Kerinci Valley Travel Guide
The Kerinci Valley is part of the beautiful Kerinci Seblat National Park and acts as its main entrance. It cuts right through the park, which lies across four Sumatran provinces and features endangered birds and animals, and great hiking.
The valley incorporates the main gateway settlements of Kerinci Seblat National Park: Kerisk Tua in southeast West Sumatra and Sungaipenuh in western Jambi. They are 50kms apart (Sungaipenuh farther south) and lie either side of Kerinci Valley.
Kerinci Seblat National Park itself straddles four Sumatran provinces - West Sumatra, South Sumatra, Jambi, and Bengkulu - and is one of the country’s largest parks. It features high mountains, deep lakes, dense jungle, and an array of beautiful animals, such as the Sumatran rhino and the rare schneider’s pitta bird. Mount Kerinci is the highest point at 3,805m and offers exceptional hiking from Kersik Tua.
There are also hot springs, large rivers, and impressive waterfalls in Kerinci Valley, along with the crater lakes of Mount Tujuh and Mount Kerinci. To the east of this huge mountain is Lake Bento, Sumatra’s highest freshwater swamp. Permits to enter Kerinci Seblat National Park can be obtained at PHPA offices in Padang, Jambi and Sungaipenuh.
Getting There & Away
The main way into Kerinci Valley is via Padang-Minangkabau International Airport, a 10-hour bus ride to the northwest of Sungaipenuh. Flight time from Jakarta to Padang is 1 hour, 30 minutes. You can also get here by bus from Jambi although the journey takes most of a day.