Gunung Kerinci (Mount Kerinci) is Sumatra’s, and Indonesia’s, highest peak. It sits within the massive Kerinci Seblat National Park in southwest West Sumatra and comes with fascinating hiking.
Gunung Kerinci lies around 130kms from Padang, the main gateway to Kerinci Seblat National Park. The main entrance to Kerinci Seblat National Park is the town of Sungaipenuh in Kerinci Valley, 30kms to the south. Gunung Kerinci reaches over 3,800m above sea level and is a stratovolcano with a 600-meter wide crater atop it and a base that stretches 25kms north-south.
The mountain is best climbed from the nearby village of Kersik Tua, which is north of Sungaipenuh and a six-hour drive from Padang. To do a full trek of the summit of Gunung Kerinci takes at least two days and one night from Kersik Tua, while camps 2 and 3 offer shorter climbs.
If you intend to climb Gunung Kerinci, visiting in the dry season is a must as the slopes get pretty slippery and the surrounding jungle is dense. Obtaining a permit to visit Kerinci Seblat National Park and having a guide to climb Gunung Kerinci are also necessary.
Getting There & Away
As with the rest of Kerinci Seblat National Park, Gunung Kerinci is accessible via Minangkabau International Airport in Padang. The airport is about 130kms northwest of the mountain, with the village of Kersik Tua being the best starting point for a trek. Kersik is a 7-hour bus ride from Padang, which is a 1-hour, 30-minute flight from Jakarta.