Tesso Nilo National Park is an Indonesian National Park in central Sumatra's Riau province.
Created in 2004 to help preserve Sumatran tigers and Asiatic elephants, development of tourism within the park is still in its infancy.
In 2004 Indonesia created the park w:Tesso_Nilo_National_Park, and more than doubled its size in 2007.
The people of Air Hitam have a history of opposing the park and its purposes. In 2008 people from the village burned a ranger vehicle due to anger at the restrictions placed on their activities by the park. In late November 2010, 5 wild elephants were killed at Air Hitam, despite ongoing education efforts and the work of the Flying Squad elephant patrol.
In late November 2010, a two day major operation involving around 300 police, rangers and military personnel resulted in clearing from the park many of the oil palms planted there illegally.
Tesso Nilo contains some tropical lowland forest, and it also contains land that was used as production forest and oil palm plantations but that is now being allowed to revert to jungle.
Fauna include the Sumatran tiger, Asian elephant, Malayan tapir, medium-sized primates, deer, large monitor lizards and pigs.
The WWF estimates the tiger population is around 50, while the elephant population is between 60 to 80.
Despite degradation of even the best jungle within the park, its flora displays the highest vascular plant w:Vascular_plant diversity of anywhere in the world, including the Amazon regions.
Many 200-m² plots of forest when surveyed yielded more than 200 species each, and more than 4,000 species of plants have already been found within the park. Botanists anticipate that a number of species unknown to science live in the park, as well.
Tesso Nilo has hot days and nights, like most of the rest of Riau province.
If you are coming from outside of Sumatra, you may fly into Pekanbaru.
From there, go to the WWF headquarters. Along with tours, they may be able to arrange passage for you to the park.
No regular bus service to either the park or the cities and villages near it exists.
The park headquarters are in Kerinci Pelalawan in Riau, about 5 hours by motorbike from Pekanbaru. Their telephone number is (061) 0761 494 728.
To get to the park from the headquarters requires 2½ to 3 hours of travel down a dirt logging road that now passes through large tracts of oil palm plantations and tree farms, as well as cleared jungle awaiting conversion.
You will need a permit signed by the head of Tesso Nilo National Park, and you will have to be accompanied by a ranger.
The permit will cost about Rp45,000.
You will pass through two military check-points on the way in, requiring the letter and the ranger.
Purchase sustainably harvested honey from sialang (honey trees) at Lubuk Kemgang Bunga, a small village near the park, or at WWF headquarters in Pekanbaru.
You may also purchase the honey directly from the WWF web site.
The only lodging in the park is the central ranger station.
Kerinci Pelalawan, the town with the park headquarters, has hotels, including the Hotel Melanti where a double bed, cable TV and air conditioning costs Rp150,000 per night. They also have laundry service, but it is very expensive.
Camping in the park's backcountry can be arranged for as many days as one might wish.
Trips into the backcountry with a guide, who has guided professional biologists and others on extensive treks, may be arranged.
Tigers, bears and elephants are the largest animals in the park.
Tigers have killed people on Sumatra, so be sure to stay with the rangers and local guide.