks. He said tigers had been encountered in both 2017 and 2018 and that this photo was taken from just 30 metres away from the tiger, which sat down watching them as they looked down from trees that they had climbed for safety. He said he also had video but it was shaky because he was scared.

I was very surprised by this, because since my first hikes in this part of the world in 2009 the prevailing narrative about tigers in both Sumatra and the Malaysian Peninsula is that hikers will not see them and if tigers are aware of hikers they will avoid them. Certainly you only very rarely hear of hikers seeing tigers here. It is normally stories of individual plantation workers being killed by tigers on the lower edge of forest from time to time that make the papers – and that the tigers descend to the edge of the plantations as there is insufficient food for them in the forests due to deforestation and so on.

In July 2013, there was one group of six locals from Simpang Kiri, Aceh Tamiang, searching for an expensive type of incense wood to sell. They were in the huge Leuser Park area but not anywhere near this trail from Kedah and caught a tiger cub in a deer trap allegedly by mistake. Before long they had at least 4 angry tigers surrounding the trees that they had climbed. One man fell down when his branch broke and he was mauled to death. Were they really just trying to catch a deer to eat or actually poaching tigers? Its difficult to know one way or the other, given how much money can sadly be made from tiger parts.

But this was by all accounts a one-off and all hikers tended to see was tiger droppings from time to time. So quite worrying to hear of actual encounters with tigers recently, as if the number of meetings was growing. Why would this be? Are the tigers becoming more accustomed to the presence of hikers, or are they retreating to higher parts of the mountains as the lower parts continue to suffer deforestation and encroachment by humans.

The vast Gunung Leuser area is home to an estimated 100 tigers (the largest number of anywhere in Sumatra) so I googled tiger encounters and was quite shocked to read a story from an Aceh university (UKM-PA) group of 4 hikers plus 2 local guides who had encountered a tiger on their Leuser trek on this very same route in August 2018. http://lintasgayo.co/2018/09/05/dikawal-harimau-tim-ukm-pa-leuser-unsyiah-capai-3-puncak-tertinggi-pegunungan-leuser

It apparently followed them for a full day, getting as close as just 5 metres, so they were able to take photographs. It appears they were about to set off back down the mountain, so it is quite possible this is the same tiger that Bang Rabudin saw at Lapangan Bola. But this group don’t appear to have climbed a tree to avoid it, although it could certainly have caused incredible harm to them had it so wanted and they can of course also climb trees if they wish.

According to the article, “as is the custom of the Gayo people who since before the arrival of the Dutch were accustomed to walking through the forest to the coast, the Gayo people never mentioned the word harimau or “Kule” in the Gayo language when they were in the forest, the name was usually replaced with a password. That’s also what this team did. According to the team members, tigers who follow those who are not clear about their sex are called Aman Jol, which literally means father of Jol. According to Uun Fajaruna, one of the members of this team spontaneously when Aman Peramadi saw the Tiger not far behind the young man from Asir-asir. On the climb he did before, Aman Jol, a colleague from Aman Peramadi, a fellow guide from Penosan, had sat at the place where the tiger was located. Since then, the name Aman Jol, which is also the name of a prominent figure in the famous Gayo comedy, is attached to the world’s largest carnivorous species that followed them throughout the day. For reasons of conservation and protection of Aman Jol from illegal hunting, the team decided to tell the exact location and day of their meeting with the tiger off the record.”

Given our guide’s name was Jul or Jol, I wondered if it was he who had previously sat at the place where the tiger appeared for this group. Have a look at the photo on the link above, a beautiful but fierce tiger in the mist just meters away. Full marks to the team for remaining calm as running away can cause the hunting/chasing instinct to kick in. Many Indonesians may well say this creature was some kind of ‘siluman’ spirit. It is most peculiar how it got so close but caused them no harm. Personally I think the risks to hikers is underestimated and underexplained and worry that conflict situations could occur in the near future.

We were aiming to start at 8am (in order to make a full day out of Day One instead of a half-day which what others have told me often happens if the guides and porters still need to buy food in addition to packing everything). We got started at 0845 which was alright, but one of the porters was still busy with something as the rest of us began. From the ‘resor’ building, we followed the road up to the school where you take a right, head down a little, over a bridge, up again and then a left onto a wide, muddy track up into the hills.

We were doing fine until we realised our guide and porters were nowhere to be seen. We continued, then took lengthy breaks, looking back to see if we could find them. No sign. We continued to a few hundred metres before the forest entrance (1,700m) and waited in a grassy depression, listening to the many siamang calls echoing across the valley. I walked back several times, looked down to see if I could spot the guide and porters – nothing. Had we gone the wrong way? There were no signs but we were on the only track of any decent width.

After an hour of waiting myself and one of our team were growing quite annoyed and restless. We had been hiking for 2 hours, and slowly with rests. What on earth were these boys up to? We had paid them half already and they knew of the plan to hike today many months ago. But like the office experience the day before, we were being expected to wait, with no reason given.

My phone was off – to be used in emergency only during our ten days – and I really didn’t want to waste battery power so soon but decided we would have to phone Rabudin to ask what was going on. We did, and he called back ten minutes later to say they were on their way. Quite worrying though – you need real confidence in your guide and porters for a trek of this duration, and especially given the increased number of tiger encounters reported in the last couple of years you need to stick together in a group and be within shouting distance / ideally visible.

Finally after a wait of 90 minutes, the guide and porters arrived. It had taken them 3 and a half hours to reach this point that it had taken us just 2 leisurely hours to reach. They were carrying heavy loads, as was I, but 90 minutes is a long time, so I was concerned that this might be typical of what we would expect for the following ten days.

