- Address: Taman Nasional Gunung Leuser, Kabupaten Langkat, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia
- Website: matakaki.com
- Area: 7,927 sq. M. km
- Year of foundation: 1980
The territory of the Republic of Indonesia covers a large area of South-East Asia. A lot of islands , so different and far from civilization. One of the largest islands in the world - Sumatra - is a dense tropical forest and a huge species diversity of fauna. Since many inhabitants of Sumatra are endemic, in order to preserve them, protected areas have been created, including National Park of Indonesia Gunung-Leser .
More about the park
Gunung-Leser is located in the northern part of the island of Sumarta , on the border of two provinces: Aceh and North Sumatra. The park received its name from behind Leser mountain , which is located within its borders. The National Park was founded in 1980.
Park Gunung-Leser stretches for a length of 150 km and a width of more than 100 km. Approximately 25 km of the park is on the coast. The landscape of Gunung-Leser is predominantly mountainous. About 40% of the total area of the national park lies above the 1500 m altitude and only 12% of the territory is located on the lowland in the southern part - 600 m and lower. Here begins the main path from the gate of the park.
Altogether there are 11 mountain peaks above 2700 m. And the height of the famous mountain Leser - the highest point of Gunung-Leser - is 3466 m. It should be noted that Gunung-Leser together with the parks Bukit-Barisan-Setan and Kerinchi-Seblat create the UNESCO World Heritage Site . Their association is called "Virgin Wet Rainforests of Sumatra."
What is interesting about Gunung-Leser National Park?
The territory of the park covers several ecosystems. Here is also the reserve Bukit Lavang , created to preserve and multiply the population of Sumatran orangutans. Gunung-Leser is one of two territories inhabited by this shrinking species of primates. The first research station of Ketambe was established in 1971 by the zoologist Hermann Rixen. Oragnutanov in the park now about 5000 individuals.
Unfortunately, most of the orangutans have ever lived with a human and are domesticated. Employees of the park teach their wards to independently obtain their food, build nests, move through trees, etc. Tourists are given a unique opportunity to be present when feeding animals. Mostly at the meal come females with toddlers.
In the park you can also find elephants, Sumatran tiger and rhinoceros, Siamanga, Zambara, Serau, Gibbon, Monkeys, Bengal cat, etc. On the territory of Gunung-Leser you can see the largest flower in the world - Rafflesia. Every year the park attracts thousands of tourists.
How to get there?
In the National Park of Indonesia, Gunung-Leser can be accessed in three ways:
- Through the reserve Bukit Lavang.
- From the village of Tangkahan.
- Through the second gate of the park - Ketambe.
The guide services will cost about $ 25 per day (about 7-8 hours). You can choose a tour of any complexity: from a walk for 2-5 hours before climbing to the top of the park - Mount Leser, which takes 14 days. It includes visiting the most remarkable places in the National Park of Indonesia Gunung-Leser: altitude 2057 m volcano Sibayak and island Palambak on Lake Toba . The most popular route is Ketambe - Bukit Lavang - about $ 45 per person.
You can walk in the park and yourself, but for this, for $ 10 per person and his photo / video equipment you need to issue the appropriate permission in the administration of the park. The park is recommended to visit in mountain shoes and necessarily long pants (there are a lot of leeches), also do not forget about the protection from flying insects.