Tangkahan Ecotour Jungle Trekking In Mount Leuser Park Bahorok

If you had a chance to meet an orangutan at Bukit Lawang, it would be a shame if you immediately turned right to Medan. The problem is already near the Tangkahan. There, we can play with elephants.

Similar to Bukit lawang jungle trekking, Tangkahan is also located in the Gunung Leuser National Park Area. The location is in Batang Serangan District, Langkat Regency, North Sumatra. To reach Tangkahan, you have to drive for 4 hours from Bukit Lawang. If you depart directly from the city ​​of Medan , then get ready to travel about 124 kilometers.

Tangkahan has natural conditions with a contour that is rotten, dominated by large trees with taproots poking from the ground. In addition, in an area of ​​17,000 ha, it also crosses the Sei Batang Serangan River, which flows fast and flows throughout the year.

These natural conditions make the Tangkahan area ideal for living Sumatran Elephants and make it one of the favorite spot gatherings for these rare animals. Not infrequently, so absorbed in looking for food, the elephant herd entered the residential area and caused resentment.

From here, the Tangkahan residents finally made use of the presence of the elephant herd as a means of transportation to patrol the forest. Until finally, the existence of trained elephants became the main attraction for tourists who came mostly from foreign tourists.

Bathe the elephant

One of the favorite activities of tourists while in Tangkahan is bathing the elephant. You can feel the sensation of getting wet with elephants on the Sei Batang Serangan River. Here, a package is available that allows you to be close to an elephant while tackling its rough skin.

To take part in this package, you only need to pay Rp. 30,000. Come in the morning and wait on the banks of the Sei Batang Serangan River. When it's time, 8 herds of elephants will come with funny formations which are lined up backward with trunks and tails that are intertwined with each other. Then, without being ruled, the elephant herd will rush and swim inside the Sei Batang River.

Once they hit it, don't rush to take a bath . Wait until the mahout or elephant trainer calls a herd of elephants to pull over. Then they will immediately lie down as if they will be bathed. Well, then here you can start rubbing the elephant's skin using the washing brush that has been given before.

Being engrossed in rubbing, don't be surprised if the elephant suddenly sprays water from its trunk. That means it's joking, that's how it is. Let the bathing event be more exciting. After that, the elephant will usually apologize. The trick, he will caress your face with his trunk. Seduce so that you are willing to rub his body again. Guaranteed you will melt it!

Forest patrol

Finished bathing, the elephants are clean and cute and ready to go to work. It's a shame if you don't follow the elephants patrolling the forest. You can go on patrol by riding an elephant that you have bathed before. The fare is Rp. 300,000 for a 1.5 hour trip.

You will be taken on an adventure touring the tropical rainforest with challenging tracks: muddy, slippery and up and down the hill. And you will also find obstacles in the middle of the trip. 

Like passing a fallen tree trunk, crossing the river Sei Batang Serangan which is fast-flowing or even blocked by a group of wild elephants. But what is clear is that all the experiences of adventure in the jungle of Sumatra are memorable and make you have a one-day experience to become Tarzan.

Who says meeting orangutans in their natural habitat can only be done in Tanjung Puting? In Medan, it's also possible. Precisely at Bukit Lawang.

Located in Bahorok District, Langkat Regency, North Sumatra, Bukit Lawang is an orangutan observation center. Its location is in the northwest of Medan City, about 90 kilometers. Can be taken approximately for 3 hours.

In terms of name, actually Bukit Lawang means 'Door to the Hill'. So named because Bukit Lawang is located in the south of Gunung Leuser National Park and is the gateway to enter the rainforest area which is contourly indeed looks hilly. Through Bukit Lawang, visitors can do trekking in the national park area or even climb on Mount Leuser.

But since 1973, the Bukit Lawang area has been designated as a place for orangutan conservation. Since the establishment until 2001, the area has released 229 orangutans. This has caused many people to come to see the animals first and finally change the area from a conservation center to become an orangutan observation center.

Now if you want to meet the orangutans from Bukit Lawang, you must prepare these 5 things.

Prepare physically.

Observing orangutans directly can be done by trekking in the Bukit Lawang forest area. But, to be able to capture the appearance of these mammals it seems that it takes a lot of patience. It's nothing, the Bukit Lawang area covers 200 ha with only 300 orangutans living in it. As a result, the 'hunting' program for orangutans in Bukit Lawang has become as difficult as finding a mate in real life.