Kerinci

Danau Kaco, a cristal clear spring in the middle of the jungle with blue color given by the minerals at the bottom.

The Kerinci valley is a hidden gem of Sumatra. Hard to access, only three roads to go in or out and one small airport that has just recently started to do daily flights to Jambi (Apparently it's still expensive for an Indonesian local flight ~850'000 IDR). If you want to experience preserved jungle with loads of wild animals and traditional villages then the biggest national park of Sumatra is for you.

The center of the valley is home to a multitude of villages. The biggest of them and the place you will probably arrive first is Sungai Penuh. From there you can go trek into the jungle. The best way is to contact Luke Mackin a guide that can arrange different tours with him or local guides. Check his website, its the best source of information about Kerinci: WildSumatra.com.

The first day, I did a night safari. We went with a car in the jungle during sunset. Armed with red torchlights we searched for animals (nocturnal creatures doesn't see red and are thus not disturbed). I could see bats, Palm Civet, Slow Loris, Binturing and many birds. If you are really really lucky you can spot a tiger. The local guide told us he has only seen tigers twice in his whole life.

Palm civet. He eats all sort of fruits. The coffee named Kopi Luwak is made by collecting the coffee beans in the poop of the Palm civet. The fermentation process in the body of the animal gives it a special taste.

Bat eating a fruit.

Slow Loris.

The day after I went for a day trek to the lake Kaco. The path is a 2-3 hours walk in a dense jungle. Bring some good shoes because the path is extremely muddy, sometimes even swampy. The walk is a good opportunity to spot animals like monkeys, rhinoceros hornbill, frogs, scorpions, centipedes. When arriving at the lake I couldn't believe my eyes. The water is so blue it's surreal. I went for a refreshing swim and then we had lunch on the shore of the lake. I was lucky to be the only person there with my guide. There are normally up to 50 persons/day there. Mainly Indonesian tourists, but since it was Ramadan locals don't travel. I was saddened by the rubbish found around the lake, thrown by Indonesian tourists. The local guides tries to clean the place when they can, but it's a hard fight. I filled a plastic bag with as much garbage I could and brought them back to the village.

A piece of paradise in the middle of the jungle.

The lake is full of fishes.

The lake is actually really deep, so you can jump in from this branch.

The path in the jungle.

Frog.

Frog.

Centipede.

Some edible fruit.

My guide showing me how to get drinkable water from bamboo.

Bamboo are filled with drinkable water.

A bird hunter with his compressed air rifle.

The Kerinci valley was a fantastic experience. All the local guides are passionate about the forest and their village. They try to educate the children about pollution and are putting into place a recycling center. Tourism is the best way to show locals that preserving the fauna and flora can bring them an alternate source of income. One that is more sustainable than poaching and timber.

Two water buffalo fighting.

In the village of Lempur.

During Ramadan all restaurant are closed during lunch. If you want to eat something, you can head to this hidden eatery that Luke showed me. It's in Sungai Penuh on Jl. Teuku Umar (02°03'44.34''S, 101°23'42.37''E)