Climbing Indonesia’s Highest Volcano – Mt. Kerinci Trek
By far the most famous landmark in Sumatra's Kerinci region is the massive active volcano - Gunung Kerinci. On clear days it can be seen towering over the surrounding mountains and valleys from over a hundred kilometers awa [...]
Rimba Ecolodge: Rainforest and Reefs in West Sumatra
It's no secret that I love Kerinci. The highland valley, surrounded by a mountainous national park (Sumatra's largest) has been my home for over eight years. And it's beautiful - the mighty volcanic peaks, mystical cloud fo [...]
How to Buy a Local Prepaid Sim Card in Indonesia, Top Up Phone Credit, and Purchase Mobile Data
When travelling abroad, it’s always cheaper to buy a local card and mobile internet data, rather than pay outrageous roaming fees from your usual provider back home. Fortunately, it's an easy, relatively straightforward proce [...]
Rainforest Road: A Morning and Evening on Bukit Tapan
MORNING I wake up in the dark, voices of the adzan drifting on the wind from distant mosques. I quickly and quietly shower and dress, trying not to disturb my sleeping wife. Grabbing my camera and my motorbike keys, I head [...]
Five Lakes Expedition
"Some of the guides I partner with in the village of Lempur were thinking of offering this new multi-day jungle trek down there at the southern end of Kerinci. But before we throw it up on the Wild Sumatra site, I need to sc [...]
Orang Pendek: A Cryptozoological Animal in the Sumatran Wilderness
The Mysterious Orang Pendek: Science or Myth? Sumatra's version of Big Foot, the Orang Pendek is a mystery. With recorded encounters from as far back as colonial times, both locals and the odd outsider have had sightings of [...]
Ten Reasons to Visit Kerinci
Never heard of Kerinci? You’re not alone. A remote highland valley, nestled between almost impassable mountains and volcanoes, the Kerinci region has long been mysterious and isolated. In fact, it was one of the last places [...]
The Old Farmer
The old farmer Follows the rising sun to the fields Hands cracked from years of work Skin wrinkled and weather-worn Back bent low from daily labor, from the weight of the world All rests on the [...]
Cloud Forest: A World of Light and Shadow
A bed of moss grows thick on trunk and limb, on rock and boulder Thicker with every meter climbed The air, too, grows heavy Moisture filling our lungs droplets condensing on our jackets, On lichen, on branches We ascend [...]