To the Nothern Tip of Indonesia

Devastation caused by landslide

Leaving Medan we headed back to the mountains and followed the road up through the spine of the country towards Gunung Leuser National Park - a huge area of mountains covered in untouched rain forest. The road follows a beautiful river valley which has been cultivated with the jungle rising up on either side.

Masonry house destroyed by landslide

Approaching one village on the road we met first saw many heavy vehicles and military and police personnel. Entering the village, many people were sitting round in groups talking quietly, and then we saw why. For around 1km the hillside had been washed down through the village, destroying their timber houses, overwhelming bridges and blocking rivers. We had seen images on the TV news a couple of days previously which said 8 people were killed. A massive clean up operation was in progress with diggers, and rescue teams and emergency food stations. It is only when you see the effect directly that you can appreciate the scale and devastation caused to these relatively poor rural communities.

Female wild OrangUtan

Mother with baby OrangUtan

The main road through Gunung Leuser passes through some areas of prime forest, and we were fortunate to see a family of wild OrangUtans feeding on a tree right beside the road. We managed to camp by the river and again saw them feeding in the same tree the following morning along with a pair of the ridiculous Rhinoceros Hornbills.

Gunung Leuser National Park

Rhinoceros Hornbill 

Start of forest clearance

Deciding to cut through to the west coast we followed a minor road which climbed through the untouched forest to 1600m. Sections of the road are in a very poor state and we used the 4WD capability of the Landcruiser a couple of times to overcome very steep and muddy sections.
From the west coast this road is controversially being upgraded, widened and surfaced and it soon becomes clear that where there is easy access the forest is soon cleared for the timber and for agriculture. Poignantly just before we reached the start of the forest clearance we were privileged to spend 3/4 hour watching a family of wild gibbons feeding and displaying their acrobatic abilities in a tree by the road.

Beautiful coast of Aceh Province

White Handed Gibbon

Having reached Aceh Province we were now in the area devastated by the 2004 tsunami and the west coast has many new houses and a fantastic new road which sweeps along the coastal plain to Banda Aceh in the north. This beautiful coastline of palm lined sandy beaches and rocky headlands feels very undeveloped and tranquil. Without stopping to see Banda Aceh we caught the ferry to Pulau Weh where we applied for a visa extension and due to a weekend and public holiday had to stay for a week. A beautiful island containing the northern most point of Indonesia (kilometre 0) with coral gardens and excellent snorkelling just a few metres from the beach provided an ideal place to relax for a few days before we start our journey south.        

 





Most Northely point of Indonesia 

Pulau Weh Campsite

Sunset from Pulau Weh Campsite