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2019 april: Indonesia/Sumatra II - Berbak NP

The Berbak National Park is located on the east coast of Sumatra and consists of fresh water swamp forest and peat forests. 

On the coast in the east there is muddy marshland and a border with mangrove forest. Pristine flora and fauna of Sumatra have been preserved in the park.

We followed the course of the Batang Hori River until shortly before its mouth and then switched to a boat, stowed provisions and food and drove, following narrow channels, to the ranger camp there in the middle of the wetland.

Here it was very spartan, 10 people (including us) slept, ate and showered in a room of 12 m2. The boys, all thrown together from all parts of Indonesia, were fantastic buddies, hospitable and also curious (as far as my origin was concerned). Two of them were assigned to go exploring the environment with me by boat at 5 a.m. and in the evening again. The rest of them did their usual job of protecting the national park from poachers. In the evening we all sat together, shared our beer we had brought with us and told stories.

My trip was coming to an end. We went to Jambi, the district capital of the province of the same name, and I said goodbye to my team. The following day I flew to Jakarta and from there two days later via Singapore to Germany.