My friend Mykhailo hiked to Loser in much less than 10 days, and the Malaysian team allegedly took only 7 days to reach all three main tops. I enjoy hiking when I am actually moving and don’t like waiting around unless I am at camp. I wanted to have a quick meeting to see what had happened and try to ensure that we wouldn’t have similar again, but everyone was on the move again. I was wondering what I was doing, having endured the lengthy administration in Medan the previous day and now this long delay so close to the start of the hike. It wasn’t enjoyable, and who but a fool pays lots of money and spends his precious holiday time doing something that he isn’t enjoying?

I decided to turn back. I gave some cash to the last member of our team and put my backpack on. I would find my way back to Jakarta myself. I suppose it was a combination of things… the lengthy bureaucracy, the tiger stories, the being far from my partner, the expense, the long wait at the very beginning of an epic trek. Why not find a hobby that uses up less money and is more pleasurable… as much as I love the mountains they can be very expensive and time-consuming here, and if you are getting frequently annoyed as part of this experience then it seems a really strange way to spend one’s time.

Bang Rabudin was sorry, and very kindly arranged a seat in a ‘travel’ back to Medan for me. I told him I didn’t like the long wait, wasn’t feeling confident and thought I needed an indefinite rest from the mountains. He had received a message from the group to say they were at Simpang Air camp area and would be spending the night there. Given my efforts to send money in advance for food in order to make Day 1 more of a full-day hike than a half-day as friends of mine have experienced in the past, I can’t say I was regretting my decision to turn around when I heard they had only made it to the first camp area perhaps a maximum of 3 or 4 hours’ walk from the village. I would have been aiming for Angkasan itself on Day 1, especially after Nick’s comments in the write-up above that it is a ‘poor campsite’.

The seat in the ‘travel’ car was a very reasonable Rp170,000 for the ten-hour car ride back to Medan. I already knew this was likely to be ‘an experience’ and indeed it was. The driver was very friendly indeed, but had to make various detours in Blangkejeren to buy his favourite brand of cigarettes. We also had disco dangdut blaring out of the car stereo for almost the entire drive…. Tinny, moronic music but with an inane beat that keeps drivers awake better than red bull. At one of the many sharp bends in the road, the driver spotted a kitten, jumped out and grabbed it and put it in the back for a few hours before depositing it somewhere more favourable! We were in Medan at around 630am the next morning and I was on my way back home with disco dangdut reverberating around my skull.

I hope the rest of the team will understand and forgive me for walking out and that their trip, still ongoing, is an enjoyable success.

Hey Dan how did the trip go for them? Sounds like a shit show. The beauocricy of Indonesia is hard to deal with. It would be easy if something like Puncak Jaya exists. I met the guide from there in Bali when I was paragliding, I forget his name but at the time he had been to the summit 87 times. He said you just pay him a fortune and all you have to do is rock up.

For the effort involved may be something like that would be far better.

Hi Ryan. Well, I know they reached Puncak Tanpa Nama (the highest one). Other than that, not sure. I felt a bit guilty about leaving them but I had simply had enough by that point. It really is as if the authorities have no interest in encouraging people to visit, for if they did then they would make the bureaucracy as painless as possible instead of more difficult than the hike itself! Really weird. To be honest, I am focussing on shorter trips, because for the longer ones you really need people you can trust and get on well with for ten days or however long the expedition is. The forest environment is stunning of course, but without good conversation and rapport you can easily lose sight of that. Plus you need people who are of a similar pace otherwise you will be waiting for hours every day which is tedious. As for Papua… it is just too damn expensive for me. Add to that the danger and it appeals a lot less than pretty much everywhere else in Indonesia. Hope our paths cross before too long – let me know if you find yourself in Jakarta.

Hey Dan, yeah I feel you hey. The shorter ones are good and you don’t have to worry too much about the logistical side of it at all. I was in Jakarta in April but only for a day before I went to the Gede-Pangrango marathon. I should be back hopefully for the Slamet goat run but they haven’t added the date yet so I’m not too sure! I’ll keep you posted 🙂

Almost certainly doing a trek here March 19-30th 2019. One space left – get in touch ASAP if interested. Dan.

Hai, I’d keen to hike Leuser, but I need more info about your plan trip to this mountain. Would you share it? Especially the cost. Thank you.

thats great, i want to go there someday, i’m from indonesian by the way

Can u give more info on the forthcoming 2015 expedition? thank you!

There are 5 local guys currently stuck up a tree surrounded by 4 tigers in the Gunung Leuser area. They have been there for three days after having accidentally caught a tiger cub in a deer snare. The 4 adult tigers arrived and ate a 6th member of their party (which had originally gone looking for the incense wood that can fetch a high price). Apparently it could take another couple of days for a proper rescue team to reach them.

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/sumatran-tigers-kill-one-trap-five-others-in-aceh-national-park/

The Leuser Ecosystem is one of the most important conservation areas in Asia and is realistically the last hope for the Sumatran species of Orangutan, Rhino, Elephant & Tiger.

Java Lava are planning a Leuser expedition in September, see…. http://javalavaindonesia.multiply.com/calendar/item/10028

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Gunung Leuser National Park!

Get in touch with nature, jungle hike through gunung leuser national park.

Covering more than 7,000 square kilometers, Gunung Leuser National Park , known as Leuser Mountain National Park, stands as one of Southeast Asia’s largest wilderness areas. Encompassing the majestic Leuser Range, this park serves as a sanctuary for numerous critically endangered animals, such as the Sumatran Orangutan, Sumatran Rhino, Sumatran Tiger, and a myriad of other species.

Local and international Conservation Group have been focused for years on protecting this special forest.

