SEAToday.com, Aceh - Agusen Tourism Village has long been better known abroad than domestically. According to Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, unfortunately, Agusen used to be better known as a cannabis producer during the Dutch colonial period. While Agusen was once known for its premium cannabis production, today this tourism village at the foot of Mount Leuser is preparing to peddle a premium tourism experience.

Since 2015, Agusen Village has been designated as one of the Tourism Villages in Gayo Lues Regency, Aceh Province. Located in the Gunung Leuser National Park with the Agusen River running through the middle of the village, Agusen Village has a natural attraction that is often visited by tourists to enjoy the river, forest, and agrotourism. Agusen Village has a river that flows upstream from the Alas River to Singkil. The clear water flow makes visitors who come there interested in rafting.

Tourists could not miss Agusen’s coffee agro-tourism. The potential of Agusen's coffee plantations is undeniable as its productivity ranks second only to Pantan Cuaca as Gayo Lues' top coffee-producing area for arabica and robusta types. Tourists can then take the time to enjoy traditional coffee served by the community. Tourists will be even more satisfied when they are invited to learn how to cultivate and harvest coffee directly through garden trip/garden day activities.

Agusen is also an attractive gem for researchers. The structure and composition of unspoiled forests around Protected Forests and National Parks evoke the researchers' desire for the forest ecosystem including the composition and biodiversity that exists in it. Efforts to support this research activity certainly need a lot of communication with the managers and with academics who have an interest in scientific information.
Would you put Agusen on your bucket list, SEATizens?