Our Team
Hi, let’s introduce ourselves.
This isn’t your typical tourism business, we are a strong vibrant community that loves to share our love of the jungle with guests from all over the world.
Our team is made up of a community of passionate conservationists, who believe that tourism can be a way for us to fund our conservation work and support our village.
Meet our team!
Our team is always evolving as we grow - so when you get here there may also be some new faces for you to meet
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Rian is the founder and the driving force behind Simolap Wild Adventures. You can often find him working on our organic garden, creating new flavours of herbal tea, or his favourite activity… fishing in the river near our guesthouse.
Rian is driven by the desire to make a difference for his community. His passion is creating a sustainable source of income that focuses on ethical environmental practices and balancing this with the needs of his community.
He started Simolap Wild Adventures to show people this incredible part of the world, to share opportunities with his peers, and to protect this part of Gunung Leuser National Park.
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Ijal is a keen photographer with some incredible photos of Simolap and Gunung Leuser. He now travels back and forth between Simolap Hot Springs and a coffee shop that he has in Medan where he is an expert in coffee roasting. Ijal has been a part of developing the Hot Springs since the very beginning and he is passionate about the community here and providing for its people.
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Agus is currently the head of Komunitas Penyelamat Leuser (KPL).
He is very passionate about the jungle and is Rian’s older brother.
He is very skilled in traditional jungle medicine and enjoys planting flowers, especially ones that attract many birds and butterflies to visit us at our canteen.
He is also an expert at 4 wheel driving, handling crazy jungle roads.
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Gianta is our guide-in-training! He is passionate about showing guests our incredible jungle and practicing his english. Very knowledgeable about the jungle, Gianta is hoping to get his accreditation to become a guide soon.
An incredible guitarist, Gianta is often found practicing his skills and singing local Karonese songs. If you’re keen to learn more about Karonese traditions you can ask him to teach you some of our traditional dances.
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Risky is the manager of all things Simolap Wild Adventures. He is part of the family, and stays on top of all the day to day needs of our team and our guests alike.
If you’re looking for a cold beer after your hike, or a speciality juice made from our organic fruits and vegetables then Risky is your guy!
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Abdi is one of the happiest personalities here in Simolap. You can often hear him laughing and he always has a smile on his face. He is central to any kind of social gathering or meal times because his infectious personality drives the team spirit and can make any occasion fun.
While you’re here you also definitely don’t want to miss hearing how talented he is at playing the guitar.
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Bang Keng Keng has been at Simolap for over 15 years and is a talented builder - he built many of the original structures at the hot springs and the guesthouse.
He is a good jungle cook and is always down to have a laugh and joke around.
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Ubur is an incredible artist, always making necklaces and other pieces of art for our guests to take home with them.
Ubur is your go-to-guy if you ever need anything fixed or would like a momento to take home with you. While he is quiet, he is very attentive and is always looking for ways to make your stay more comfortable.
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Bang Ledes is not only a great in the jungle, he can also tackle the difficult road to Simolap bringing guests safely to our guesthouse.
Hes always lookig for ways to help the team, and cares deeply for the environment and all its wildlife.
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Mawan is one of the youngest member of the Simolap Wild Adventures team.
He currently splits his time between working in Simolap and working as a Ranger in a nearby village where he tracks Sumatran Elephants and Sumatran Tigers to prevent human-animal conflict.
He is very strong and is always active while in the jungle. Mawan loves to fish so if you’re lucky enough to go trekking with him he might be able to catch you some fresh dinner!
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Rido is known as someone who is very funny, always making jokes and laughing with everyone. However, underneath the endless jokes and fun he is a very able and responsible person that is of great value to the Simolap Wild Adventures team. When he is not working at Simolap he works either as a farmer, growing many different kinds of fruits and vegetables, or as the local teacher for the children in Kinangkong village.
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Norman is a very multi-talented person. He is a great guide, an amazing cook, and is fantastic at organising logistics. This variety of talents is how he got his nickname ‘Pak Director’. However you can also hear him referred to as ’Papa Cooking’. Norman is the first to put his hand up to help people out, and his brave personality means he is always ready to try things first. He is also very good at singing if you’re lucky enough to hear him on one of our music nights.
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Bang Aceng is an incredible trail finder in the Simolap jungle. A reformed poacher, he knows his way around the jungle better than anyone and has an incredible knack for spotting wildlife in places that are hard to spot.
He moves much faster than anyone else in the jungle, and is always looking for new paths to take guests on that reach new areas of the jungle.
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Deta is very quiet, but is a hard worker with many talents. He may not always be at the centre of the activity, but he loves to cook and is a great organiser. If you are trekking with Deta, be ready to learn some fun new mind games! He has quite a few puzzles that he loves to show guests while in the jungle or while relaxing around the hot springs.
Welcome to our jungle!
The team at Simolap Wild Adventures is passionate about conservation, the jungle, and all its wildlife and biodiversity. Our team have trained as guides and tour operators so that we can share our knowledge about Gunung Leuser National Park and all its inhabitants with you. The team is made up of motivated individuals who have been exploring this area of Gunung Leuser National Park since childhood.
We have a deep connection to this area and a wealth of knowledge about the plants and animals that live here. All of our team also have important survival skills and understand the terrain with both its beauty and its challenges. This knowledge fuels our understanding of the value of the jungle and the importance of ensuring its protection.