My name is Putra Jungle, and I was raised in Ketambe amidst its lush jungles. From a young age, I spent countless hours immersed in its wonders, captivated by the stories my father, who has worked in the Leuser Ecosystem for over 24 years, would share with me. In 2010, I began my career as a guide after receiving formal training. Concurrently, I pursued studies in Economics, deepening my understanding of ecosystems. Following my graduation in 2016, I dedicated myself entirely to guiding jungle tours. Today, I collaborate closely with a team of local guides .

My mission is to showcase the jungle’s stunning beauty and its diverse wildlife, while imparting my knowledge to visitors. Witnessing my guests depart with smiles brings me immense joy. Equally important to me is the preservation of the jungle, driving my commitment to knowledge sharing. Our tours in Gunung Leuser National Park focus primarily on encountering the endangered Sumatran Orangutan.

We offer trekking options ranging from 1 to 7 days, with the possibility of longer expeditions upon request. Additionally, we organize Rafting Adventures on the Alas River, tours of Ketambe Village, transportation services, and accommodations at our Guesthouse . For more information, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to welcoming you to Ketambe soon!

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Please contact me if you are interested!

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Sumatra: 3 days in the jungle to observe the Orangutan

W e spent 3 days in Gunung Leuser National Park, in the north of Sumatra in Indonesia, and it was an incredible experience! It’s one of only two places on Earth where it’s still possible to observe orangutans in their natural environment. Even though there’s no guarantee that we’ll be able to cross paths with these wild (and semi-wild) animals, we wanted to experience the thrill of spending 3 days in the jungle in search of wild animals. So this is where we ended our 2-week trip to Sumatra (read more here). To enjoy this unique experience, we chose to go through an ethical and sustainable agency, Sumatra Orang-Utan Explorer , whose values we share and which supports the local populations. I’ll tell you all about the 3 days and 2 nights we spent in the jungle and our incredible encounter with the people of the forest… 

In this post Day 1 in the jungle Day 2 in the jungle Day 3 in the jungle Orang-utans: in danger of extinction ? All infos

Bukit Lawang: the starting point for treks

To set off into the Gunung Leuser jungle, we had to reach the village of Bukit Lawang, 120 kilometres from Medan in north-east Sumatra. It was a nice surprise when we arrived: the village is so cute! It really is one of the cutest villages we’ve seen in Indonesia. It has a mountain atmosphere, with wooden houses that look a bit like chalets. We make our way along the main alleyway. It’s narrow, which gives it a very cosy feel and means that there are no cars on the road – which is great when you’re coming from Medan. The village is also full of flowers. It lies on one side of the valley and on the other side is a wall of vegetation: the beginning of the jungle. And in the middle flows the river. In short, we found Bukit Lawang to be a real haven of peace.

Welcome to Gunung Leuser National Park

After a good night’s rest and a delicious breakfast in the Sumatra Orang-Utan Explorer accommodation, we’re off! Our group is made up of 5 people led by 2 guides. We start by passing through the charming village before crossing a small, shaky bridge over the river to get to the other bank and head into the jungle. First we pass through rubber tree plantations. The “condom trees”, as Bob, our main guide, calls them, were imported from Brazil by Dutch colonists. We then take a short break at the entrance to the national park, during which we are given a little more background on the park and the species found there (more on this below).

Our meeting with the orang-utans

After a good hour’s walk – and already avoiding our first leech – we arrive at a crowd of tourists: there’s no doubt about it, there’s a Forest Man (in Bahasa/Malay, Orang = Man, Utan = forest). The excitement is overwhelming! We try to catch a glimpse of them, but they’re high up in the trees! Their movements seem super slow (like a cosmonaut in his spacesuit) but they move super fast. The jungle is dense and you never know when they’re going to move and in which direction, so it’s a real game of hide-and-seek!

We spent 1.5 hours in almost the same spot. First we saw a group of 3 orangutans, then a little further on a mother with her calf who passed very close to us. Crossing paths with one of these creatures will stay with us forever. It was incredible! They may not be able to speak, but you get the feeling that they’re communicating something to you through their eyes. This is probably because they have facial features very similar to humans, with whom they share 96.4% of the DNA (hence their name Forest Man).

To be completely transparent, it was magical, but we still found it hard to ignore the 20 tourists and their guides (including ourselves) with whom we were experiencing this encounter. Fortunately, the second and third days were very different. Our 3 companions had chosen the 2-day trek, so we spent the second half of the excursion alone with Bob.

Sleeping in the jungle

The first day’s walk ended just before 4pm. The last 100 metres before reaching camp were spent barefoot walking up the river. This first camp is very intimate. It is located at the bottom of a very narrow valley, on the bank of a tiny river where we bathe to cool off and “wash off” all the day’s perspiration. The whole camp is sheltered by the foliage of huge trees, giving it a cocoon-like atmosphere.

Our camp is made up of several huts: one that serves as a kitchen, two that are dormitories and two others that were unoccupied during our stay. Finally, a little further on, there’s the toilet block.

The dormitories are simple but effective: mattresses placed on a tarpaulin and protected by mosquito nets. We were provided with a blanket and even a pillow! We slept very well! It has to be said that after 60 days in Indonesia, we could live with the most basic standards. I’m not sure that the Dutch couple in our group, who were just starting out on their trip, felt as comfortable as we did (especially the guy who’s 1.90m tall).

Night falls early (6pm): the darkness and the tiredness of the day mean that we already want to rush off to bed. To keep us awake until a decent time, the guides keep us busy: we spend the early evening chatting, showing each other magic tricks or riddles with matches and playing the “Orang outan” game (the equivalent of the louse but renamed to fit the theme of the trek). We’ll last until 9pm, a more convenient time to crawl under the mosquito net and crash for the night.

