Start: 6th March 2026 | End: 16th March 2026 | Meeting location: Kuala Namu | Spaces available: 7
Included in the tour:
- Expert herpetologist guides.
- Transport.
- Private room.
- Meals & drinks.
- Permit fees.
Lake Toba pit viper (Trimeresurus sabahi toba)
Splendid stream frog (Pulchrana fantastica)
Sumatran leaf-nose viper (Craspedocephalus andalasensis)
Schneider's mountain agama (Dendragama schneideri)
Thorny flying frog (Zhangixalus achantharrhena)
Padang kukri snake (Oligodon cf. pulcherrimus)
Sumatran slug snake (Asthenodipsas tropidonotus)
Sumatran mountain agama (Dendragama boulengeri)
Kerinci cascade frog (Sumaterana crassiovis)
Sumatran mountain snake (Elapoidis sumatrana)
Blue poisonous rock frog (Odorrana hosii)
Barasan's flying frog (Rhacophorus barisani)
Red-headed krait (Bungarus flaviceps).
Peter's shrug frog (Philautus pertersi)
Sumatran sharp-nosed tree frog (Leptomantis pseudacutirostris)
Red bamboo ratsnake (Oreocryoptophis porphyracea).
Sumatran horned frog (Megophrys parallela)
Sumatran slug snake (Asthenodipsas tropidonotus)
Cinnamon frog (Nyctixalus pictus)
Black-striped coral snake (Calliophis nigrotaeniatus)
Gunalen's pit viper (Trimeresurus gunaleni)
Grabowsky's beauty ratsnake (Elaphe taeniura grabowskyi)
Manthey's mountain lizard (Gonocephalus lucanosus).
Sumatran leaf-nose viper (Craspedocephalus andalasensis)
Nights 1 - 4 & 10: Berastagi
We begin the expedition with 4 nights in Karo Land, beneath the active volcano Mount Sibayak. At night, we will venture up the slopes of this volcano to 1,800 meters above sea level, where we can see two highland endemic vipers, Gunalen's pit viper (Trimeresurus gunaleni) and the Sumatran leaf-nosed pit viper (Craspedocephalus andalasensis), as well as other montane herpetofauna. We always love seeing the Sumatran slug snake (Asthenodipsas tropidonotus) here - probably the largest Pareatid (slug snake) in South-East Asia, while there are many small, cryptic species to uncover by flipping logs and digging through leaf litter. This includes ridiculously elongated short-limbed skinks (Larutia sumatrensis), many reed snake (Calamaria) species and even the mythically rare Sumatran mountain pit viper (Ovophis cf. monticola). While flipping logs and trash, it is also possible to find black-striped coral snake (Calliophis nigrotaeniatus) and the incredible Sumatran red-bamboo ratsnake (Oreocryptophis porphyracea laticinctus) - one of our biggest targets in the area. Grabowsky's beauty ratsnake (Elaphe taeniura grabowskyi) is the much larger rat snake species in the highlands, and can be found crossing roads in the daytime or while exploring forest edges.
As well as snakes, this submontane forest is full of special frogs and especially lizards. One of the rarest and most impressive lizards in the world, Modigliani's horned lizard (Harpesaurus modigliani), is definitely our dream species to observe. Manthey's mountain dragon (Gonocephalus lacunosus) is another magnificent endemic lizard, not common but significantly easier to encounter, while we are guaranteed to see many of the two endemic Dendragama species present in the area, as well as the endemic Bronchocela sp.
We will also visit waterfalls and other fantastic trails in the lower-submontane and mid-montane elevations, where we can find the Lake Toba pit viper (Trimeresurus sabahi toba) in good numbers. Males of this species can be very beautiful with blue interstitial skin, pink ventrolateral stripes and bright red eyes. There is a much higher biodiversity of species here where lowland and highland species overlap, so it is hard to list all that is possible to see. We saw both Malayan banded coral snake (Calliophis intestinalis) and red-headed krait (Bungarus flaviceps) here on our expedition in August 2025. With a better understanding of the sites and methods, we expect to add several new records on this expedition!
Wagler's pit viper (Tropidolaemus wagleri).
Red-headed krait (Bungarus flaviceps)
Harlequin flying frog (Rhacophorus pardalis)
Striped bronzeback (Dendrelaphis caudolineatus)
Matang beautiful frog (Pulchrana signata)
Wallace's flying frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus)
False file-eared tree frog (Polypedates pseudotilophus)
Sumatran cobra (Naja sumatrana)
Hagen's pit viper (Trimeresurus hageni).
Jasper cat snake (Boiga jaspidea)
Chameleon angle-headed lizard (Gonocephalus chameleotinus).
