A quieter gateway to the Leuser, two hours from Bukit Lawang by jeep: a jungle walk to a waterfall, lunch in the forest, tubing down the clear Batang Serangan, and the Sumatran elephants of the ranger patrol wading in for their bath.
Tangkahan is a small community at the meeting of the Buluh and Batang Serangan rivers on the edge of the national park. Villagers who once lived from illegal logging now run it as an ecotourism area.
The area is home to a Conservation Response Unit, a team of rangers and trained elephants that patrol the park boundary against poaching and help steer wild elephants away from farms. Each day the elephants come down to the river to be washed, and visitors can watch and help scrub them under the mahouts' guidance.
The day includes a forest walk to a waterfall with lunch, tubing on the Batang Serangan, and the elephants' afternoon bath. There are simple lodges by the river and a hot spring on the Buluh. Book as a day tour from Bukit Lawang or stay a night.
A long but varied day; stay overnight for a gentler pace.
A bumpy two hours through oil palm and rubber plantations and small villages to Tangkahan.
Cross the Batang Serangan by suspension bridge or raft and walk into the park with a local guide.
A trail through the forest leads to a waterfall and pool for lunch and a cool-off.
Ride inner tubes down the clear, gentle river, past limestone banks and hanging vines.
Watch the patrol elephants wade in for their wash, and help scrub them if the mahouts invite you.
.jpg?width=960)
Guesthouses in Bukit Lawang arrange jeeps and day tours. From Medan, buses and shared cars take about four hours.
The visitor centre sets community fees for guides, tubing and the elephant bath; your tour normally includes them.
Follow the mahouts' instructions around the elephants, and never approach them on your own.
Bukit Lawang practical notes →Wikimedia Commons photographs are used under their licences.
.jpg?width=960)
.jpg){kind=link}