Day 2 in the jungle: meeting the monkeys

The second day was a real sport! I can guarantee that we were sweating it out with the steep climbs and the humidity. This day was a great experience in terms of jungle trekking and we were lucky enough to come across several animals. We spotted Thomas Leaf Monkeys with their distinctive crests, a species of monkey that is also in danger of extinction and can only be seen here! We also came across baboons, pig-tailed macaques, gibbons and giant ants (they really are immense). We also unwillingly fed a few leeches. But no forest humans on the horizon. No problem, we loved being alone in the jungle for hours. It was a steep descent down to the camp for this second night: a dream location (personally, I loved this second camp).

It’s at the bottom that we get separated from the 3 other people who were with us because they had left for 2 days and 1 night. So this is where the adventure ends if you’re only staying for two days… Finally, the adventure continues a little longer as we return to Bukit Lawang aboard a buoy (we’ll tell you about our experience on day 3 below). We were lucky enough to have very good weather, which allowed us to make the most of the place: swimming in the river, a view of the canyon, sunset over the jungle, monkeys on the trees opposite… I could have spent hours observing nature and the green spectacle before us… The day ended with a delicious candlelit meal that we shared with our guide. The atmosphere was just as good as the day before, and before going to bed we had a chance to look at the starry sky. Another magnificent day!

Day 3 in the jungle: a unique moment

We wake up on the banks of the river in an enchanting setting. The atmosphere is even calmer than the day before, as there are far fewer of us. We enjoyed the river and the superb camp until 10am. The place is so beautiful that I could have stayed there all day. We left the camp on a doughnut-shaped buoy and sailed down the river. We set off for 30 minutes of tubing under a magnificent sun that illuminated the canyon’s “green walls”. It looked like a big tourist thing on paper, but we really loved the experience!

We asked our guide Bob to end the day with a final walk through the jungle to reach the village of Bukit Lawang. This was our last chance to see some orangutans… So we set off for another 2-hour walk. Once again, we loved having the jungle to ourselves. We passed the ruins of the former rehabilitation centre, including a platform from which tourists could feed the animals (we can confirm that it has been abandoned for several years now, given the ruins).

Suddenly… a huge tree collapses in the distance with a huge crash that echoes through the valley. We heard a male orangutan start to bellow in the distance, very close to the fallen tree (we later learned that it’s a cry to mark its territory). In response to this distant sound, another roar was heard, this time very close to us. Hurry! We turned back at full speed, making as little noise as possible, and Romain soon spotted the tuft of brown hair in a tree: it was a male, right in front of us at the top of a huge tree! We spent a quarter of an hour spying on his every move, and we couldn’t believe it! What a magical experience. We couldn’t have wished for a better encounter to end our trek… My eyes are still full of stars!

Gunung Leuser National Park & the extinction of the Orangutan

Many people dream of trekking through the jungle to see orang-utans in their natural habitat… But then again… These “men of the forest”, who share 96.4% of their DNA with human beings, are threatened with extinction due to deforestation. The number of orangutans on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia has fallen by 80% in 75 years, largely because of palm oil cultivation!

According to Greenpeace, 25 orangutans disappear around the world every day. The island of Sumatra in Indonesia is no exception. Today, there are around 7,000 individuals left in this immense natural park. Unfortunately, the park is becoming smaller and smaller as it is devoured by palm monocultures, which are used to produce the palm oil used in most supermarket processed foods, the best known of which is Nutella. What is less well known is that it was originally a place where Dutch colonists started rubber plantations (trees imported from Brazil), which are now less developed because they are less profitable than palm oil. It’s all about money.

Following WWF intervention in the 1970s, the local people were banned from keeping domesticated Orangutans. A rehabilitation centre was then set up to allow the domesticated individuals to rediscover the natural environment. The centre closed in 2002 because it had in fact become a centre where tourists could come and feed them, and had therefore lost all meaning. This is why, at Bukit Lawang, you can observe wild specimens as well as some that are semi-free-ranging, as they are used to their human cousins.

Orangutans are now in danger of extinction not only because their natural habitat is shrinking, but also because it takes 6-8 years for a child to become self-sufficient, during which time its mother devotes all her time to teaching it how to survive in the jungle and has no time to reproduce.

Gunung Leuser National Park is home to more than just orangutans. You’ll come across black gibbons, white gibbons, Thomas Leaf Monkeys, macaques, etc. The jungle is home to many species of birds, including hornbills (we saw some in Tangkoko, in North Sulawesi). We heard their noisy wings beating but didn’t see any, as they were probably well hidden high up in the trees. And much rarer still: elephants, tigers and the Sumatran rhinoceros, of which there are only 25 left… I recommend the Netflix documentary “National Parks”, with Barak Obama himself on commentary, which devotes an extra episode to Gunung Leuser. It’s best to watch it after the trek, to avoid spoilers and false expectations.

Practical information for a trek in Bukit Lawang

• How to get there ?
• Where to sleep?
• How many days?
• Which agency to choose?
• Bukit L or Ketambe?
• What to take
• Physical condition
• Palm monoculture

To get to Bukit Lawang, the nearest town is Medan, 120 kilometres away (around 3 hours’ drive). From Medan, you can choose between:

• By bus (mornings only)
• By grab (600 to 700k IDR)
• Shared taxi (ask the trekking agency for advice)
• Private taxi (idem)

There are several accommodations in Bukit Lawang where you can sleep the night before the trek. We stayed at the Sumatra Orang-Utan Explorer accommodation, with whom we did the trek. It was really perfect! The rooms are spacious and comfortable, with balconies and lovely views. The breakfast is copious and very good… In short, it’s well worth the money ( see on Maps ).

