travel medan kutacane

How to get to Ketambe

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Travelling from Medan or Berastagi

Medan is a chaotic city and most travellers tend to pass through as quickly as possible. It is however, considered one of the great food meccas of Asia and worth spending a couple of days exploring restaurants, warungs and street stalls throughout Medan if you're a foodie. It also has a number of historic temples to visit and several large shopping malls if you need to pick up supplies before coming to Ketambe. 3 and 4 star hotels are relatively inexpensive and there are cheaper backpacker accommodation options too. Feel free to ask for recommendations within your budget.

While you are in Medan you should take cash out from an ATM to cover all your costs while in Aceh. Since 2020 only Sharia banks and ATMs are allowed to operate in Aceh and it's no longer possible to use international bank cards in local ATMs. Throughout Aceh most businesses prefer cash and the majority do not have card payment facilities, so it's best to take more than needed and avoid getting caught out.

Kualanamu airport to Medan city

If you arrive at Medan's Kualanamu airport before 9am, it’s possible to travel to Ketambe via public transport in the same day (depending on traffic!). Take the ALS shuttle bus to Simpang Pos OR the Damri (big blue bus) to Carrefour shopping centre. Each costs 40.000rp per person. Tell the driver where you would like to get off and they will tell you when it’s your stop. From there, you need to take a becak (motorbike with passenger side cart) to “Loket BTN” for the public bus or to “Komplek Citra Garden” across the road from the share taxi office. Becak drivers like to haggle, but you shouldn’t pay more than 10-20.000rp for this short 1-3km trip.

Bus to Ketambe

The BTN mini-buses leave when full in the morning, with the last one leaving before lunch time. If you miss that, they also have an overnight bus leaving at 10pm and 11pm - but it will not be a comfortable night’s sleep. A ticket to Kutacane will cost 70-80.000rp and the trip takes 6-8 hours.

When you arrive in Kutacane you will need to take the labi-labi (pickup truck with a roof) to Ketambe. Generally the sight of a foreigner in Kutacane will have people shouting ‘Ketambe!?” at you, and they will show you where the labi-labi is. The hour journey from here to Ketambe costs around 20.000rp per person. The last one leaves at 5pm, and there aren’t any decent places to stay in Kutacane, so it’s best to allow plenty of time.

Travelling to Ketambe by bus is not for the faint of heart. With 4 changeovers the journey will take anywhere from 10-20 hours and cost around 150.000rp for one person. You'll also need to know a little Indonesian to discuss prices. If you're travelling in a group or have luggage I would definitely recommend taking a share taxi or private car. But for the adventurous solo traveller it can still be a thrilling challenge!

Share taxi to Ketambe

A share taxi is a more comfortable option and can take you direct to Ketambe. CK Travel Wisata is across the road from Komplek Citra Garden and is the only company that goes direct to Kutacane. They also only leave in the mornings about 10 or 11am, and then again at 10pm. It can be challenging to get to their office from the airport (follow steps above to get to Carrefour via Damri bus, then becak to CK Travel Wisata on Jalan Jamin Ginting). Otherwise Safar can arrange airport pickup and travel all the way to Ketambe village for 350.000-400.000rp per person if arranged prior to arrival .

Private car to Ketambe

Private taxis can be booked through Safar direct to Ketambe. This is the fastest way to get there and for groups of 3 or more the best option. The driver can pick you up from your accommodation in Medan or directly from the airport. A private car one way to Ketambe carrying up to 4 passengers will cost 1.3-1.6 million rupiah, depending on pick up location and time.

Bus via Berastagi

Staying a night or two in Berastagi beforehand can make the trip easier. Public buses from Simpang Pos to Berastagi run all day, so it wont matter when you arrive. From Berastagi you can ask the receptionist at your guesthouse/hotel where to catch the BTN bus to Kutacane.

Travelling from Banda Aceh

From Banda Aceh to Ketambe is a 2 day journey by bus. It’s possible to take a direct 17 hour bus that passes through Takengon and Belangkejeren before Ketambe and then on to Kutacane. Most buses will stop in Takengon overnight. Up in the mountains and a little cooler, Takengon has a gorgeous lake and excellent coffee, so not a bad place to spend a night or two. Bus trips the full distance will cost 200-300.000rp per person

Susi Air used to fly a route Banda Aceh to Kutacane, on Mondays, Fridays and every second Wednesday. Currently this service is not available as it's rumoured to be changing carriers.

