Thousand Hills Ketambe

I enjoyed my stay at Thousand Hills Guest House in Ketambe as a home base to explore the Leuser ecosystem. The owner and manager were welcoming and kind and made accommodations for me at the last minute when my reservation at another lodge fell through.The grounds are located beside a creek and were lovely and had beautiful plants. They made me one of the best salads I had while in Sumatra. In general, this area is rustic and accommodations are basic, but Thousand Hills is a great choice.

Incredibly beautiful and silent garden like in Bali island! Very comfortable room and bed with a very nice outside private bathroom at the back of the room with plants and flowers around. Josepf, the owner, is extremely nice and helpful. He prepares two types of breakfast: pancake with a lot of fresh fruits or scrumbled eggs with toasts. We asked him to prepare us dinners and ... we discovered that he is a professional cook so we finally enjoyed delicious dishes after 3 weeks in Sumatra. We stayed 4 nights there and regret not to stayed another one. Recommended 100%!

We went to Ketambe in order to discover and explore the jungle. We chose the Thousand Hills guesthouse. Beautiful garden. We spend 3 days 2 nights in the jungle with our guide Said and his assistant/ porter/cooker Tris. We walked in this tremendous rainforest, we saw huge trees, orangs-outans, Thomas leef monkeys, swam in the river and the hot springs, and ate delicious food cooked by Tris. Those three days were truly wonderful and we have to thank Said and Tris for this experience. If you want to learn and discover the jungle, I highly recommend you to choose Thousand Hills guesthouse and ask to do the trek with Saïd and Tris! Thanks again to these two.

Joseph was an adorable host. Booked a cab to Medan for us. We slept in a bungalow, very clean, with a mosquito net. Be aware no hot shower, wich wasn’t a problem for us. The garden is soooo wonderful !!! We had two nights there and we recommend it !

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 for a few days.

Joseph has created a beautiful, tranquil tropical garden on the very edge of the rainforest. The rooms are quiet and comfortable and the setting devine. Make sure you leave an afternoon or two free to swim in the nearby river and while away the afternoon on their lovely terrace. Joseph couldn't be more helpful and welcoming and Ahmed is a whizz in the kitchen. Met other interesting travellers in the small terrace restaurant. Lovely stay.

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, Dwan and Amad.

Les plus gros cafards que je n'avais jamais vu. Chambre et literie plutôt sale. Avec des cafards gros comme mon pouce. Propriétaire sympathique au 1er abord puis change du tout au tout lorsqu'on lui dit qu'il y a des cafards. Du coup plutôt déçu de cette guesthouse malgré un très joli jardin

Tout d’abord, la guest house est très agréable, au milieu de la verdure et en bordure de jungle. Mai ce qui est intéressant est le trek dans la jungle. Nous avons séjourné trois jours dans celle ci. Nous avons pu camper près de la rivière et pister les singes et autres animaux. Nous avons tant découvert sur la faune et la flore de la jungle. Mention spéciale à notre cuisinier, Chris, qui nous a concocté de sorts délicieux. Mais surtout à notre guide Udin, qui a su nous guider avec patiente vers les orangs-outans, nous expliquer tout ce qu’il fallait savoir et a même pris soin de nous quand un de nous est tombé malade. Je recommande ce guide si vous partez en expédition !