Conservation You Can Feel

The sound of macaques is the first thing you notice when you wake up — or maybe that’s what woke you. They’re racing over the roof of your room, likely heading back over the river to spend the day foraging in the jungle. Then, slowly, the rest of the rainforest begins to stir — insects buzzing, geckos knocking, and if you’re lucky, the haunting call of white-handed gibbons echoing in the distance.

You push aside the mosquito net and roll out of bed. First things first: a quick sniff test of yesterday’s shirt and pants, hand-washed in the bathroom the night before and dried under the room fan. Success — fresh enough for breakfast. After that, well... let's see how the day goes.

Banana pancakes are calling, and so is another big day of conservation work.

A Long-tailed macaque wakes up to forage. Image by Peter Fogarty.

Welcome to Tangkahan

You arrived yesterday in Tangkahan, a remote village where the Buluh and Batang Rivers meet on the edge of Gunung Leuser National Park — the last place on Earth where tigers, elephants, rhinos, and orangutans all still roam the same forest.

The jeep ride from Medan offered a glimpse into the more human side of Sumatra — bustling cities, villages alive with scooters and school uniforms — but the real destination lay ahead. As the National Park came into view, a wall of living green rose up to greet you. You crossed a long suspension bridge, weaving your way through lush gardens and quiet homesteads, until you reached the eco-lodge perched on the riverbank — your home for the next week.

“It already feels like you’ve come a long way, but in many ways, the journey is just beginning.”

The Gunung Leuser National Park. Image by Jason Savage.

Conservation You Can Feel

As a guide, I have the privilege of watching people experience Sumatra’s wild heart for the first time — and step directly into hands-on, in-situ conservation through our Raw Wildlife Encounters Corral Building experience.

Many guests who join us have built careers around conservation and wildlife. For them, this is more than a holiday — it’s a chance to make a direct impact, to reconnect with the work that fuels their passion, and to experience the reality of what it takes to protect biodiversity on the ground.

That’s a huge responsibility for us as facilitators, and one I never take lightly. But thankfully, I’m not doing it alone.

The Real Magic: Local Knowledge & Global Impact

The true magic comes from the local guides and the Sumatran Ranger Project team, who bring the forest to life with their knowledge, humour, and unmatched expertise.

They’ll spot tiger pug marks at 50 paces, disappear into the trees to track orangutans or elephants, dive into rivers to guide your bamboo raft across, and somehow make the hard, hot work of building a corral — cutting bamboo, carrying poles, digging holes, hammering nails — not just achievable, but genuinely fun.

“These corrals aren’t symbolic. They’re practical, physical barriers that help protect local livestock from predators like tigers, reducing human-wildlife conflict and allowing both communities and wildlife to coexist more peacefully.”

Constructing a livestock corral.

More Than Conservation — It's Connection

Working side-by-side with passionate people from around the world to protect something bigger than ourselves is a transformative experience.

You reconnect with nature, yes — but also with yourself.

You find out who you are outside of work and family roles. You discover new strengths (and maybe a few weaknesses). You swap book and podcast recommendations. You laugh, you sweat, you jump off rocks into the river, and maybe you crack open a Bintang at the end of the day, feeling more alive than you have in a long time.

For many of us in emotionally demanding careers or lives, these experiences are more than an adventure — they’re a reminder of why we do what we do.

Working alongside Sumatran Ranger Project collecting raw materials for the corral.

Come See What It’s All About

If you’re looking for something meaningful — something real — why not come and see what all the fuss is about?

Join us in Sumatra, contribute to conservation, reconnect with the wild, and maybe even rediscover a part of yourself.

Because sometimes, the best way to change the world is to let it change you a little too.

Raw Conservation Adventures Leader, Lauren.