There are also other accommodations, ranging in comfort from the most basic to the most luxurious. Find them on Booking here .

We were delighted to be away for 3 days. It gave us the chance to spend some time alone in the heart of nature, and we had this incredible encounter on the last day. I should mention that we were spared by the weather: we didn’t get a drop of rain. The adventure would have been different in a downpour.

It’s up to you to decide, depending on your budget, the time you have to travel and your lucky stars when it comes to the weather and the people you meet.

We set off in collaboration with the Sumatra Orang-Utan Explorer agency , which offers an ethical and responsible approach to jungle trekking, while working with local stakeholders. Their approach seeks to respect the eco-system and biodiversity of the Gunung Leuser National Park, but also to protect the orang-utans from human germs, for example.

The agency is run by a Franco-Indonesian couple and they were very attentive from start to finish. What attracted me to Sumatra Orang-Utan Explorer were their values, which I fully share. Their eco-responsible excursions and activities aim to support the local population and traditional activities, as well as empowering women. They try to promote eco-responsible tourism by minimising the impact on wildlife and the environment and maximising the positive impact on communities.

I also loved their accommodation in Bukit Lawang! The accommodation is at the very end of the village, so you can soak up the great atmosphere all along the main alleyway that you pass on your scooter to get there. We were very well received: the rooms were charming and comfortable, the restaurant menu mixed local cuisine with a Western touch, and during the trek briefing we received goodies made by local craftsmen. They say that first impressions are important, and well, they won us over right from the start. The balconies of the rooms are veritable observation platforms towards the jungle on the other side of the river.

As mentioned above, we started out as a group of 5 travellers accompanied by 2 guides: one to open the walk and the other to close it. The meals were really delicious given the conditions (we were in the middle of the jungle after all) and more than sufficient in quantity. Special mention for the fruit breaks between meals: very refreshing and thirst-quenching.

Sumatra Orang-Utan Explorer aims to be sustainable. A “leave no trace” concept: no plastic and no abandoned rubbish. Of course, they don’t feed the animals. Nor do they call them (unfortunately, we heard several other less scrupulous guides imitating the noises/shouts to attract them…).

Our guide Bob (a real cream, by the way), who grew up in the village, was full of praise for them and the way they work with the local population. We didn’t try out any other agencies, but we can’t recommend them highly enough, as they were perfect in every way.

For more information, check their website: Sumatra Orang Utan Explorer Or their Instagram @sumatraorangutanexplorer

There are two entry points: the villages of Bukit Lawang and Ketambe, a 3h20 and 7h drive respectively from Medan airport.

Ketambe seems more authentic and unspoilt by tourism. On paper, it looked like a more suitable destination for us, but as our visa expiry date approached (and our fatigue mounted after 60 busy days in Indonesia) we opted for the ‘easy’ option with Bukit Lawang, which is de facto the busier of the two… As mentioned above, we weren’t alone in the jungle!

Note that the chances of encountering Orangutans are close to 100% in Bukit Lawang (with the semi-wild animals), which is not the case in Ketambe. Ketambe will also be a little more expensive because the road to get there is longer.

It’s up to you to decide, depending on your budget and your schedule. And to put it bluntly: whether you want to be almost certain of seeing some (but in the company of 20 other tourists) or to rest on your laurels and try Ketambe, even if it means not seeing any or seeing them from a great distance.

Essential equipment list:

• Hiking shoes or a good pair of trainers: this is essential for me
• Rain gear (rain ponchos are sold in the village before the start)
• Water (1.5 litres recommended by the guide)
• Mosquito repellent
• Flashlight/frontlight
• Power bank (this will be an experience without electricity)
• Pair of flip-flops for moving around the camp in the evening
• Roll of toilet paper / handkerchiefs
• Warm clothing for the evening

If you have room

• Spare socks
• preferably knee-high socks: to protect yourself from leeches, you’ll need to adopt the Tintin look
• 1 pair per day will be appreciated, especially if it’s raining
• Swimming costume and microfibre towel
• Preferably dark clothing (better camouflage to avoid being spotted by the animals)
• A pair of binoculars (we didn’t have any)

Don’t take your favourite outfits. At the end of these 3 days, we came away with our heads full of images. Living in the jungle, even for such a short time, transformed us. It also gave us a new level of ‘personal stink’ hahahaha. Whether it was our clothes, our rucksacks or ourselves, the smell was firmly anchored. We were quite happy to move on to accommodation with a washing machine to do the necessary laundry.

And yet it didn’t rain. The humidity is everywhere, so nothing dries. On the contrary, the clothes we hung out on the washing lines in our dormitories tended to come out more soaked in the morning than the night before. The solution we found (for our socks in particular) was to put them by the fire. Or on the stones in the sun on the 3rd morning.

We had three very intense days. It’s very hilly: some areas were more like climbing. The humidity level in the jungle is very high, so you’re sweating after 2 minutes of effort. So you need to be in reasonable physical condition. Because of the leeches and the uneven terrain, I wouldn’t advise going there with small children. Or check with the agencies for a tailor-made programme.

If you’re at all aware of environmental issues, you’ve probably heard about palm oil and the deforestation it causes. The reason is economic, as it is one of the cheapest oils on the market. This is at the expense of the primary forests of Malaysia and northern Sumatra in particular. I had a knot in my stomach every time I flew over Medan and Kuala Lumpur, with palm trees as far as the eye could see… The same goes for road trips.

The jungle is burnt and razed to the ground to grow these palm trees.

You have to look in the mirror, it’s not much better in the West where the forests were razed much longer ago. Our guide Bob pointed out that we’re no slouches when it comes to monoculture in Europe.

