From Cincy to the Rainforest: 10 Questions with Wild Sumatra | Cincinnati Refined

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Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Unique to Kerinci is the kenduri sko festival, which is a way to thank God for the harvest and remember and honor ancestors. Almost every village in the valley celebrates it, though in different ways and on vastly different schedules. (Some villages celebrate annually, some as rarely as once every 15 years.)

Some things they all have in common, though, are traditional dress, displays of silat (Sumatran martial art), ancient dances, the display and cleaning of ancient relics and heirlooms known as benda pusako, and lots and lots of food.

The practice of safeguarding heirlooms from the past has led to a rich preservation of history. (Case in point: the oldest known Malay manuscript, dating back to the 14th century, was discovered being kept safely in the attic of an old home.)
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Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

The Sumatran martial art of silat is still widely practiced throughout Kerinci, with almost every small village having their own unique style and variation.
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Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Ancient traditions pass from old to young during a kenduri sko event. Long isolated from the outside world, the Kerinci region is home to about 300,000 people, mostly living in small farming or fishing villages spread throughout a highland valley. It is one of just a few enclaves in the world that is completely encircled on all sides by a national park. As a result, a vibrant traditional culture and way of life still persists. In fact, it was one of the last places on Sumatra to fall to the Dutch (not until 1904), and even now there are only three roads in and out of the valley.
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Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

The Yellow-handed Mitered Langur (Presbytis Melalophos Melalophos) is a leaf monkey endemic to the Kerinci Seblat National Park. Groups of up to twenty can often be seen acrobatically racing through the tree tops high above.
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Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

At 12,484 ft., Mt. Kerinci is the highest volcano in Southeast Asia and is Indonesia's highest non-Papuan peak. Tigers, bears, deer, gibbons, monkeys, and a number of endemic bird species can still be found on its slopes.
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Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

A Masked Palm Civet (Paguma larvata), seen during a night drive on Kerinci's Bukit Tapan road. There are at least three species of civets within the National Park.
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Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Kerinci's tea plantation is the largest in the world, and the second highest in elevation after Darjeeling. Still mostly harvested by hand, the tea is exported all over the world.
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Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

A Sunda slow loris (Nycticebus coucang), seen during a night drive within the National Park. Slow lorises, the only venomous primate and a rare nocturnal one, are greatly threatened by the illegal pet trade, with their teeth cruelly pulled out to prevent their dangerous bite. The Little Fireface Project is a wonderful organization working to ensure their continued survival. www.nocturama.org.
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Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Borobudur, found near the city of Yogyakarta on the island of Java, is Indonesia's most famous historical site. Built in the 9th century, the ancient Buddhist temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the motifs etched into its stone walls telling the story of the Buddha's life and teachings.
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Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

A Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros Rhinoceros), one of nine species of hornbill found within the Kerinci Seblat National park. Hornbills are large, impressive birds, vital for seed distribution within forests. Unfortunately, there has been a recent sharp rise in the poaching of these magnificent creatures, and their numbers are in rapid decline.
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Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. In the words of Wild Sumatra, "Responsible travel makes a difference." Take a walk on the intrepid side and get to know one of the last wild places on Earth. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

A remnant of the vast Melayu Kingdom, the Muaro Jambi temples near the city of Jambi, Sumatra, were built around the 11th century. Only rediscovered in the mid-1800s, the huge complex is still in the process of being excavated and restored, with many areas still covered in jungle.
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Wild Sumatra, an ecotourism company located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, specializes in adventures within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park. [Image courtesy of Wild Sumatra]

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