SUMATRA

Sumatra's natural endowments are superlative. It stretches nearly 2000 Km from Banda Aceh in the north to Bakauheni in the south, is nearly bisected by the equator and covers an area of 473,606 sq km, almost size of France. The island's backbone is the Bukit Barisan range, which runs most of the length of the west coast, merging with the highlands around Danau Toba and central Aceh. Forming the most dramatic peaks is an almost martial formation of almost 100 volcanoes, 15 of which are still active. The tallest is Gunung Kerinci, measuring 3805 m. The string of islands off the west coast, including Nias and the Mentawai islands, are geologically older than the rest of Sumatra.

The coastal lowlands on the east coast are swampy and drained by wide muddy rivers, such as Batanghari, Siak and Musi, which empty into the shallow Strait of Melaka. 

In its remaining forests, Sumatra boasts some of Indonesia's most interesting biodiversity. Flowers and primates top the naturalist's list. The Raflesia arnoldii, the world's largest flowers and the Amorphophallus titanium the world's tallest flower, can be found in pockets of the Bukit Barisan jungle. The island is also home to endangered species such as the two-horned Sumatran rhino, the honey bear, the Sumatran elephant and the Sumatran tiger. But scientist from all over the world come to northern Sumatra's Gunung Leuser National Park, where more than 5000 orangutans are believed to still live in the wild.

ORANGUTAN FEEDING CENTRE

Bukit Lawang's famous orangutan centre was seet up in 1973 to help primates. During the centre's decade long operation, it has introduced 200 orangutans into the jungle and many of them have successfully mated with the wild population. Many of animal have been kept as caged pets. The centre teaches them how to forage for food in the wild, build nests, climb trees and others essentials for survival after release. The Orangutans are also treated for diseases that they contracted during contact with humans. The most recent release of an Orangutan into the wild was in 2005.

Once the apes are on their own in the wild, the centre still provides supplementary feeding in case of awkward transitions or demanding circumstances. The feedings provided by the centre consist of milk and bananas and are considered a fairly bland diet compared with the diversity of food found in the forest. The semi-wild apes who appear at the centre welfare platform are typically nursing or pregnant females in need of an extra source of nutrition.

The feeding platform is located on the west bank of Sungai Bohorok within the park boundaries about a 20 minute walk up from the village. The river crossing to the park office is made by dugout canoe. 

TANGKAHAN

The place for a truly wild and off the map adventure, to experience the jungle aboard elephants in this undiscovered retreat. Towards the end of the 1990 s a few foreign ecologists and conscientious locals decided to take a stand against the palm oil loggers that working in this wild part of northern Sumatra. Armed with a few riffles and machetes, using elephants to patrol the jungle against loggers and poachers, the locals have gradually lobbied the government into declaring the region a protected area. Fast forward a decade and the once doomed region is still home to all manner of apes, monkeys, lizards and elephants.