Where to Stay in Ketambe

There are 6 different guesthouses currently open in Ketambe, and one more 2km away within the national park. They are Pondok Wisata , Thousand Hills , Friendship , Sadar Wisata , Pak Mus , Wisma Cinta Alam and Gurah Guesthouse . Each has individual rooms or bungalows ranging in price from 50.000rp to 200.000rp per night. Gurah Guesthouse is a few km past the village. The oldest (Wisma Cinta Alam) has been open for over 20 years and the newest (Thousand Hill) only 8 years.  Friendship and Pondok Wisata have both recently had renovations done.

Each guesthouse will have a restaurant or provide set meals, and each will have guides attached that they would prefer you trek with. The guesthouse owners make extra from this, as they provide the equipment and hire the guides. The prices will be similar, but in this case the guides make less money. If you have not pre-booked a guide before arriving, expect to be offered packages from the accomodation.

In 2022 we will be opening an ecolodge just outside of Ketambe . Checkout the blog to follow along with our ecolodge building progress .

Meeting with Safar

If you arrive to Ketambe with enough time to spare, it’s always nice to meet and chat with your guide before you’re out the door and on your way. It also gives you a chance to ask any extra questions you might have. Without internet or a local phone it can be difficult to arrange a time to meet, but if Safar is expecting you and not in the jungle with other guests, you can always take a short walk down the road and meet at his house - or he can meet you where you are staying.

On the morning of your trek, after breakfast and packed for adventure, you can store your big luggage here or at the guesthouse where you are staying.

There is no ATM in Ketambe, so to avoid a day trip to Kutacane and back it’s a good idea to bring enough rupiah with you. Paying before the trip is preferred so Safar and his porter can buy food and supplies. If you decide to extend your trip, add a night trek or want to give a tip, this can be paid for at the end of the trek.

Safar can be reached whenever he’s not on a trek by whatsapp +61435 010 395, Facebook messenger or by chatting to someone in the guesthouse who can call him.

Travel from Medan to Ketambe

Here are some ways to get to Ketambe from Medan

1. Banda Aceh to Kuta Cane by Airplane

2. road trip from medan to ketambe via brastagi and kutacane.

You can go by road trip. Go from Medan to Ketambe by public transportation. You have to go in turns. It is possible to reach Ketambe within 8 to 10 hours, depending on connection and waiting time.

2.1 Medan Kualanamu Airport to Medan City

One of the most convenient and fastest ways to get to Medan from Kualanamu Airport is by train. This train connects Kualanamu Airport with Medan Main Train Station at Merdeka Square. The journey takes between 30 and 40 minutes.

The most common and busiest transport is by DAMRI  bus . DAMRI has two bus shelters in Medan City, one at Jalan Gatot Subroto next to Carrefour and the other at Amplas bus terminal. Buses go more frequent than trains. The bus fare is 15,000 IDR to/from Amplas and 20,000 IDR to/from Jalan Gatot Subroto.

This 35 km taxi journey takes about 60 to 90 minutes to reach Medan City, depending on traffic. Taxi fares must be negotiated and agreed upon before entering the taxi. Depends on your destination in Medan City and your bargaining skills.

From or to Ketambe by share taxi /private taxi

 From Medan Kualanamu airport to or from Ketambe about 7/8 hours drive. Taxi fare sharing IDR 350.000 one person.     Rent a private taxi IDR 1.100.000. From city of Medan to Ketambe the distance is about 7 hours drive. Taxi fare sharing one person IDR 300.000. Private taxi IDR 1.000.000

2.2 Medan City to Medan Padang Bulan

Padang Bulan is the name of an area that provides a lot of transportation. From here the bus goes to Berastagi. Minibus and shared taxi to Kutacane. Along the road Jalan Jamin Ginting there are many different transportation hubs from different companies.

If you arrive from the airport by train or DAMRI bus its the best way to go by ‘becak’ to Padang Bulan. Even if you stay in a hotel, taking a becak is a nice experience to travel in the busy traffic of Medan. Don’t forget to negociate and agree about the price before start. The most comfortable but most expensive option is to take a taxi. Please ask the price before you enter, because usually there is no any taxi meter available.

2.3 Medan Padang Bulan to Kutacane via Brastagi

You can go by minibus to Kutacane from Medan Padang Bulan. If you arrive at Padang Bulan from Medan city you will first pass the minibus station of BTN on the left side, about 500 m further is the station of Karsima. The service and the ticket price is equal at both companies. Its 70,000 IDR. In a minibus (see 2 pictures left side) there are 2 seats beside the driver and behind there are 3 rows with 3 seats each (together space for 11 passengers).Try to get a seat behind the driver for more leg space.

