More on 1st time Sumatra travel experience

Ketambe- the short of it: better not to go unless with small group to share expenses of overnight trekking or with a fat wallet, it ain't cheap even for a day walk; also better to avoid rainy season; am talking extended evening and nightly showers. Do go to enjoy the quiet and give your ears a rest from Medan and/or Berastagi. Can recommend Sadar Wisata GH with Pindra a welcoming host and the dining room choices are well done.
Danau Toba and TukTuk- the short of it: don't get anywhere near Samosir/Parapat during the December/January holidays; they start cranking the boats up well before 7 am and running the mainly Indonesian tourists all around the lake with lots of screaming and yelling; I stayed at Romlan right in the thick of everything and would recommend it heartily if not the holidays; if you are there then, suggest TukTuk Timbal to be a bit removed; get good bread at Tabos; snacks, drinks, all sorts of other stuff including cheapest L bottle of Bintang from Citra convenience store, a good pizza from Rumba's and a very fine pineapple milk shake from Hot Chili's which sits opposite tailor Rumba's shop who does fine work.

Good report - thanks.

It's possible to hike independently at Ketambe... You don't need to pay the guides if you have some jungle skills of your own.

It's possible to hike independently at Ketambe... You don't need to pay the guides if you have some jungle skills of your own.

I guess you also need good wildlife spotting skills, do you agree?

I usually prefer to go alone (or with friends), but learned that in the jungle (or also diving) a good guide who knows the place and has an eye trained for spotting the local wildlife are usually worth the money, even if expensive.

This raises the question: are there good, knowledgeable guides around Ketambe? NP rangers or freelancers?

OP, when you say it isn't cheap, how much were you quoted? I just got in touch with the place I visited about 5 years ago & the price increase is minimal.
You can get more relevant & up to date informations by other means than this forum. It's quite simple really so you're more prepared before you arrive there. You can even compare pricings before hand.

Most of the guides around Ketambe are young village boys, who have been trained to imitate Bali touts, and are mostly interested in flirting with any unattached females who are around. There must be some more competent guides hidden away somewhere as well, but they're certainly not the norm.

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