To discover our itinerary in Sumatra (only in French for the moment)

Sumatra: Notre itinéraire de 2 semaines

Any questions about this special encounter? Leave me a comment 🙂

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PETIT GUIDE DU LAC ATITLÁN 🇬🇹 Voici quelques activités incontournables à faire et à vivre lors d’un séjour sur le lac Atitlán au Guatemala 
 🌈 Se balader dans les rues colorées de San Juan La Laguna 🛶 Faire du kayak ou du paddle sur le lac ⛰️ Faire l’ascension du Rostro Maya au lever de soleil 🧶 Découvrir l’artisanat local et visiter les Finca de café 🥾 Partir en randonnée entre Santa Cruz et San Marcos 🥙 Manger au restaurant communautaire Café Sabor Cruceño de Santa Cruz La Laguna 🧘🏽 Prendre un verre ou un cours de yoga au Eagle Nest à San Marcos La Laguna 🗿Arpenter la rue Santander pour faire ses achats à Panajachel 🌮 Faire un tour sur les marchés locaux de chaque village 🛖 Dormir chez l’habitant à San Juan La Laguna 
🎨 Découvrir le village de Santa Catarina Palopó et ses maisons colorées grâce à Pintando el Cambio 📚Suivre un cours d’espagnol Se déplacer sur le lac Atitlán 🚤  Tous les villages peuvent se rejoindre en lancha (bateau traditionnel)
⏰ Départ de 6h à 17h
🏷️ 25Q/pers (2,90€) par trajet ↠ Retrouve la suite et toutes les infos pratiques dans mon article sur le blog « Guatemala: 5 jours sur le lac Atitlán » ↞ #atitlan #visitguatemala #guateimpresionante #voyage #guidevoyage #blogvoyage #blogbelge

MES 10 COUPS DE COEUR À ANTIGUA 🇬🇹 Considérée comme la plus belle ville d’Amérique centrale, voici mes 10 coups de cœur à Antigua 💛 Se promener dans le centre historique et aux alentours de l’Arche Santa Catalina 🌿 Se poser au Parque Central pour observer la ville et faire un tour au musée national des arts (MUNAG) 🌞 Se balader dans les marchés locaux et les boutiques artisanales 🌮 Manger local à Las Casas de las Mixtas, El Portón ou Rincón antigueño ⛪️ Visiter l’église La Merced et admirer les magnifiques détails de sa façade 🥾 Rejoindre le Cerro de la Cruz pour la plus belle vue sur Antigua 🌸 Visiter les ruines du Couvent Santa Clara, l’un des plus beaux couvents de la ville 💃🏼 Prendre un cours de salsa & bachata 🏺 Voir les ruines du Couvent des Capucines qui nous plonge dans une autre époque 🌋 Faire l’ascension du volcan Acatenango pour se rapprocher du El Fuego et vivre une expérience incroyable ! ↠ Sauvegarde ce guide pour ne rien oublier ↞ #visitguatemala #visitantigua #guateimpresionante #voyage #guidevoyage #blogvoyage #beautifuldestinations

Women of the world 💗✊🏼🌸 En cette journée internationale des droits des femmes, je souhaite mettre en avant les femmes que j’ai croisé ces derniers mois Ces portraits illustrent la diversité et la richesse féminine à travers le monde. Derrière chacun de ces regards et de ces sourires il y a une histoire de courage, de résilience, de force, de détermination, de persévérance… Et finalement, c’est pour chaque femme sur Terre qu’il faut encore lutter pour la #journeeinternationaledesdroitsdesfemmes [EN] On this International Women’s Rights Day, I’d like to talk about the women I’ve met over the last few months These portraits illustrate the diversity and richness of women around the world. Behind each of these looks and smiles is a story of courage, resilience, strength, determination and perseverance... And finally, it is for every woman on earth that we must continue to fight for International Women’s Rights Day #womensrights #womenoftheworld #womenportraits #womenbeauty

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Guatemala’s vibes 🇬🇹✨ On est parti découvrir le Guatemala du nord au sud, du Pacifique aux Caraïbes, des volcans aux ruelles colorées des villages mayas … et c’était juste merveilleux ! Ces prochaines semaines je partagerai tout le détail sur notre voyage et notre itinéraire ↠ Qui d’autre aime cette ambiance toute en couleur ? #guatemala #guatemala🇬🇹 #visitguatemala #guateimpresionante #voyage #beautifuldestinations

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Reporter on the Road est mon blog consacré aux voyages responsables et hors des sentiers battus. Depuis 2015, je souhaite apporter une dose d’inspiration aux voyageurs curieux, tout en leur donnant les moyens d’explorer le monde de manière durable et responsable.

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A gentleman in moscow ending explained.

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A Gentleman In Moscow Cast & Character Guide

Ewan mcgregor's historical drama weirdly copies his 2022 star wars show, the deeper meaning behind a gentleman in moscow episode 3's bees.

• Count Rostov finds family, love, and purpose in his confinement at the Metropol Hotel, despite his initial imprisonment.
• The ending of A Gentleman in Moscow remains ambiguous, leaving Alexander's fate open to interpretation.
• Love and sacrifice are the central themes of the show, as Alexander risks everything to ensure the safety and happiness of his found family.

The ending of A Gentleman in Moscow brings with it the conclusion of Alexander Rostov's story, with his 35-year stretch of imprisonment inside Moscow's Metropol Hotel coming to a halt. After returning home from Paris in 1918 to save his grandmother from the violence of Russia's Bolshevik revolution , Count Rostov is sentenced to life imprisonment for his status as a member of the nation's ruling class. However, instead of being locked in a prison cell, Ewan McGregor's character is confined to the walls of a luxury hotel in the nation's capital.