Minibusses leave when full or about every hour until late afternoon. In the morning they go more frequent. There are few night busses which start about 9 PM. The ride to Kutacane takes 7 hours. You can catch this minibus in Berastagi, if not full. From here it takes 5 hours to Kutacane. For this you have to wait at the main road in Berastagi near the busstation/ market to flag down the minibus. If you ask the staff in your guesthouse usually they can help.

2.4 Kutacane to Ketambe

The distance from Kutacane city to Ketambe is about 30 km. There are frequent mobil or Labi Labi (local transport – see picture), leaving from a small place near the old market. You can ask the minibus driver to drop you off at this place. Labi Labi start when full. The last transport will leave from Kutacane about 5:30 PM. Normal price is 15,000 IDR, but sometimes driver ask a little more from foreign tourists. The Labi Labi stops everywhere on the way to pick up or drop off passengers.

• 1 Understand
• 3 Get around
• 7 Eat and drink

Kutacane is the capital of Southeast Aceh Regency of Aceh Province.

Understand [ edit ]

A fairly big city with about 100,000 inhabitants built next to the main road going through the north Sumatra. It is a place where people, roads and transportation meets.

The ATM in Kutacane does not serve foreign cards as of 1 April, 2024, regardless of what you might have heard elsewhere. Bring enough cash with you!

Get in [ edit ]

By bus: All buses depart from the market. At the market there are several different bus companies. Ask around to get the best price.

• From the south: There are several buses leaving from Medan every day, taking about 6-9 hours depending on weather and traffic. There are also buses from Lake Toba and various different locations east and south from Kutacane.
• From the north: There is one main road leading north passing Ketambe , Blankenjeren and Takengon . However there few if any buses going further than Blankenjeren. The buses to Blankenjeren leave daily between 9-10 o'clock and take about 4-5 hours. There are many minivans going to Ketambe and different other villages leaving about twice an hour. It takes about an hour to get to Ketambe.

By plane: Ketambe has a small airport which serves two destinations ( Banda Aceh and Medan several times a week for a cost of about 300 000 - 500 000. In late December 2011 there was a plane crash with the same or a similar company on northern Sumatra though.

Get around [ edit ]

By foot or taxi. You can find small taxis everywhere.

See [ edit ]

The market is basically the only thing worth seeing. It is quite impressive.

Do [ edit ]

Buy [ edit ], eat and drink [ edit ].

Go to small restaurants, enjoy some coffee and typical Indonesian food. There are no western cafés.

Sleep [ edit ]

There are several hotels for travelers looking for a place to stay for the night. The standard is bad lacking proper toilets and showers. A room is about Rp60,000-100,000. Stay here only if you have to.

Connect [ edit ]

Go next [ edit ].

• Ketambe : A small and charming village well worth a visit.
• Takengon : Kutancane is basically just a stop on the road to Ketambe and Takengon.

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Fast facts about Kutacane, Indonesia

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most suitable accommodations found in Kutacane for business visitors?

Hotels around Kutacane that are highly rated by business travelers are OYO 2410 Intan Hotel, Cinta alam inn and Penginapan Kawan Lama Mardingding.

What are the top hotels found in Kutacane for group visitors?

Properties found in Kutacane that are very highly rated by group tourists are OYO 2410 Intan Hotel, Penginapan Kawan Lama Mardingding and Cinta alam inn.

Where can I find rooms in Kutacane with free cancellation policy?

Yes, you’ll find the majority of hotel rooms provide free cancellation rates, with which you will receive a full refund if you cancel prior to the deadline. Filter your search by free cancellation to find flexible hotel deals in Kutacane.

What are some approaching holidays in Kutacane?

Holidays that are coming up in city_name include International Labor Day (Hari Buruh Internasional) on 5/1/2024, Ascension Day (Kenaikan Yesus Kristus) on 5/9/2024, and Buddha Day (Hari Raya Waisak) on 5/23/2024.

How long should I remain in Kutacane?

In the past 3 months, travelers stayed in Kutacane for 1 nights on average. The perfect duration for your visit will depend on what you'd like to see and explore while there.

Are international visitors allowed into Kutacane?

International tourists are allowed into Kutacane, according to our most updated information. Due to changing restrictions, we suggest you take a look at here for more details.

Is quarantine mandatory for fully vaccinated visitors to enter Kutacane?

