If you travel to Southeast Asia, you cannot return without seeing wildlife up close. Where is the best place to do this? Borneo (Malaysia) and Bukit Lawang in Sumatra (Indonesia) are common locations. We chose the option with minimum human interaction and fewer visitors. Let me explain the process: To reach the jungle, you must fly to Medan and hire a driver for a four hour trip. It is truly worth the effort.
This was one destination we considered removing from our planned trip to Southeast Asia since we had limited time, and there are no guaranteesof seeing orangutans.
Bukit Lawang is not confined to tourists seeing animals for entertainment. Bukit Lawang is a jungle owned by wildlife, sometimes they can be seen, but other times luck is not on your side. This is the most ethical way to view wild animals in my view.
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HOW TO GET TO BUKIT LAWANG – THE ORANGUTANS JUNGLE
You can travel there either using public transportation or by hiring a driver with your own place to stay.
HIRING A PRIVATE driver
As we were arriving late at Medan we asked the hotel where we were staying in the jungle to come and collect us. The taxi fare is 600,000 IDR (about 42 €). If you want to review our travel budget, you can find the breakdown here.
BUKIT LAWANG – MEDAN BUS
With extra time, we journeyed using public transportation on the return trip. Our trekking guide escorted us by motorcycle to the bus stop as it was about 10 minutes by automobile and over half an hour on foot.
The bus station was no doubt the worst I have ever been to. Besides all types of animals, there was an unbearable smell. But, we were in Southeast Asia and we came knowing what that implied.
To get to Medan Airport from Bukit Lawang, one must initially take a van-sized bus that stops at each village along the way. It takes approximately two hours to arrive at Binjai where a connection would be made. The cost of this bus is 18,000 IDR (approx. 1€).
Once there, you need to take another transport to the Medan air terminal that costs 30,000 IDR (2 € approx.), and it takes two and a half hours. Our transport separated en route and we needed to sit tight for another one to show up, so ultimately, it took another hour yet thankfully we as yet had a great deal of time to catch the flight.
RENTing A CAR
Under no circumstances would I recommend that you drive, because I have never seen such bad motorists. The traffic we saw when passing through Medan also doesn’t help with the case.
OUR ARRIVAL TO BUKIT LAWANG
Upon arriving at Bukit Lawang, the locals greeted us with an enthusiasm unlike any welcome we had ever experienced before. The small town, believed to have fewer than twenty wooden houses, saw people emerging from their dwellings calling out “Welcome to the Jungle!”. Even now, I get chills thinking back to that moment.
Our lodging,Rain Forest Guest House Bukit Lawang, was at the end of the town. Directed by Nella, a charming female who made us feel at home from the very beginning. We reserved the suite with private bathroom for 5€. Without a doubt, this was the cheapest lodging where we also received the best treatment. I had been communicating with Nella since I made the reservation because I didn’t find enough online information to organize our adventure (+62 813-6219-9018 or [email protected]), so when we finally met, it was like we already knew each other. I will tell you more about our lodging at the end of this post.
Planing the trek TO SEE ORANGUTANS
As we arrived, we sat on the wooden porch with our guide the next day to go over what we should take. He also told us the different activities we could do although we had already made a reservation for what we wanted (hiking for two days and returning via rafting on the river). I’ll share the price for different activities here. Our tour cost 70€ per person.
In this same rain forest, you may be able to find tigers, bear, rhinos and even elephants ( these are all the types you could find), but chances of that are much reduced with a 2-day tour. To optimize chances of seeing them, you may wish to hire the 5 days rambling tour, which takes you way deeper into the jungle. Anyhow, there are no assurances that you will see the animals because they are in complete freedom here.
Remember that a permit is necessary to enter the jungle. If you arrive in Bukit Lawang at night and will be going to the jungle the following day, pre-arrange with your guides by sending them a copy of your Passport via email so they can prepare it before you arrive.
Also, if you do not currently have it, it is crucial to purchase travel insurance, because, as in all places where there are wild animals, you may need to use it.
Two days TREKKING through the BUKIT LAWANG jungle to see orangutans
The next morning, with our backpacks readied and prepared to go to the jungle, we first had an amazing breakfast: banana and chocolate shake and pancakes.
