thousand hills ketambe,Sumatra Indonesia — Hotel in Ketambe

We unfortunately had a very bad experience at this hotel, and we are writing this review to warn others.

During our stay, several items went missing from the room. We definitely had these items with us when we arrived. When inquiring with the owner about these missing items, he did not take this issue seriously.

We booked a jungle trek with the owner of the hotel with an overnight stay in the jungle. The guide did a great job at showing us wildlife during the first day. However, due to bad hygiene my wife got sick to the stomach, and we had to cancel the second day. They expect you to drink water from the river that is boiled, but the dishes are just washed in the river directly. This could well have been the reason for the sickness. If you're planning for a tour, bring your own water filter and wash your own dishes.

The rooms are really spartan, which we can appreciate. But these rooms were not maintained. There is no hot water for the shower, and at the end of our stay the water did not work at all. Also bring your own mosquito net as the provided net is torn in places and not sufficient.

Normally we wouldn't mention this, but as a whole experience, we can not leave out the driver we booked through this hotel. He showed up in a car the driver knew was not in working order, and we broke down mere kilometers into the trip. When they sent another driver and car, but they first started to try and get the first driver home. We had to call the hotel to ask if they would please start on our journey instead of stopping every 5 minutes. All this made the 8-hour trip 3 hours longer. At some point during our transfer, the driver picked up a friend of his, which felt unsafe.

All in all, I would advise anyone to pick another hotel or even just go to Bukit Lawang as we had a way better...

Pure Magic||Simply unforgettable. Over those five days, Thousand Hills has become a very special place for us. The kindness of Joseph and his staff was beyond words. The food was excellent and Joseph’s garden with its flowers and vegetables is pure bliss, complete with a bunch of crazy squirrels (and an occasional monkey!) on the roof of your bungalow and a little river to cool down. And the trek!!! Sayid and his team, Dwan and Amed, were just fantastic. These men can do anything - from finding orangutans in the canopy to carving them in a branch of a fragrant camphor tree cut in the forest; from weaving intricate bracelets from lianas to cooking a super delicious curry on a campfire; from building an astonishingly secure and vast “aquarium tent” from plastic sheets in no time, to saving a 10 year old from the river (beware, the current is strong!) because they have eyes everywhere - and they care. They were great company, professional, kind and fun to be with. Our children loved them, and the jungle, and were amazed, amazed, amazed - and so were we! Watching orangutans in the forest is just breathtaking - but our whole stay in Ketambe was made magical by Joseph, Said,...

This is a lovely place. Attractive, simple bungalows in beautifully landscaped grounds set back from the road and nestling into the jungle. Glimpses of monkeys. Josep and his staff are warm and hospitable. The accommodation’s nothing fancy, with an electric fan, a jungly outdoor bathroom with cold shower and no sink, but appealing nonetheless. A fairly wide menu, though all efforts to get things made spicy failed. Frequent power cuts, one of which knocked out the mobile reception for more than 24 hours. No wifi. Frequent heavy rain, even in August: allow time for washed clothes to dry. The village is a relaxed and friendly place.

Jungle trekking was a great experience: orangutans and much more. It’s also, unsurprisingly, hot, sweaty, and sticky, with no shortage of leeches after rain, guides who smoked near-continuously, and shared, if fairly spacious, tents (us plus our guide and his brother). Well worth travelling here for, but know what to expect.

We had to stay a few extra days when one of us became ill (through no fault of anyone’s). A peaceful and attractive place to relax...