Travel from Tangkahan to Ketambe
To go from Tangkahan to Ketambe by public transport you have to go via Medan. If you start early morning its possible to reach Ketambe in the evening.
1. From Tangkahan to Medan Pinang Baris - 4:00 hours
2. From Medan Pinang Baris to Medan Padang Bulan - 0:30 hours
3. From Medan Padang Bulan to Kutacane - 7:00 hours
2. From Medan Pinang Baris to Medan Padang Bulan - 0:30 hours
3. From Medan Padang Bulan to Kutacane - 7:00 hours
4. From Kutacane to Ketambe - 1:00 hour
1. From Tangkahan to Medan Pinang Baris
Transport to Medan Pinang Baris departs from the dead end of the only road leading to Tangkahan. From the guesthouse area you need to cross the small river by a raft style ferry (see picture right or below).
Big buses need about 4 hours and leave only 3 times a day (5:30 AM, 7:30 AM and 2:30 PM). Schedule can change any time, please ask at your guesthouse in Tangkahan. Buses go to the bus terminal Pinang Baris (east of Medan).
Big buses need about 4 hours and leave only 3 times a day (5:30 AM, 7:30 AM and 2:30 PM). Schedule can change any time, please ask at your guesthouse in Tangkahan. Buses go to the bus terminal Pinang Baris (east of Medan).
Minibuses to Medan Pinang Baris only start from Sp. Robert, which is about 9 km far from Tangkahan. They leave about every hour from 7:00 AM until 4:00 PM and take 3 hours to Medan. To reach Sp. Robert you need to hire an ojek (motorbike with driver, see picture right side or below) for this 20 minutes ride.
2. From Medan Pinang Baris to Medan Padang Bulan
When arriving in Medan Pinang Baris (East Medan) from Bukit Lawang you need to go the Padang Bulan (West Medan) where all transport to Kutacane departs. There are options with local minibuses or Labi Labi, but this is very time consuming.
To safe time and hussle, the best option is to take a moto-rikshaw (becak) to pass the traffic through Medan city and go to Padang Bulan for the onward transport to Kutacane.
3. From Medan Padang Bulan to Kutacane
From Medan Padang Bulan you can go by minibus to Kutacane. If you arrive at Padang Bulan from Medan city you will first pass the minibus station of BTN on the left side, about 500 m further is the station of Karsima. Both have a small ticket counter and a waiting area. The service and the ticket price is equal at both companies. Its 80,000 IDR. In a minibus (see 2 pictures beside/below) there are 2 seats beside the driver and behind there are 3 rows with 3 seats each (together space for 11 passengers). Try to get a seat behind the driver for more leg space. Women should ask for a front seat. Avoid the last row where you actually sit on the axis.
Minibuses leave when full or about every hour until late afternoon. In the morning they go more frequent. There are few night busses which start about 9 PM. The ride to Kutacane takes about 7 hours.
The companies Adi Guna and CK Travel Wisata offer a more comfortable, aircon public shared taxi service with modern cars (Toyota Kijang, see picture beside/below) between Medan and Kutacane for about 150,000 IDR. The car has leather seats, one beside the driver and 2 rows with 3 seats each behind. A maximum of 7 passengers can go, but sometimes they start even with less. This service is not as frequent as the minibus. It starts when full or usually about every 2 hours. Each company has one night taxi at least. They have limited space for luggage. The stations are also at Padang Bulan.
CK Travel is on the left side, opposite the "Citra Garden" (picture see beside/below). Adi Guna Travel is on the right side about 250 meters after "Citra Garden", just 50 m behind the Carrefour supermarket. The public shared taxis will stop for a meal near Berastagi. Normaly the final station is in Kutacane city. If you ask the driver, he can bring you all the way to Ketambe for an extra total of about 100,000 IDR for all passengers in the car.
For the way back we can arrange a shared taxi to pick you up in Ketambe. The driver will drop you off in Medan city at the place you wish or continue to the airport for a negotiatable extra charge.
4. From Kutacane to Ketambe
The distance from Kutacane city to Ketambe is about 30 km. There are frequent mobil or Labi Labi (local transport - see picture beside/below), leaving from a small place near the old market opposite the Telkom office. You can ask the minibus driver to drop you off at this place.
Labi Labi start when full about every 30 minutes. The first Labi Labi departs about 7 AM, the last transport will leave from Kutacane about 5:30 PM. Normal price is 20,000 IDR, but sometimes drivers ask a little more from foreign tourists. The Labi Labi stops everywhere on the way to pick up or drop off passengers. This is the reason that it can take up to 60 minutes to the last stop Ketambe. Please ask the driver to drop you off at Friendship Guesthouse.