Our guides were Andy and Walter also known as “the Jungle Guys”, a couple of really cool guys that made this experience unforgettable and they helped us gain a lot of knowledge! Together with me and my cousin, there was a German girl called Philine and a Dutch guy called David. And so, the six of us headed towards the jungle at 8 in the morning, with water and a change of clothes inside our backpacks.
Additionally, two other guides went ahead of us to ready the campsite where we would be staying that night.
Upon arrival at the jungle`s edge town of Bukit Lawang during nightfall, we did not see much of the settlement. The following day we took time to explore Bukit Lawang, located near the jungle boundary, crossing a river to enter its borders.
getting inside the jungle
At this point, we weren`t quite ready to see wildlife, but we saw a group watching closely as a Wrangler Viper maneuvered between the leaves.
This snake variety contains a toxic venom capable of ending a human`s life in under one hour. It is quite challenging to encounter one, let alone so near to the town.
The expedition to this location was very different from our previous experience at the Penang National Park.There was a greater number of individuals present in Bukit Lawang while it was just myself and my cousin encountering the jungle landscape in Penang National Park. However, Bukit Lawang provided a much denser forest environment, which serves as an advantage . More vines, trees, branches, and roots covered the ground, and lacking a clear trail to follow made employing a guide extremely important.
In terms of difficulty, the route at the National Park in Penang was flatter but more extended. In Bukit Lawang, we had to climb trees, jump between them, and slide down muddy steep inclines. However, we did not feel nearly as fatigued.
FIRST SIGHTING OF orangutans in SUMATRA
We observed the initial orangutans within the first hour of trekking, sooner than anticipated to find anything. I can’t define how it feels. They are so incredibly similar to us!! Their mannerism, appearance, movements and all…
I felt like an interloper in their jungle. They weren’t troubled by our visibility, and I could just feel grateful for being able to live in that uncommon instant.
The guides explained to us that orangutans tend to live independently, traveling solo and protecting their own territories. In fact, one usually finds a single orangutan within each region of the jungle. Some of the only times more than one is seen together is when a mother is with her young child, or during the mating period.
Parent females care for their young until they reach approximately 5 years of age. During this timeframe, they educate them in everything: how to climb wooded areas, what is suitable for consumption, and they also assist them in finding their unique territories.
lunch at the jungle
After this initial encounter, we kept walking until we arrived at a secluded area in the forest where we sat and had lunch.
I`m unsure what influenced it, maybe the scenery or the fresh ingredients, but the meals we consumed within the jungle seemed unusually delicious. Our fare included rice with vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers alongside tortillas and fruit for dessert, all of which tasted heavenly.
ORANGUTANS IN DANGER OF EXTINCTION
The guides explained that during the 1980s and 1990s, the jungle was threatened with destruction by the palm oil industry. Large-scale logging driven by this industry devastated the jungle`s ecosystem. Currently, there are 7,000 orangutans living in Sumatra.
A medical center was founded to protect this creature. Here, they offer assistance and care for ill and orphaned orangutans until they are ready to return to the jungle. Additionally, they run an eating assistance, where many orangutans go to receive extra portions of food since they cannot procure it from a visibly unwell jungle.
In addition to the Palm Oil Industry, people who illegally hunt and capture orangutans to sell as pets or for zoos are another danger to the species. This frequently ends with the mother being killed.
I don’t want to be too repetitive, but please STOP VISITING ZOOS. You are supporting this unclean business each time you pay the admission cost.
INHABITANTS OF BUKIT LAWANG
THE ORANGUTANS OF BUKIT LAWANG
During that day, we had the opportunity to see orangutans on several occasions. The orangutans of Sumatra moved around by hanging from trees because there are tigers in the Bukit Lawang Forest. However, in Borneo, the orangutans walked on the ground as they do not have predators.
The one from the picture above was a male. His size was impressive and especially noticeable because he got very close to us. It is very easy to identify the male ones – just look at his beard!!
This video depicts a juvenile female orangutan who came closer and requested food. She even descended from the trees to collect the fruits offered by one of the guides. You can watch the video below.