Quarantine may be required for fully vaccinated visitors to enter Kutacane from outside the country. For updated and detailed information on travel restrictons, please pay a visit to the official websites of the travel authority or government of the country you wish to visit, or go to here .

Is pre-departure covid test expected for fully vaccinated foreigners to enter Kutacane?

Proof of negative pre-departure COVID-19 test is not required to enter Kutacane. For recent and detailed information on travel restrictons, please check out the official websites of the travel authority or government of the country you wish to visit, or go to here .

Is pre-departure covid test mandatory for unvaccinated travelers to enter Kutacane?

Proof of negative pre-departure COVID-19 test is not required to enter Kutacane. For updated and in depth information on travel restrictons, please make sure to visit the official websites of the travel authority or government of the country you wish to visit, or go to here .

Is covid test upon arrival expected for unvaccinated visitors to enter Kutacane?

COVID-19 test may be required on arrival when entering Kutacane from outside the country. For up-to-date and in depth information on travel restrictons, remember to take a look at the official websites of the travel authority or government of the country you hope to visit, or go to here .

Is covid test upon arrival mandatory for fully vaccinated tourists to enter Kutacane?

COVID-19 test may be required on arrival when entering Kutacane from outside the country. For updated and in depth information on travel restrictons, please be sure to visit the official websites of the travel authority or government of the country you want to travel to, or go to here .

What vaccines are accepted in Kutacane?

All vaccination types are currently acknowledged and approved by the national health authority of the country that includes Kutacane.

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The Spice Route End

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.
• home_travel

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.

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Duration of public transport

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Travel time Medan - Sidikalang - Tele - Pangururan - Tuk Tuk - North Sumatra Forum

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North Sumatra Travelers

As said Andrey got me interested in this route with his question in post 12 in the following thread:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294231-i9609-k7247491-o10-Bukit_Lawang_Tangkahan_Berastagi_Lake_Toba_Bukittingi-Sumatra.html

1. All the day there was hardly any traffic on the road so we travelled most likely much faster than usual. For example Medan – Berastagi took us only two hours.

2. In Berastagi we did the detour Gundaling Hill, from where we had a clear view on Mt Sibayak and Mt Sinabung but the tops were covered with clouds. Nothing in terms of volcanic ashes or haze.

3. The road between Kabanjahe and the Sidikalang busstation is very good and allows for fast traveling.

4. In the stretch between Simalem resort and the Sidikalang busstation I counted 18 very recent landslides, with considerable grow potential, which were hardly marked. This makes this route rather dangerous especially in the dark.

5. In between Merek and the Sidikalang busstaton we hardly saw any public transportation, whether it be a big bus, minivan or angkot. This means that after visiting Si Piso Piso and Tongging trying to flag down public transport in Merek for a ride to Sidikalang may not be as easy as I thought.

6. The Sidikalang busstation is located on the left side of the road some 500 m after you pass the left turn for Tele and Pangururan. Reportedly from the busstation to Sidikalang is some 7 km. The busstation as such is not operating anymore. For public transportation to Kutacane and Pangururan one has to report to the halte of the operator. Reportedly for Pangururan the operator is Sampri. The halte some 3 km before Sidikalang coming from Merek. Cost of the ride Sidikalang – Pangururan is Rp 50.000,--. Sampri operates twice a day on the route Sidikalang – Pangururan at 09.00 h and 13.00 h with an L300. It only goes when it is reasonably full. On March 19 the 09.00 h trip was not full and the L300 left for Panguran at 12.00 h. The 13.00 h trip was cancelled. This explains why quite some guests coming by public transport from Ketambe to Tuk Tuk get stuck for the night in Kabanjahe.

7. The road between Sidikalang Busstation and Tele Hill comes with a very impressive collection of potholes in various shapes, depths and lengths, quite some of those very strategically placed just next to or one after the other. The only reasons I can think of for putting these potholes here is safety and for checking the technical conditions of the different vehicles on the road. The fact that at quite some stretches our speed was reduced to far less than 10 km per hour makes the road very safe for children playing on the road and for cats, dogs, chicken, pigs and buffalo to cross the road. Checking the technical condition of vehicles on the road was also very successful as I counted 5 private cars , one minivan and one truck in various stages of disorder. The truck was lying on its side with one broken off wheel making the inspection of the body much easier.

8. Since the last time I visited Tele Hill the downhill road to Pangururan has been much improved, which makes the ride much safer with still the most impressive views over the valleys and Lake Toba .

So now the travel time and distance from Medan to Tuk Tuk via Kabanjahe – Merek – Sidikalang and Pangururan.

