Our longest and most wild trek, the Sumatran Tiger Trek takes you deep into primary rainforest and through Sumatran tiger habitat. You’ll hike up ridge trails, cross jungle streams,  visit peaceful waterfalls, and even take a dip in the the magnificently blue Lake Kaco. If you’re lucky, you’ll spot siamang gibbons, mitered leaf monkeys, hornbills, and a variety of birds and other wildlife. And yes, a few of our guests have even had the good fortune of seeing sun bears and Sumatran tigers, with a huge majority at the very least seeing pugmarks, scratches on trees, scat, and sometimes even a tiger’s nearby “aum” call. While the itinerary below is for five days/four nights, for this Sumatra jungle trek we also have 3D/2N or 4D/3N options as well.

- DAY 1

If  you started the trek late, make camp there, orcontinueup Bukit Lintang to the hill campsite. Bukit Lintang is known for having very healthy wildlife populations, sobeon the look out for wildlife as diverse as wildboar to Malayan tapir, sambar deer to Sumatran tigers.

- DAY 2

After roughly five hours of trekking, arrive at the unnamed waterfall where you’ll make camp. Enjoy swimming in the fresh mountain water, ride the natural  rock slide beside the waterfall in to the pool below, or continue exploring the surrounding rainforest. Turn in forthenight.

- DAY 3

Enjoy a peaceful breakfast surrounded by birds singing their morning songs against the backdrop of the bubbling waterfall. Break camp and continue trekking through the primary rainforest of the Kerinci Seblat National Park, making your way back up Bukit Lintang, and down a fairly steep trail out of the hills. This slightly more lowland forest has a different feel, with taller trees growing in this more level landscapeOn thisthirdnight, you’llmakecampnear a smallcreek.

During the hike, learn about jungle survival from your guide – how to find drinking water, how to identify edible fruits, plants, and other foods for foraging.

On this third night, you’ll make camp near a small creek.

Set up camp in the forest surrounding the lake. Before bed, take a night-walk for chances of spotting nocturnal creatures like civets, colugo, slow-loris, flying squirrels, and a variety of tree-frogs and insects.

- DAY 5

Wake up next to Lake Kaco and enjoy a leisurely morning, swimming and relaxing in the lake. Eventually, pull yourself away and continue roughly three hours along forest trails looking for birds, wildlife and signs of other animals as you make your way out of the forest.

You’ll arrive back in Lempur generally by mid- to late-afternoon. Spend the night back in the Lempur guesthouse.

CONDITIONS

• Each day has roughly six to seven hours of trekking, including rests and stops to study the environment, with only the last day being around four hours. Of course, times can vary wildly depending on if you’re blazing through the forest (why??) or taking more time to observe your surroundings more closely.
• No comfy accommodations here! You’ll be sleeping rough in tents on sometimes uneven/rocky ground, with very thin camping mattresses, under the forest canopy for four nights. Plus two nights in a very simple family-run guesthouse in the village. But you’ll be having an experience of a lifetime.
• Also, as it is a rainforest, expect and prepare for rain at some point during your trek, no matter what season you’re travelling in.
• Terrestrial leeches can be abundant at times. While harmless, they can certainly be annoying – this is not a trek for the pampered.
• This is also not a zoo – the animals here are very wild and extremely wary of people, and the lush environment itself makes visibility difficult. While seeing tracks and other fresh signs of a variety of wildlife is very common, actually spotting large mammals is rare.
• Since you’ll be hiking in the middle of the Bukit Barisan mountain range, at elevations between 1100m to 1500m above sea level, temperatures are relatively cool – expect highs of around 25°C during the day, and down to around 15°C at night.
• Food is very traditional local fare. Vegetarian and vegan options are available, if you let us know ahead of time.
• Like all of our trips, you travel at your own risk. Keep in mind that you are visiting a wild and extremely remote area of rural Sumatra, with wild animals and other dangers that come from being in a natural landscape. Quality medical care is also very far away. It’s your responsibility to make sure you are covered with valid travel and medical insurance.

*Note: While this Sumatra jungle trekking itinerary is for five days, if you're short on time you can trim it down to four days/three nights or even three days/two nights, while still having good opportunities to see wildlife and be in Sumatran tiger habitat. You may not go as far as the unnamed waterfall, especially on the three day trek, but will still visit Bukit Lintang, prime Sumatran Tiger habitat, and Lake Kaco. If you want to spend even more than five days exploring the rainforest there, we can arrange that as well. Let us know what best fits for you and we'll make it happen!