Ready to take on the challenge to scale the highest active volcano in Southeast Asia? If you’re an intrepid solo traveller (or part of a duo) backpacking your way across Indonesia, come join a few other kindred spirits on our 2-day Mt. Kerinci Trek here in the Kerinci Seblat National Park. Check out our dates below and contact us while the limited slots are still open. If you want to extend your stay and maximize the experience, you can combine this trek with a Sumatran Tiger Trek taking you deep into the Sumatran rainforest.

SEPTEMBER

Open Booking

OCTOBER

Open Booking

NOVEMBER

OPEN BOOKING

Kerinci Sumatran countryside Indonesia tour rice paddies

The drive from Padang to the Kerinci valley is long, but the views can be spectacular.

You’ll be picked up in Padang in the morning, straight from your accommodations. Enjoy the scenery as you drive roughly eight hours through the Sumatran countryside, passing small villages, rice paddies, and finally curling around the tea fields along the foothills of Mt. Kerinci to arrive at Kersik Tuo.

Spend the night in a simple guesthouse there.

Pak Subandi on Mt. Kerinci

A dry riverbed on Mt. Kerinci

Leave your lodging in the morning to begin your Mt. Kerinci climb. On the way to the trail head, don’t forget to turn around and see the incredible view of the beautiful Kayu Aro tea plantation, rice fields, the Rawa Bento wetlands, and Mt. Tujuh off in the distance.

Once in the forest, be on the lookout for Yellow-handed Mitered Langurs (our endemic, orange leaf monkeys), lizards, and birds. You’ll hear the enchanting song of Siamang gibbons, and if you’re really lucky, you might even spot a family of them. Make camp after about 8 hours of hiking, and prepare yourself for a chilly night and early morning.

Mt. Kerinci's Active Volcanic Crater, the tallest volcano in Southeast asia, and the highest point on Sumatra, Kerinci, Jambi, Sumatra, Indonesia

The steaming crater of Mt. Kerinci volcano, the highest volcano in Indonesia and all of Southeast Asia at 3,805m.

Before dawn, scramble an additional two hours up the scree and rubble until you reach the crater. Bask in the view above the clouds as the sun rises, flooding the valley below with light. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to see lava bubbling far below in the bottom of the crater, and on a clear day you can see all the way to the Indian ocean to your west. 

Congratulations, you’re now the tallest person on Sumatra!

Eventually, make your way back down the mountain, emerging from the jungle after about six hours, in the mid- to late afternoon. After a climb up Mt. Kerinci, expect a few days of sore legs to follow :)

Transport Mt. Kerinci to Padang

The scenic and often quite bumpy ride between Mt. Kerinci and Padang

After breakfast, begin the drive back to Padang, arriving sometime in the late afternoon or early evening. 

ONLY 3,500,000 IDR PER PERSON

What's Included?

The price includes transport between Padang and Kerinci, two nights of shared accommodations in the village, a local guide and porters, transport from your accommodations to and from the trailhead, shared tents, sleeping bags, thin camping mattresses, food and water while you’re on the trek, and all proceeds to Pencagura, a grassroots conservation and development initiative.

Price does not include National Park entry tickets, which are purchased directly from National Park staff at the ranger post. Expect to pay 170,000 per day. You also need to have your own travel insurance.

If you would prefer a private room and your own tent, add an additional 1,000,000 IDR.

Summary

Difficulty: Climbing Mt. Kerinci is a tough, strenuous hike – even those in great shape are wiped out by the end. Make sure you’re prepared. The trek is not technical, however, requiring no ropes or other special equipment.

