In the aftermath of the flood
It's been one month since Ketambe and most of Aceh was changed forever by the flash flood. The situation in our village is now somewhat stable - we have temporary road access, electricity and phone towers are all working. People have enough food. Excavators have spent several days working to re-establish the river further from the road to avoid continued erosion.
As expected, there have been no major improvements in this time. People who lost their homes are living in their relative's homes or in temporary shelters. Some people who have the means have started building add-ons to the back of family homes. No one has money to buy new land.
As for your kind donations - we spent an initial 8 million rupiah in the first few days of the aftermath bringing in emergency supplies (food, fuel, water, nappies). Since then we have kept ears and eyes open to see what people really need to begin rebuilding their lives. In the next few days we'll be delivering the bulk of your donations to the families in Ketambe who have lost their homes. Will post an update on this soon.
Reopening Our Jungle Treks
With the situation now stable, we have decided to reopen jungle treks from the beginning of January 2026. Ecotourism is an important source of income for the families of Ketambe, and Our Jungle guides and camp assistants are eager to get back to work.
If you'd like to reschedule a December trip or plan your 2026 adventure in Ketambe, please get in touch via email or whatsapp. I may be a little slower in getting back to you than usual as I get back to everyone who has contacted us throughout the past month.
Getting to Ketambe - the current situation
Please keep in mind that most of Aceh is still in recovery mode. There are villages in Gayo Lues and Aceh Tengah that are still cut off. Pidie Jaya flooded a second time only a few days ago. For the next few months it would be a good idea to stay away from the centre of Aceh - around Takengon area - avoid travel from Banda Aceh to Ketambe by road.
Access to Ketambe from Medan via Berastagi and Kutacane is clear. When travelling to us, I'd recommend booking private transport with a local driver who knows the roads well (we can arrange this for you). Or if preferring to use public transport, allow an additional day to account for potential travel delays.
Your presence in Ketambe
Our Jungle ecolodge, current home, and the base for our treks was thankfully untouched by the floods. What's more - our solar power was able to help the people of Ketambe recharge their phones and torches while the village was without power for nearly 3 weeks.
Access to the jungle will be through new routes and tracks, and we've had to create new campsites after the previous areas were destroyed by floodwaters. It may take some time for our team to settle into a new routine with all the changes. But rest assured, our guides' eagle eyes and passion for the jungle remains unchanged.
We held off on hosting guests for the past month until we could be more sure that your travel here would be safe. If you are wondering whether or not your presence would be a positive or negative, please rest assured that the people of Ketambe are ready and would appreciate the return of tourism in the area.
Donations for the families in Ketambe
If you'd like to follow along with our crowdfunding campaign supporting the 50 families in Ketambe who lost their homes, see our link below:
https://gogetfunding.com/ketambe-village-destroyed-by-floods/#campaign-updates
And for an update on our donations distribution, see here:
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