Kerinci Seblat National Park is Sumatra's largest national park, which sprawls across four provinces. It is home to rhinos, tigers, elephants, bears and the misterious orang pendek. The scenery is magnificent, dominated by volcanic cones, including the highest peak in western Indonesia, Mount Kerinci. Lake Kerinci is the best place to see the parks's famous birdlife : hornbills, banded-boardbills and drongos, whose tails give the illusion that the bird is constantly being chased by two black butterflies.
Mt. Kerinci is the highest mountain in Sumatra. The peak is 3805 meters altitude, and still active volcano .It lies inside the northern end of the big Kerinci -Seblat Reserve, which covers a 345 km strip of Sumatra's mountainous spine straddling four Sumatra provinces. To the north and south are heavily populated farmlands. The volcano's cone is young and bare, while the main crater lies northeast of the remnants of the Berapi/ Elok crater system. Kerinci's crater, which erupted in 1934 is filled with yellowish -green water.
The mountain is squeezed in between even older mountain complexes to the west and east. Though Kerinci is a very nice mountain to climb, you need to be in good condition. Climber usually start from Kayu Aro (1500 meters) a small village south of the peak.
You can't loose your way on the ascent; there only one path through the jungle. The first leg is four hours to a covered shelter from there the climb is steep and hard. In some section you'll crawl on all fours through tunnels of trees and under roots. You need to rest every 10-15 minutes, the is so narrow and steep.
From Paiman Home Stay in Kersik Tuo, it takes seven and half hours to reach 3000 meters -here's a ruined house where you can put up a tent. Fresh water no available. Get up early in the morning, and climb three hours to the peak. There you can see the crater, with huge billowy sulfur clouds. Two hours to descend to the 3000 meters point, where you can pick up your things and be down off the mountain in just five hours.
Mt. Kerinci is gorgeous, where you can find many kind of birds, such as Sumatran hornbill and wild dove. Long tailed macaque. Beautiful yellowish flowers. Tropical rainforest with many kind of plants, canopy and big fern plants. It's a nice scenery.
