Gunung 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 Gunung 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 (a part of North Sumatra).
The Gunung Leuser National Park comprises more than 100 kilometres of the Bukit 
Barisan Mountains. Because of that, the park consists of steep, almost inaccessible mountainous terrain.The altitude ranges from 0 metre, in Kluet (South Aceh), to 3,381 metre, on top of the Gunung Leuser (Southeast Aceh). The Alas river cuts the park into an eastern and western half.
Apart from mountains you find several other ecosystems: beach forest, swamp areas, lowland rainforest, alpine and mountain forest.
In Bohorok-Bukit Lawang is the Orang Utan Rehabilitation Station and in Ketambe stands the Ketambe research station. The research station is not open to tourists.
Access
The park is most easily attainable from Medan. From Medan, buses go to Kutacane and Bohorok-Bukit Lawang.
The 233 km ride from Medan to Kutacane goes through Brastagi and Kabanjahe and takes 5-6 hours. There also regular and faster minibus services between Medan and Kutacane. You find the minibuses at the Pinang Baris bus terminal in Medan.
From Kutacane (mini)buses serve the Lawe Gurah Tourist Park, about 43 km from Kutacane. From there you can enter the Gunung Leuser National Park. Kutacane is not a nice place to stay. The best you can do is travelling to Ketambe.
The other way to get to the Gunung Leuser National Park is to take a bus to the Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre in Bohorok-Bukit Lawang. These buses leave from Pinang Baris bus terminal in Medan several times a day and will take you to Bukit Lawang in 3 hours.
You can also make the trip by taking a bus to Binjai, 22 km from Medan, and from there a bus to Bukit Lawang. These buses leave more frequently from the same bus terminal in Medan.
From the south you can reach Bohorok-Bukit Lawang with a bus from Brastagi.
In Bukit-Lawang you can enter the park through the Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre.
For a visit to the Gunung Leuser National Park you need a PHPA permit. You get a permit from the PHPA offices in Medan, Tanah Merah (2 km north of Kutacane) and Bukit Lawang. You need two copies of your passport or 2 passport photo's and a copy of your visum stamp. Permits are also available from Wisma Rindu Alam in Kutacane and Pondok Wisata or Wisma Gurah (PHPA) in Ketambe.
Three other possibilities to access the Gunung Leuser National Park do exist but are rarely used. One is in Kadang on the west coast, the second is Sekundur, 100 km east of Medan and the third is Takengon in Aceh.
Accomodation
Kutacane Wisma Rindu Alam Ketambe Pondok Wisata Ketambe Wisma Sadar Wisata Wisma Cinta Alam Lawe Gurah Wisma Gurah (PHPA) Gurah Bungalow (PHPA) Bohorok-Bukit Lawang Wisma Bukit Lawang Cottages Wisma Leuser Sibayak PHPA Guesthouse several losmen.
Trekking
You find guides in almost any losmen and at the PHPA offices. Organized trekkings will cost you about 50,000 Rp pro person, a day. This will include food, permits and camping gear.
Kutacane climbing Gunung Leuser 14 days retour climbing Gunung Kemiri 6 days retour climbing Gunung Bendahara 6 days retour climbing Gunung Simpali 7 days retour Kutacane-Bukit Lawang 6 days hot springs Gurah area 7 hours retour Bukit Lawang Bukit Lawang-Brastagi 3 days Bukit Lawang-Brastagi 5 days (an other route)
Flora
Because of the great differences in altitude and the diversity in soil, the Gunung Leuser National Park has an enormous wealth of plant species. About 8,500 different species grow in the beach, swamp, lowland, mountain and alpine woods of the park.
In the beach and swamp forest you find Casuarina trees (Casuarina sp.), Wild Nutmeq (Myristica sp.), Campfor or Kapur baros (Drybalancops aromatica), Nibung palms, Rotan (Calamus sp.), Mangrove trees or Api-api (Avicennia sp.) and Pandan (Pandanus sp.). Along the rivers grows Pometia pinnata.
In the lowland forest, trees like Meranti (Shorea sp.), Keruing (Dipterocarpus sp.), Camfor and Damar (Hopea sp.) and several wild fruit trees like Durian (Durio zibethinus), Mango or Mangga (Mangifera indica), Wild Banana, citrus fruit and wild jack fruit grow in abundance.
In the mountain and and alpine woods, several species of moss and wild flowers: Gentians, Primula's, Strawberry, herbs, and wild orchids are found. The Rafflesia Arnoldi or Bunga padma (Rafflesia sp.) grows here also.
Fauna
About 700 different species of animals (320 birds, 176 mammals and 194 reptiles and amphibians) live in the Gunung Leuser National Park.
In Ket lies lake Banko, the last place in North Sumatra where the Swamp Crocodile lives.
Mammals
Sumatran Rhinoceros or Badak Sumatera (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), Sumatran Elephant or Gajah (Elephas maximus sumatrana), Otters or Berang berang (Lutra sp.), Wild Boar, Red Giant Flying Squirrel (Petaurista petaurista), Malayan Sunbear or Beruang madu (Helarctos malayanus), Wild Dog (Cuon alpinus), Hog Badger (Arctonyx collaris), Lesser Mousedeer or Kancil (Tragulus javanicus), Large Mousedeer or Napu (Tragulus napu), Barking Deer or Muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak), Sambar Deer (Cervus unicolor), Sumatran Tiger or Harimau (Panthera tigris sumatrae), Clouded Leopard or Harimau dahan (Neofelis nebulosa), Flat- headed Cat (Prionailurus planiceps), Temminck's Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii), Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), Flying Lemur or Tando (Cynocephalus variegatus), Orang Utan (Pongo pygmaeus abelii), Thomas's Leaf Monkey or Kedih (Presbytis thomasi), Banded Leaf Monkey or Simpei (Presbytis femoralis), Silvered Leaf Monkey (Trachypithecus cristatus), Long-tailed Macaque or Kera (Macaca fascicularis), Pig-tailed Macaque (Macaca nemestrina), White-handed Gibbon or Sarudung (Hylobates lar), Siamang (Hylobates syndactylus), Sumatran Serow (Capricornis sumatraensis).
Reptiles
Swamp Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris), Estuarine Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), Flying Frog or Kodok (Rhacaphorus pardalis), Flying Snake (Crysopelea), Common Flying Lizard (Draco volans), Hawksbill Turtle or Penyu sisik (Eretmochelys imbricata), Leatherback Turtle or Penyu belimbing (Dermochelys coriacea), Water Monitor (Varanus salvator).
Birds
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