Tangkahan Elephant Tours

Drive to Tangkahan
This one-day tour starts in the early morning, around 06.30am as we want to give you as much time in Tangkahan as possible. Your driver will pick you up at your guesthouse from where you walk to the parking area of Bukit Lawang. A jeep will take you to Tangkahan as the road is quite bumpy and leads for around 2 hours through endless palm oil plantations. It is very sad to see but also very important to know. Palm oil is a double-edged sword, as it is on the one hand the most economical oil crop and on the other hand the biggest enemy of the rainforest, wildlife and local farmers! Your guide will explain more about it on your way to Tangkahan, On your way you won’t only witness destruction: From time to time you will have an amazing view over the rainforest mountains of Gunung Leuser National Park…

If you decide for the early morning option, you can now choose between having breakfast in the car, at a view point on the way (if you are lucky you can see a beautiful sunrise from there) or at a local warung when you arrive in Tangkahan. It’s a cozy little village at the edge of Gunung Leuser National Park in North Sumatra, located at the junction of Buluh River and Batang River. With the help of local organisations, the village has become a good example of how community-based ecotourism can stop illegal logging and thereby create a new livelihood for local people!

The Story behind Tangkahan’s Elephant Project
The Conservation Response Unit (CPU) of Tangkahan, founded in 2001, rescued a herd of wild forest elephants from illegal poaching. As the herd kept coming to the villages and frequently destroyed the crops of local farmers who have their land near the rainforest border, the farmers wanted to shoot these elephants to protect their desperately needed income. 

Therefore, Tangkahan’s rangers decided to tame the elephants instead. The now trained herd and their mahouts help protect the villages from other elephant herds and the national park from illegal logging by patroling along the national park’s border ever Friday. Illegal lgging and poaching was a huge issue in the area of Tangkahan until recently and could be stopped only by the elephant project. 

Meanwhile some of the female elephants have had offspring, who were born and raised in Tangkahan. Each elephant has its own personal mahout – their most important caregiver. They are imprinted on them and it is only to their own mahout that they listen best. It is an impressive bond and your guide from Tangkahan is happy to tell you more about it (as most of the mahouts don’t speak English).  

Possible Activities
On our excursion through the area of Tangkahan, you can visit these incredible elephants, watch them taking their morning/afternoon bath and even wash them! 

One of our most important values is species-appropriate animal husbandry and animal welfare. Even though elephant activities in general are under worldwide criticism, we have decided to offer these options to you, as the CPU project supports the local community on the one hand which prevents illegal poaching and logging on the other hand. Saving the nature and wildlife starts with helping the local communities.

Time at the river & hot spring
Before or after visiting the elephants, our excursion is leading us over the big wooden bridge of Buluh River which offers a fantastic rainforest view. Here you can relax at the riverside, take a swim in the river, enjoy the scenery and discover the hidden hot spring on the opposite riverbank! Nearby you can have lunch (excludes) in a local restaurant in Tangkahan (Mega Inn - On request it’s possible to prepare lunch or even a BBQ at the riverbank for an extra fee.

Return to Bukit Lawang
Around 2 or 5 pm (if you want, of course it’s possible to stay longer!) you will start your way back home to Bukit Lawang through undeveloped villages, where you can take your time to get to know the life in local villages.

NOTE:
CPU Tangkahan does not offer the elephant activities as a private tour! Other travellers will probably be joining you at the washing spot and walking tour.