Long-nosed horned frog (Pelobatrachus nasuta)
Wagler's pit viper (Tropidolaemus wagleri)
Malaccan slug snake (Asthenodipsas cf. malaccanus).
Malayan banded coral snake (Calliophis intestinalis)
Indonesian earless agama (Aphaniotis acutirostris).
Speckle-headed vine snake (Ahaetulla fasciolata).
Female leaf-nosed pit viper (Craspedocephalus sp.)
Three-lined kukri snake (Oligodon trilineatus).
Wild orangutan from the most recent expedition.
Male leaf-nosed pit viper (Craspedocephalus sp.)
Hagen's pit viper (Trimeresurus hageni).
Dragon snake (Xenodermus javanicus).
Nights 5 - 9: Ketambe
After our first 4 nights at Berastagi, we will drive 5 hours deep into the valleys of Aceh province, where we will stay in remote rainforest chalets surrounded by primary rainforest, with all the best species right at our doorstep. The elevation here varies from around 400 - 600 meters above sea level, perfect for a seemingly endless diversity of lowland-dwelling species.
This primary rainforest is home to an undescribed leaf-nosed pit viper (Craspedocephalus sp.), which has pronounced ridges above the eye and an extremely elongated snout. We can observe this species ambushing around dead logs/large trees or moving after heavy rain, and will be one of our biggest targets. This area is fantastic for large Hagen's pit vipers (Timeresurus hageni), many of which have strong banding at this locality. There is also Wagler's pit viper (Tropidolaemus wagleri) here, albeit the least commonly observed out of the three viper species possible around our accommodation. If we hike far from our accommodation and up into the steep rainforest valleys, it may be possible to find the extremely rare Sumatran pit viper (Trimeresurus sumatranus). These have been driven out of most easily accessible areas of Sumatra by poaching and habitat degradation, but still occur deep in mid-hills of Gunung Leuser National Park.
The best thing about Ketambe is that we do not need to drive anywhere to find incredible animals. On our recent expedition, we were able to record the 2nd ever live individual of the three-lined kukri snake (Oligodon trilineatus) in the garden of our accommodation, as well as 2 dragon snakes (Xenodermus javanicus) in the stream directly behind our rooms. There is an abandoned swimming pool in the garden which regularly has breeding flying frogs (Rhacophorus/Zhangixalus sp.), while the impressive Chameleon angle-headed lizard (Gonocephalus cf. chameleotinus) and Indonesian earless agama (Aphaniotis acutirostris) are both regular sightings in lodge. Moreover, orangutans, sun bear and other mammals have all been sighted by us in the area. Our 5 nights here are absolutely guaranteed to deliver exciting encounters every single day.
Accommodation & washing:
The accommodation on this expedition will be a comfortable hotel in the cool-weather highlands of Berastagi and basic jungle bungalows while in Ketambe. You will always have access to electricity (assuming no power outage) and a western bathroom as a minimum. Both areas do not get hot enough to warrant air conditioning at night or during the daytime. There are hot showers in the highlands of Berastagi. You must ensure you get a TELKOMSEL sim card if you want to have 4g/5g signal throughout the expedition. There will be an opportunity to wash dirty clothes at a laundrette on day 4 of the expedition, but otherwise clothes can be washed personally.
Food:
The food options during the tour are highly varied, with both western and asian cuisine available at every meal in Berastagi, while our food in Ketambe will consist mainly of locally sourced food, such as chicken curry, fried and grilled chicken with rice, vegetables and other side dishes. Breakfast is usually pancakes or omelettes.
Environmental conditions & fitness:
While in Berastagi, the weather will rarely exceed 26c and can drop as low as 15c at night, so ensure you pack some warmer clothing for our night hikes at high elevation. We expect rain on every day of the expedition, so at least one rain-jacket is necessary. We will have options for our guests to hike both easier and more challenging trails during this expedition. No walk is mandatory, but we expect guests to be able to hike an absolute minimum of 10 kilometres per day on uneven terrain.
Travel information:
All participants must be at Kuala Namu Airport before midday (12:00pm) on the 6th March 2026 at the absolute latest, but we advise you to arrive the day before and get a good night of sleep before we begin. We will return to Kuala Namu airport on the 16th March 2026 at around 3.30pm, when the tour ends. We recommending booking your flight out of Kuala Namu at 6pm at the earliest.
It is the guests’ responsibility to meet all entry requirements needed to enter Indonesia, including visa procedures. Guests travelling from most countries can get a Visa On Arrival upon arrival at Kuala Namu airport. Make sure to check the entry requirements for your country before booking. Do not use third party websites to get a visa, use the official government website or pay on arrival at the airport.