Alexander is spared execution, unlike so many of his other social peers. The reason for the leniency is Alexander being incorrectly credited with a poem titled "Where is our Purpose Now?" The literary work, actually written in 1913 by Alexander's old friend, Mishka, was partially credited as inciting the Revolution. The count manages to carve out some level of existence for himself at the Metropol , with the novelty of his situation quickly wearing off. Along the way, Alexander Rostov finds the family he'd never had before, giving a man who'd lost everything something else to lose.

The Paramount/Showtime limited series A Gentleman in Moscow is led by Golden Globe and Emmy winner Ewan McGregor and his wife Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

What Happens To Alexander Rostov After He Leaves The Metropol Hotel Explained

The post-escape fate of mcgregor's character is unknown.

At the end of A Gentleman in Moscow episode 8, "Adieu," Alexander dons his hat and strolls through the doors of the Metropol Hotel. After all the phones in the building ring at once as Richard Vanderwhile's signal that Sofia is safe, Alexander can depart while knowing his surrogate daughter is in trusted hands. While Alexander is shown successfully leaving the building , the other side of the door isn't shown, so it's impossible to confirm what happens to the Count after this scene. Even the show's narrator, an older Sofia, confirms that she never knew what her father did next.

"I discovered that Papa had escaped the hotel, but what happened after remains a mystery. I like to imagine [Alexander and Anna] finally free, living out the rest of their lives together. They gave me the greatest gift of life. I'll keep them in my heart. Always. "

The sequence that's shown of Alexander's reunion with Anna in "Adieu" is shot in the same 4:3 aspect ratio as A Gentleman in Moscow 's flashbacks sequences, which were often from Count Rostov's point of view. However, as Sofia confirms that she never saw her parents again , this particular scene can't be a memory. Instead, what's being shown is Sofia's imaginings, dreaming of the two people who risked so much to save her enjoying a well-deserved, peaceful life.

Alexander does still have his stolen Finnish passport when he leaves the hotel, so it is possible he was able to flee the country and reunite with Anna.

The black apples shown during this scene are another sign that it's nothing more than Sofia's fantasy . Earlier in the same episode, Alexander tells the Metropol staff of an old legend from when he was growing up. The story tells of a tree hidden deep in the woods, bearing " Apples as black as coal ." If a person found and ate the apples, they would have the chance to live their life anew. Alexander immediately adds that he wouldn't eat the apples if he were to find them today, as despite his tumultuous life, it's a journey he doesn't regret.

Alexander is never shown telling Sofia this same story, but the presence of the black apples in the story's closing sequence suggests that he did share the tale with her at some point.

How & Why Sofia Flees Russia At The End Of A Gentleman In Moscow

Sofia's one-way trip to america took careful planning.

Despite being a staunch patriot, Alexander is still of the opinion that Sofia would have a better life in America than she would if she were to stay in Russia. Thankfully, Alexander's spying on the country's top brass in A Gentleman in Moscow episode 7 , "An Assembly," also presents an opportunity for McGregor's character to send his daughter to safety. The scheme is carried out in collaboration with Alexander's American ally , Richard Vanderwhile, who plans the operation for them.

Only Sofia is granted asylum by the Americans, with Alexander telling his daughter that the request for himself and Anna to receive the same treatment was simply too much to ask.

With the recordings from the meeting in her possession, Sofia heads to Paris as part of a musical tour. After performing, she cuts her hair short and changes her clothes to blend in with the crowd and leaves without being spotted. The powers that be grow wise to her scheme, as they move her performance slot from before the interval to the penultimate position in the running order. Thankfully, Sofia still has just enough time and barely manages to avoid being detected. After arriving at the American embassy in Paris, Vanderwhile arranges for Sofia to be flown to the USA .

Where Alexander Rostov Stands With Osip Glebnikov At The End Of A Gentleman In Moscow

Alexander & osip exchange declarations of friendship.

Alexander's relationship with Osip Glebnikov is intentionally unclear throughout A Gentleman in Moscow . Although Osip is essentially responsible for making sure Alexander doesn't break the terms of his sentence by leaving the Metropol, Alexander's jailer chooses to spend more time with his prisoner than is necessary for him to perform his duties. They engage in etiquette lessons, debates about literature, and even start to watch movies together. However, it mostly seems as though Osip is forcing the interactions to take place. Despite the ambiguity of their arrangement, Osip admits in the finale that he values their relationship .

The story of Ewan McGregor's Alexander Rostov from A Gentleman in Moscow shares some strong parallels to that of the actor's Star Wars character.

While warning McGregor's character of the danger Sofia is in - and by extension, Alexander himself - Osip says, " I like you, Alexander. I think of you as a friend ." The count replies in his signature guarded style: " As do I you, in a manner of speaking ." Osip may not have been the most valued figure to Alexander in his day-to-day life, but their friendship offered both men a different perspective.

In addition, Osip also assisted Alexander return to the Metropol undetected following Sofia's trip to the hospital - an act that could have had both characters severely punished, if not killed.

Osip is also instrumental in making sure Anna departs for Finland without Alexander. By the time of "Adieu," Osip's wife and daughter are dead. So, Osip wants to make sure Alexander's family doesn't suffer the same fate.

Did Alexander Leave Manager Leplevsky To Die?

Alexander finally takes the revenge he's been trying to avoid.

Leplevsky is the biggest villain throughout the story of A Gentleman in Moscow , with Alexander's life at the Metropol Hotel becoming more difficult as his nemesis rises through the ranks. With Alexander's planned departure from the hotel imminent, it initially seems as though he's willing to let bygones be bygones and spare Leplevsky any acts of revenge. Unfortunately for the hotel manager, his last-minute discovery of Alexander's plan to escape results in McGregor needing to take action .