Activities: Jungle Trekking, Camping, Bird Watching, Wildlife Spotting

Elevation: From 1500m-3805m

Terrain: Jungle, Mountains

Nearest Village: Kersik Tuo, Kayu Aro subdistrict, Kerinci regency, Jambi province, Indonesia

  • A quality pair of hiking shoes – preferably waterproof – are essential.
  • Comfortable trekking socks are also highly recommended – possibly the most important item.
  • Long trousers and a long-sleeved shirt. Preferably made from quick-dry material.
  • A small backpack with a rain cover to carry your personal items, like clothing and toiletries. Extra things you don’t want to bring on the Sumatran jungle trek can be stored at the guesthouse.
  • Your own water bottle, to cut down on single-use plastics.
  • A headlamp, as you’ll be scrambling up the mountain in the dark for the final ascent.
  • A waterproof jacket in case it rains, and for the almost-freezing temperatures at the top.
  • A beanie/cap and gloves, plus a warmer hooded sweatshirt or something similar to layer with can also help with the cold for the pre-dawn climb to the summit.
  • Sunscreen could be useful. Being so close to the equator, it’s easy to burn quickly-especially when the air is so deceptively cool. However, you will be under the rainforest canopy the majority of the time, with your time spent above the tree line mostly being in the early morning and late afternoon.
  • Optionally, trekking poles can be useful – especially with reducing knee pain on the descent if you’re prone to that.

  • It’s close to freezing at the top, so make sure you dress in layers and bring a warm beanie and gloves if you can. Best to avoid times of extended rain, but, as Mt. Kerinci sits within a tropical rainforest, be prepared for it. Also best to avoid weekends and public holidays, as local students can crowd the campsites and are prone to being disruptively loud.
  • No fancy accommodations here! You’ll be sleeping rough in tents on sometimes uneven/rocky ground, with very thin camping mattresses, plus two nights in a very simple, somewhat dingy guesthouse in the village. If you are looking for typical tourist creature comforts, Kerinci may not be the place for you. That said, there are some wooden cabins available that are a bit of an upgrade from the usual. They don’t come cheap though – per two-person room they would be an additional 450,000 IDR from the listed price. Let us know if you’d prefer that.
  • Food is very traditional local fare. Vegetarian and vegan options are available, if you let us know ahead of time.
  • Most treks up the mountain start after an overnight in the village of Kersik Tuo, but it’s also possible to begin from Sungai Penuh.
  • As an active volcano, caution needs to be taken, and you climb Mt. Kerinci at your own risk. When on the mountain, guides will judge whether they feel it’s safe to try to reach the summit, depending on weather and current volcanic activity levels, with guests expected to follow their lead. Conditions can be unpredictable.
  • As it is a rainforest, expect and prepare for rain at some point during your trek, no matter what season you’re travelling in.
  • The guide and porter(s) will carry all camping equipment, like tents, sleeping bags, mattresses, food, and the like. All you need to carry is your own clothing, toiletries, and whatever other personal items you want to bring into the jungle. Extra items can be stored at the guesthouse.
  • You are in a rural, isolated, underprivileged part of Sumatra. Guides and porters are from local communities- many farmers themselves when they’re not guiding. They are all in the process of learning and are not 100% proficient in English or customer service- so don’t expect skills on par with touristic areas like Bali. Thank you for supporting and encouraging them in their improvement process – this is also an aspect of community development and education, and we appreciate you being a part of it as they continue to progress.
  • Like all of our trips, you travel at your own risk. Keep in mind that you are visiting a wild and extremely remote area of rural Sumatra, far from quality medical care. It’s your responsibility to make sure you are covered with valid travel and medical insurance.

This itinerary begins and ends in the city of Padang, West Sumatra province. We’ll arrange pickup in the morning directly from your accommodations in town, and drop you off there in the late afternoon or early evening on the return.

We’re proud that 100% of our proceeds goes directly to local grassroots conservation and community development initiatives here in Kerinci. This also includes donations to Pencagura (Nature Lovers of Gunung Raya Sub-district) to support their forest and wildlife protection activities in the area, and to the local village.

As always, we use only local guides and porters from nearby communities, who are paid a fair, ethical wage above the standard local price. One hundred percent of money spent on this trek stays in this rural community – there’s no tourism leakage here!

Dates not work for you? No worries, we can always set up a trek just for you, or anyone else you can bring along. The vast majority of the adventures that we run are solo or duo travellers on bespoke tours. Just contact us and we’ll get you sorted on a Sumatra jungle trek no matter when you decide to come. 
Come discover Kerinci for yourself! Learn about the region, visit our itineraries page, or view additional points of interest around Kerinci to create your own custom trip.