Where
to Go
Gunung Leuser National Park
Bukit Lawang
Tangkahan
Lake Toba
Berastagi
Mt. Sibayak
volcano
Mt. Sinabung
volcano
Sipisopiso
Waterfall
Tongging
Ketembe
Lake Kawar
Medan
What
to Do
Jungle
Trekking
Elephant
Trekking
White-Water
Rafting
River-Tubing
Volcano
Climbing
Bohorok
Orangutan Centre
Maimoon Palace
What
to Know
About "Hello
Mister Travel"
Introduction
to Sumatra
Topography
History
Getting to Sumatra
Getting Around Sumatra
Terms & Conditions
Accommodation
Bukit Lawang
Tangkahan
Berastagi
Tongging
Tuk Tuk
Ketembe
The Tours
Bukit Lawang Short Stay
The Jungle Trail
The Toba Trail
The North Sumatran Trail
Tangkahan
It won't be too long before the secret is out and Tangkahan becomes a standard stop on the traveller's itinerary through Sumatra. As it stands at the moment it is simply the most beautiful spot in North Sumatra. With a crystal green river to swim in, a hot-spring to soak in and a waterfall to shower under, Tangkahan ticks many of the boxes on the travellers wish-list. Add in some elephants and some wonderful jungle scenery and you've got some compelling reasons to visit.
The
history of Tangkahan is a story to restore your faith in the future.
Illegal loggers began to rape the area of its trees and for once, the
locals decided to do something about it and
stand up to them. They were, in turn, threatened and some of their
properties damaged by these corporate bullies. Eventually, with some
help from the government, the villagers were able to have their area
designated a ecologically sensitive area. They brought some elephants
from Aceh and Bukit Lawang; elephants
that had been rampaging through
private property and generally making a nuisance of themselves. They
are now used as a means of transport for the rangers who now patrol
the area against illegal logging, and as an attraction for tourists
to the area.
Because
of its remoteness, an exceptionally bad road to get there and its
relative youth as a tourist destination, Tangkahan’s naturally
beautiful setting is unspoilt by development and free from bothersome
touts. There are only a few places to stay and all of them have been
built unobtrusively, and lovingly, into the surrounding jungle.
Of course it’s the elephants who steal the show here. Everyday, at 9am and 4pm, seven of them are led down from their camp to the river where they harrumph and romp and soak and generally look like they’re having a good time. Visitors are offered the chance of giving them a wash; although I’m not sure of the necessity of this particular part of it all, but it’s certainly an experience to be scrubbing behind the ears of these gigantic softies. If you want to spend more time with the elephants, then short treks can be arranged as well as longer overnight treks to Bukit Lawang. To book an elephant trek, click here...
What to Do in Tangkahan
- Watch the elephants bathing in the river and help wash the parts they cannot reach!
- Go elephant trekking for a few hours or a few days; experience a couple of nights camping in the jungle.
- Go on a walking trek into the jungle for as many nights as you dare.
- Go river-tubing. Enjoy the scenery from the river on an inflated inner-tube.
- Soak yourself in the hot-springs which flow into the cool waters of the conjoining rivers. Or have a jungle-massage; a pounding under a waterfall.
- Swim in the clear waters of the river and picnic at Butterfly Beach
- Relax in one of the terrace restaurants and try to spot some wildlife. Otters, leopards and wild orang-utans are amongst the many species which have been spotted from the comfort of one’s own dinner table.
For Accommodation click here...