Many individuals inquired about whether it was dangerous to be in such close proximity to the orangutans. According to the guides within the Bukit Lawang jungle, there are just two dangerous orangutans called Jacky and Mina. These orangutans were raised at the rescue center since they were orphaned. Having been accustomed to humans, they view us as providers of food. Therefore, if you encounter them, they’ll want you to give them nourishment. Jacky grabs your wrist and won’t let go until you provide her with some bananas while Mina directly bites the travelers until she acquires what she desires. Our guide displayed a scar caused by Mina. We did not cross paths with them, but just in case, we had hired the optimal travel insurance for Indonesia.
Other Inhabitants
There were other species in addition to orangutans in the Bukit Lawang jungle. We were fortunate to see other wildlife.
We were surprised by the large ants crawling on us. Do not worry about their size, they are completely harmless.
We also spotted a magnificent Argust Pheasant.
We heard a band of toucans but we didn’t have time to capture a picture of them.
We saw a southern pig-tailed macaque up close as well as the Thomas’s Langur, a monkey found exclusively in this jungle.
CAMPING IN THE BUKIT LAWANG JUNGLE
After ambling through the jungle for 5 hours, we reached the campsite which was beside the Riverside. There was a cabin where we placed mats and blankets for sleeping and another that functioned as a kitchen.
Preceding our dining experience, we took a relaxing bath in the flowing river. It was an ideal day which we spent blissfully doing a two-day jungle trek in Bukit Lawang.
The dinner was delicious. They prepared vegetarian dishes for us that were scrumptious. After dinner, Andy and Walter had some night-time activities prepared (typical camping games you’d play when you are a child).
Suddenly, a magical occurrence took place. Millions of fireflies flew around us as the river illuminated.
Being surrounded by the jungle sounds in the middle of nature, catching fireflies by hand in an effort to understand their intriguing light, is an experience difficult to describe. For me, the highlight of being in Bukit Lawang was witnessing the river glow illuminated at nightfall.
Maybe for someone who has already seen them, it might seem trivial, but it was the first time I have seen a firefly in my life.
And with that marvelous day behind us, we went to bed, pleased with all the jungle of Bukit Lawang had provided.
GOING BACK TO BUKIT LAWANG
The subsequent day we had a large sandwich arranged as breakfast. Why is cuisine in the jungle so remarkably delicious?
And we continued our trekking in search of more Sumatran orangutans throughout the trip.
I don’t precisely recollect how many orangutans we observed between both days. I believe likely eight or nine, significantly more than what we anticipated.
To return to our starting location, our guides made preparations for us to utilize a raft to travel downstream along the river. They call this activity tube rafting.
Here is a video of the whole adventure we experienced at Bukit Lawang.
going back to the civilization
We arrived at the village with wet clothing and now in a hurry since we wanted to return to the airport by public transit. To do this, we had to catch the last bus that departed at 5 pm. Nella, the owner of the Rain Forest Guest House Bukit Lawang allowed us to take a shower and place our rafting clothes in the dryer.
Then, we had a minor incident that I want to tell you to be careful about.
While my cousin showered, I was at the door conversing with David (the Dutch boy) when silently a monkey grabbed my bag of dirty clothes and fled. Thankfully, it made some noise allowing us to give chase until it released the bag. I nearly lost my clothes!!
The monkeys understand that we usually keep food in bags, so be cautious if you do not want it to be stolen by a monkey. Do not leave bags or backpacks unattended.
THE BEST ACCOMMODATION OF OUR SOUTH ASIA TRIP
Although throughout the post I have mentioned that Rain Forest Guest House Bukit Lawang was the best hotel of our trip to Southeast Asia, what really made us fond of it were the following aspects.
When we arrived at Yogyakarta, we noticed that half of our laundry we did back in Bukit Lawang was missing. When I contacted Nella, she became very upset. She clarified that part of the laundry had dried and the other part was still damp and hung out to dry at the hotel. When we retrieved the clothes, they didn’t realize that they only gave us half of it. Without hesitation, Nella offered to send my clothes back and she wouldn’t even let me pay for the expenses. Another hotel wouldn’t have cared. That’s why I reiterate once more that Rain Forest Guest House Bukit Lawang provided our best treatment. Here I leave Nella`s contact information again so you can reach out to her (+62 813-6219-9018 or [email protected]) or you can directly book through Booking. I hope to be sitting back on the patio of her hotel enjoying her pancakes very soon.
As you may imagine, after this initial experience in Indonesia with the Sumatran orangutans in the jungle of Bukit Lawang, I am fond of the country.
