Takengon

Takengon is a town located in the central area of Aceh. It is being promoted as a tourist resort since its temperature is about 2O degree C (68F), cool enough for a holiday resort. The main feature of the town is Laut Tawar Lake. It offers soaring cliffs around the shore, which are ideal for rock hiking. The lake is also stocked with trout. It is a pleasantly cool holiday resort, at an altitude of 1,200 meters above sea level. Central Aceh is one of Sumatra's foremost producers of high quality coffee. A warm water pool at Simpang Balik, Loyang Koro and Loyang Pukes caves by the side of Laut Tawar are also interesting objects.

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Baiturrahman Mosque

Sitting in a vast expanse of green fields, the white washed walls and minerals, and charcoal blacks domes of the Grand Mosque are the most famous landmark in Aceh. The Great of Baiturrahman Mosque is the main feature of Banda Aceh today. Lying at the heart of the city completed with excellent architectural style, this mosque is really one of Indonesia prime tourism sides.

The Mosque was built in 12 Century and had caught fire several time include when the Dutch attacked Kutaraja (Banda Aceh) in 1873. Another mosque to replace the former one was later built by Dutch Military Government that was completed in 1883. The Mosque is extra ordinary in architecture and ornamentation. It has five onion shaped domes, two tall mine rates, wide white walls, and around is pillars various kinds of beautiful ornament.

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Laut Tawar Lake

Laut Tawar Lake is located near Takengon, in the highlands of Cental Aceh, is very scenic. Takengon, the capital of the region, lies on the west side of the lake, 1,120 meters above sea level, with an average temperature of 20 C. It has soaring cliffs around the shore, which are ideal for rock climbing.

The scenery is lovely and the area is being developed as a tourist resort with water recreation such as skiing and boating being readily available. The lake is also stocked with trout. There are warm water pools at Simpang Balik. Many caves dot the lake's surroundings, Loyang Koro and Loyang Pukes caves by the side of Laut Tawar Lake are interesting to explore. Motorboats can be hired for fishing and sightseeing. There is excellent hiking in forests filled with exotic orchids, and trekking to the Telong and Tetek volcanoes for the more energetic.

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Mount Leuser National Park

Mount Leuser National Park is one of the largest national parks in the world, containing over 800,000 hectares of virgin rainforest. The park is home to orangutans, gibbons, monkeys, elephants, tigers, and among the last of the Sumatran rhinoceros. There are research facilities for the study of primates, birds and insects, the Orangutans rehabilitation center at Bukit Lawang being the most popular with tourists. It is possible to raft Alas River from Ketambe to the Indian Ocean on a 4 - 5 day expedition. The journey takes us through exciting white-water rapids to the calmer, crocodile-infested waters of the lowlands. Basic accommodation is available at Ketambe.


The Leuser National Park of Gunung Leuser is probably the wildest in Indonesia, located in Southeast Aceh, can be reached from either Kutacane, or Takengon. This magnificent national park has a wealth of flora and fauna. The Leuser Ecosystem is an outstanding wilderness in Aceh northern Sumatra. It is one of the richest expanses of tropical rain forest in Southeast Asia. More than 2.5 million hectares in size, it is the last place on earth where elephants, rhinos, tigers, clouded leopards, and orangutans are found within one area.

The first official statement of intent to protect the Leuser Ecosystem was signed in 1934. The Leuser International Foundation (a non-profit non-government organization) was established in the late 1990's when the ecosystem was seriously under threat from illegal logging and wildlife poaching.
Geographically, the Leuser Ecosystem lies between 3-4.5° North and 96.5-98° East. It covers approximately 2.6 million hectares of tropical rain forest, encompassing 890,000 hectares of designated national park, as well as extensive areas of protection and production forests. The ecosystem contains two major volcanoes, three lakes, and nine major river systems that flow to the east and west coasts of the island.

The Leuser Ecosystem has an enormous level of biodiversity. It contains at least 127 mammal species, including the Sumatran elephant, Sumatran tiger, Sumatran rhinoceros, and Sumatran orangutan. About 8,500 different plant species grow in the beach, swamp, lowland, mountain and alpine ecosystems of the Leuser Ecosystem. Of the 10,000 plant species recorded in the West Indo-Malayan Region, 45% are found in the Leuser Ecosystem. Spectacular plants such as Rafflesia (the largest flower in the world) and Amorphophallus (the tallest flower in the world) are among the plants protected there.

Mount Leuser National Park is one of the biggest national parks in Indonesia (950,000 hectare). Actually, it's a collection of various nature reserves and forests: Nature Reserve Mount Leuser, Nature Reserve Kappi, Nature Reserve Kluet, Sikundur Langkat Wildlife Reserve, Ketambe Research Station, Singkil Barat and Dolok Sembilin. Most parts of the national park lie in the region Aceh Tenggara (SE Aceh). Other parts are situated in the region east Aceh, south Aceh, and Langkat.