After arming himself with the dueling pistols from the manager's office, Alexander chains up Leplevsky in the bowels of the Metropol Hotel.

After arming himself with the dueling pistols from the manager's office, Alexander chains up Leplevsky in the bowels of the Metropol Hotel. At the same time, he incinerates the files the manager had been collating about the hotel's staff - Alexander and Sofia included. Leplevsky begs to be set free as Alexander departs , with the exchange between the two adversaries suggesting it would be a while before anyone finds the trapped hotel boss. So, while Alexander doesn't directly murder Manager Leplevsky, he could still be responsible for his death.

How Alexander's Imprisonment In The Metropol Hotel Was The Beginning Of His Life (Not The End)

Alexander rostov's personal life somehow flourished at the metropol.

When Alexander was sentenced to life imprisonment, he was in his early thirties. His only surviving family member was his grandmother, whom he had helped escape the country four years previously. In addition, he was estranged from Mishka - his oldest friend. Alexander had never married, nor fathered any children. Despite his life of wealth and privilege that had preceded his incarceration, he was deeply alone. Somewhat surprisingly, Alexander's decades trapped in the Metropol led to some of the most important relationships in his life .

Despite the early trauma of seeing Prince Nikolai being dragged out of the hotel to be shot in the street in A Gentleman in Moscow episode 1 , Alexander went on to hit a rich vein of social bonds. His friendship with Nina was vital during the early stages of his sentence, and although the pair struggled to stay on the same political wavelengths at times, their special relationship weathered the storm. Alexander also eventually managed to build bridges with Mishka .

Eventually, Alexander's on-and-off romantic dynamic with Anna Urbanova solidified into a solid foundation of love and trust, with the pair essentially becoming joint parents to Sofia.

If Alexander was a father figure to Nina, then he was essentially a grandfather in his role as generational caretaker when Sofia was left in the count's care. Alexander raised Sofia as his own , while making sure she never forgot her birth mother. Eventually, Alexander's on-and-off romantic dynamic with Anna Urbanova solidified into a solid foundation of love and trust, with the pair essentially becoming joint parents to Sofia. As a result, Alexander hit several milestones during his imprisonment that he either neglected or failed to achieve while he was a free man.

The Real Meaning Of A Gentleman In Moscow's Ending

Alexander's unconfirmed destiny compounds the story of love and loss.

A Gentleman in Moscow , like so many other stories, is about love. However, the show's theme of love is also tied into the concept of loss, and how the two interact with one another. The love that Alexander Rostov has for Anna and Sofia results in him putting their safety first , ensuring they are away from the Metropol Hotel and safely on their respective ways to their new homes at the time of him making his escape attempt.

Alexander Rostov's journey in A Gentleman in Moscow has been full of twists and turns, but the bees in episode 3 serve as a brilliant metaphor.

Alexander is fully aware of the risks to himself, Anna, and Sofia that their plan presents. Still, the love he has for his found family makes him willing to put himself in harm's way if it means there's a chance of a better tomorrow for the daughter he cherishes and the woman he loves. Osip acts in a similar vein by helping Alexander. Despite losing his wife and daughter, Osip chooses not to let his grief turn him bitter and instead makes sure Alexander doesn't suffer the same heartbreak.

Sofia's fantasy of her parents living out their days together is about as perfect an ending as the show can expect, with the unconfirmed nature of the scenario contributing to the dark beauty of the story's conclusion.

Sofia's fantasy of her parents living out their days together is about as perfect an ending as the show can expect , with the unconfirmed nature of the scenario contributing to the dark beauty of the story's conclusion. The trio would never have had the life they'd wanted in the building that brought the three of them together. Knowing this, they give their best effort to free themselves of the restrictions imposed upon them by Alexander's prison sentence. A Gentleman in Moscow 's final episode perfectly encapsulates the tale's message of sacrifice in the name of love.

How A Gentleman In Moscow's Ending Was Received

The final episode was praised by fans but some critized the sentimentality of the ending.

A Gentleman in Moscow's ending was one that could lead to somewhat of a mixed response among audiences. It was a bittersweet conclusion that saw a lot of triumphs and happy moments, but perhaps not the perfect conclusion for these characters that a lot of viewers had been hoping for throughout the 8 episodes. However, many fans on Reddit expressed satisfaction with the ending which they felt was in keeping with the feeling of the show. The ending also inspired theories about what the final moment with Alexander and Anna on a farm meant with Redditor jcapser suggesting:

With Sofia’s narration over the ending scene I think it could be a depiction of her imagination of how they ended up.

The overall response among fans was positive with the final episode earning the highest rating for the series on IMDb . However, there were some fans who felt the ending let down the rest of the series. User Limeginger left a review in which they praised the series' earlier episodes but felt that the show eventually became overcome with sentimentality, leading to a disappointing ending:

"It's that it began with great dignity, subtlety, and import and turned into a mediocre soap opera."

Indeed, some critics also felt that the series' sentimental aspects were too strong by the end of the story, hampering aspects of the finale. In a look at the final episode, The Daily Beast admitted that there were some emotionally affecting moments, such as Alexander and Sofia saying goodbye. However, they also described the finale as "saccharine" and felt that the final scene only works to " end the show on such a lackluster note ."

All episodes of A Gentleman in Moscow are available to stream on Paramount+.

A Gentleman in Moscow

Based on the novel by Amor Towles, A Gentleman in Moscow is a historical dramatic-thriller created by Ben Vanstone for Paramount+ and Showtime. Following the advent of the Russian Revolution, Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov is forced to spend several decades locked away in a hotel room and watch as the country around him transforms.

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