THE HIDDEN PARADISE
This 1 day trip brings you to a very special place which is well known
as the HIDDEN PARADISE of the Gunung Leuser National Park.
In Tangkahan, a peaceful village located between river and rainforest,
you can see rehabilitated sumatran elephants !
You can join the daily bath ritual and help washing the elephants in the
river ( 1 hour ) or do a 2 hours elephant walking through the jungle, which is an
awesome way to get close to these great giants in their natural habitat and listen to the
stories of their mahouds.
Or just lay back, relax and enjoy this amazing place, go swimming in the
river and waterfalls, take a bath in the hotsprings or walk around in the
village. There are a few retaurants and guesthouses available.
It takes around 2 hours to get to Tangkahan (by motorbike or car). On the way you will
pass palmoil plantations, rual villages and fantastic viewpoints.
...a perfect place to lay back and relax in the nature!
We highly recommend this tour for families!
COSTS:
Option 1:
Elephant washing and walking / going there by motorbike:
95 Euro per person
Option 2:
Elephant washing / going there by motorbike:
55 Euro per person
Option 3:
Elephant washing and walking / going there by car:
115 Euro per person,minimum 2 person
(calculated on double occupancy,NOTE:price will be higher for single
person!)
Option 4:
Elephant washing / going there by car:
75 Euro per person,minimum 2 person
(calculated on double occupancy,NOTE:price will be higher for single
person!)
Included:
motorbike/car, petrol , driver, local guide (CRU/LPT), Mahout (CRU/LPT),
all permits, ticket for crossing the Buluh River and bridge, voucher for elephant washing
and/or walking, local lunch
We are aware about worldwides criticsm in regards to elephant and animal activities.
However we decided to still support Tangkahan as an ecotourism area. By booking
activities in Tangkahan, you will directly support the CRU ( Conservation Response Units ):
a local team of mahouds and rehabilitated elephants. The interactions with the elephants
are controlled and the elephanst are threated well. The local initiative CRU
was designed to give these captive elephants a better life and to protect the habitat still
available to wild and free elephants. Further aims are forest protection ( against illegal
logging and palmoil plantations), ongoing professional training for the mahouts, education
to both locals and visitors and essential financial sustainability through eco tourism for the
local community of Tangkahan. It is not an option for us to stop all activities in Tangkahan
Elephant camp as this would weaken the conservation efforts and programmes in
Tangkahan and the developping tourism which helps the locals to find other incomes than
logging, wildlife trade or working in palmoil plantations which in turn helps again to save
the sumatran elephants and their natural habitats.
Please contact us here for booking this Elephant Camp Tour to Tangkahan.