We started at 07.15 h from our hotel in the city centre of Medan. I checked the odometer for the distance. So here we go !!

You read the information below as follows:

The first number is the time on my watch

The second the distance in KM from the Centre of Medan

The third is the average speed in km/h over the stretch before

The fourth is the location en route from Medan to Tuk Tuk

07.15 -- 0 -- -- City Centre Medan

08.30 -- 29 – 23 Green Hill Resort (Sibolangit)

08.55 -- 45 – 38 Mikie Holiday Berastagi

09.10 -- 66 – 36 Kabanjahe

09.55 -- 84 – 54 Dokan

10.05 -- 90 – 36 Simpang Merek. For Si Piso Piso follow the road to Parapat

10.15 -- 99 – 54 Simalem Resort

10.35 – 114 – 45 Simpang Silalahi

10.55 – 133 -- 57 Taman Wisata Iman in Dairi.

Here we stopped exactly 1 hr for visiting Taman Wisata Iman, not worthwhile visiting, lunch and sorting out the public transport from Sidikalang to Pangururan

12.00 – 133 On the road again

13.25 – 183 – 35 Tele Hill

13.55 – 198 – 45 Pangururan

14.55 – 238 – 40 Back home in Tuk Tuk

CONCLUSIONS

With a private chartered car we were exactly 7 hrs on the road. Considering that there was hardly any traffic on the road one should add minimum 1 hr for when traffic conditions are normal. Taking in total some 10 or 11 hrs, starting at 07.00 h in Medan and arriving in Tuk Tuk around 18.00 h one has two or three hours for lunch and stops. If one limits itself to stops at Gundaling Hill, the detour from Merek to Si Piso Piso and Tongging and as the last stop Tele Hill than this route is worthwhile considering, especially when one wants to enjoy the downhill ride from Tele to Pangururan. To do the same in one day with public transport is next to impossible.

HORAS !!! HORAS !!! HORAS !!! WELCOME TO TELE HILL AND TUK TUK

I'm really interested in this alternate backroute to Samosir island. So in summary I believe the routes are:

Berastagi - Kabanjahe - Tongging (Sipisopiso) - Merek (Taman Simalem) - Sidikalang - Tele - Pangururan

My question as a backpacker:

1) Are there any public transports linking all these places and how frequent and reliable are they?

2) Are there any accommodations along the way since it's mentioned I probably can't do it in one day?

Hi Navilink,

Only a small correction in the route. The route is Berastagi – Kabanjahe – Merek – Simpang Tongging (here you can take the road to the left to Tongging) – you will not pass Si Piso Piso – Taman Simalem will be on the left side en route to Sidikalang – Tele – Pangururan.

My feeling is that there will be public transport from Kabanjahe to Sidikalang, but as said the busstation in Sidakalang is not operating anymore. So most likely the public transport will just drop you at Simpang Tele (the road to Tele and Tarutung) or in Sidikalang.

The public transport from ‘the halte’ in Sidikalang goes once or twice a day, but timing is unreliable. With luck you can catch the last trip to Tele - Pangururan just after midday.

I cannot reminder having seen any accommodations along the road from Merek to Tele, apart from Taman Simalem and the guesthouse in Taman Wisata Iman. But I would guess there will be a few accommodations in Sidikalang as well.

HORAS !!! HORAS !!! HORAS !!! WELCOME TO SIDIKALANG, WELCOME TO SAMOSIR

Thanks for the reply sir. The transport along the route seems unreliable as mentioned, guess I'll have to skip it. I think I'll go to Tele via Tuk Tuk - Pangururan - Tele way. Do you know anything about Pangururan, especially if any budget accommodation?

Hi, Navilink,

If you skip the route via Sidikalang than your best option is possibly go up and down to Tele from Tuk Tuk with a motor bike. From Tuk Tuk to Pangururan will be about 1.5 hr and the same for Pangururan to Tele. So if you start a bit early from Tuk Tuk you can easily do it in one day. You find budget accommodations in Tuk Tuk all over the place.

I am not really familiar with accommodations in Pangururan, but I do remember that there are quite a few accommodations close to the hotsprings. TripAdvisor and Agoda list Saulina Resort and Hotel Tiga Besar. My impression from the reviews is that these are rather expensive in view of what you will get. As said possibly best to do your exploring of Samosir from a base in Tuk Tuk.

HORAS !!! HORAS !!! HORAS !!! WELCOME TO TUK TUK, WELCOME TO TELE

This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity.

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