Mount Leuser National Park comprises more than 100 kilometers of the Bukit Barisan Mountains. Because of that, the park consists of steep, almost inaccessible mountainous terrain. The altitude ranges from 0 meter, in Kluet (South Aceh), to 3,381 meter, on top of the mount Leuser (Southeast Aceh). The Alas River cuts the park into an eastern and western half. Apart from mountains we find several other ecosystems: beach forest, swamp areas, lowland rainforest, alpine and mountain forest. In Bukit Lawang is the Orang Utan Rehabilitation Station and in Ketambe stands the Ketambe research station.

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Pantai Lhoknga

Lhoknga, pantai yang dihiasi oleh pohon cemara yang sedang tumbuh semakin tinggi menantang mentari setelah semua diratakan oleh tsunami. Sebelum tsunami, pantai Lhoknga sangat indah, dinaungi oleh pohon cemara sehingga banyak tempat adem untuk menjauhi panas sambil menikmati pantai.

Saat ini, Lhoknga masih panas sekali dengan gelombang air laut yang tinggi menghantam pantai. Tapi
cemara liar (tidak ditanam, tumbuh sendiri) mulai tumbuh disepanjang area yang memisahkan pantai dan jalan raya.
Sore hari menjelang matahari akan terbenam, banyak orang yang datang menikmati cahaya orange kemerahan yang seperti digoreskan diantara awan putih yang berlayar mengikuti arah angin. Suara gelombang yang memecah pantai meraung dan ingin menghempaskan buihnya sejauh kekuatannya.

Gelombang yang besar ini paling bisa dinikmati oleh orang-orang yang bisa berselancar. Berpuluh-puluh orang terlihat sedang belajar berselancar di atas gelombang di kedalaman laut yang dangkal (masih sepinggang dalamnya). Ada yang terlihat mulai bisa sebentar menari di atas selancar dan kemudian keseimbangan hilang sehingga jatuh ke dalam air laut. Ada hanya memeluk papan selancar dan mengikuti puncak gelombang, menyatukan diri dengan papan selancar dan kemudian berayun-ayun dibawa gelombang sampai ketepian.
Yang sudah pintar berselancar menjadi objek yang mengagumkan untuk diamati menghabiskan sore di pantai. Mereka berdiri dengan keseimbangan penuh diatas papan selancar dan menari meliuk-liuk dari satu gelombang ke gelombang yang lain. Kemudian gelombang sudah pecah dipantai dan mereka kembali ke lautan dengan memeluk papan selancar dan menggunakan tangan untuk mengayuh air supaya secepatnya sampai di titik dimana mereka akan berdiri lagi untuk berselancar dibawa gelombang ke tepian.

Di seberang jalan raya yang bukan merupakan sisi jalan yang berhubungan dengan pantai, banyak terdapat cafe-cafe tenda atau cafe seadanya untuk memberikan jasa menghilangkan dahaga orang-orang yang berkunjung ke pantai Lhoknga. Kelapa muda menjadi minuman paforit untuk dinikmati. Kesegaran air yang terdapat di dalam kelapa muda itu memberikan kesejukan ke lidah dan terus melalui tenggorokan sehingga panasnya udara pantai serasa berkurang. Banyak juga minuman dingin yang ditawarkan, teh botol, soft drink, kopi dingin, es teh manis, pop ice, air kelapa campur sirup. Makanan yang ditawarkan meliputi, indomie, jagung bakar, kue-kue dan apa saja yang memungkinkan untuk dijual.
Jalanan menuju Lhoknga akan menjadi macet ketika hari libur sudah tiba. Banyak yang datang meninggalkan kesibukannya untuk mendapatkan kesegaran baru dengan datang ke Lhoknga. Pantai yang bisa ditempuh selama 45 menit dari banda Aceh ini menjadikannya lokasi yang tepat dikunjungi pada sore hari atau pada saat liburan akhir pekan sudah tiba.

Di sisi jalan yang berhubungan dengan pantai. Banyak terdapat gasibu (tempat duduk dengan payung untuk menahan panas) yang disediakan oleh pedagang-pedagang, supaya pengunjung bisa menikmati makanan dan minuman yang disajikan sambil memandang ke arah laut yang biru dengan gelombang yang berlomba menuju pantai. Gasibu ini digunakan rame-rame dengan obrolan ringan untuk melepaskan kepenatan bekerja sambil menikmati kesegaran air kelapa muda menjadi sore yang menyenangkan. Obrolan dari satu cerita ringan ke cerita ringan yang lain membuat banyak rombongan orang bekerja dari Banda dengan mobil datang memenuhi pinggir jalan di pantai Lhoknga.

Di sisi jalan yang berjauhan dari pantai juga ada kios yang menyewakan papan selancar yang banyak ditongkrongi oleh orang-orang yang ingin belajar selancar. Belajar selancar yang paling penting adalah keseimbangan tetap berdiri di papan selancar sambil mengikuti kemana gelombang membawa selancar. Sebagian yang sudah menjadikan selancar menjadi hobby, biasanya sudah memiliki selancar sendiri. Mereka menikmati berselancar tanpa peduli kalau kulit mereka sudah terbakar oleh matahari. Berselancar jauh lebih menyenangkan, sehingga kulit terbakar bukan menjadi harga yang mahal untuk dibayarkan.

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