Hello Jane,
Sorry not to have been in touch before to thank you for arranging our excellent trip to Sumatra.  Everything went reasonably smoothly (at least as smoothly as it can in Indonesia) and our 3 local guides coped very well with any problems as they arose.  The main difficulty was getting to Siberut Island as the ferries run infrequently and are cancelled if the sea is at all rough.  Our guide in W Sumatra had to change the order of our itinerary because of the ferry problems which meant that we had less time on the island than expected.  Siberut was fascinating and living with the local people a real experience but trekking conditions were difficult due to the mud (calf deep in places) and the fact that we had to balance on wet slippery tree trunks to cross the many rivers and streams.  Because of this, we usually ended up sliding down the muddy banks and wading through the rivers before hauling ourselves up the bank on the other side!  One thing to note for anybody planning to visit the island is that no porters and no sleeping mats are provided.  Visitors definitely need something to cushion the hard wooden floors in the houses and as trekkers are permanently wet and muddy there is little point in changing clothes daily.  We ended up wearing the same outer clothes for most of the time (hope we didn't smell too bad!) and keeping something dry to wear at night.

Best wishes,
Rosemary