Jungle Trekking in Bukit Lawang, Sumatra

Teeny tiny Bukit Lawang is the gateway to the Gunung Leuser National Park and the launching pad for encountering the native wildlife of Sumatra.

Located in Indonesia’s largest island (the sixth-largest in the world, no less) this is one of Indonesia’s great national parks. Home to a plethora of endangered species, going jungle trekking in Bukit Lawang is the best way to absorb the flora and fauna.  

Besides the Sumatran orangutan (the star of this blog!), the Sumatran rainforest is the habitat for the Sumatran tiger, leopard, elephant, and rhino. Don’t get your hopes up in Gunung Leuser; you’re unlikely to encounter any of these guys in there. But, it is a great place to sight orangutans in the wild, as well as other primates like the black gibbon. 

When I first travelled to Indonesia, Sumatra was my first port of call. And after spending the past few weeks temple-hopping in Myanmar, I had my sights firmly set on jungle trekking in Bukit Lawang.

This is all about my experience in the jungle (the mighty jungle…)

Visiting Bukit Lawang 

Bukit Lawang is a small village that sits on the Bahorok River on the eastern side of the Gunung Leuser National Park. The village consists of family-ran homestays, small restaurants, and shops to buy trekking snacks. The river is the beating heart of the village. During the day you’ll see villages catching fish and children frolicking in the flowing water. 

Only a short walk from the village, you’re in the company of semi-wild Sumatran orangutans, baboons, macaques and Thomas leaf monkeys. There are even leopards and tigers, somewhere in the depths of the park, although don’t expect to see any! 

This is a supremely peaceful and quiet village which I enjoyed relaxing in. After trekking, it’s worth tapping on an extra day or two to chill and appreciate the clean air and tranquillity. I lament not factoring this into my plans. 

My journey to Bukit Lawang

I flew into Kualanamu International Airport, Medan, with no firm plans of where to head first in Sumatra. As I’m not too crazy about visiting big cities, I decided to skip Medan entirely and head to a nature destination. Bukit Lawang and Samosir Island (Lake Toba) were at the top of my list. 

At the airport, I asked the staff for details on where I could get to directly with mininal faff. Bukit Lawang made the most sense. So off I went, to board the first of several buses. 

Bus number one was pretty comfy, with Celine Dion tunes crooning away in the background. After about 45 minutes into the journey we were (politely) booted off and transferred to a new bus. 

With a capacity of, say, 15 people, our driver merrily squeezed in at least double the amount. My spot was in the back, right by the window with the two other tourists – a couple who made themselves at home on my lap for duration of the bumpy ride.

Luckily for me, I managed to crack a window and stick my head out of the window like a golden retriever. It’s the sweatiest travel moments that really stay with you.

Jungle Trekking in Bukit Lawang

Once in Bukit Lawang, I checked into the Fun Family Guest House. How could I not, with a name like that? The owner, Putra, arrived with a small troop of smiley, soggy backpackers. They’d returned from jungle trekking by ‘tubing’ down the Bahorok River. That’s the optional yet highly recommended way to conclude a trek in the Gunung Leuser National Park.

Once we’d waved the still-damp travellers off on their buses, I arranged my jungle trek with Putra the following morning. As I was the only guest that night, I booked a day trek. It wouldn’t have been worth it to Putra to take only one person camping.

Anyway, I was content with my spidery camping and trekking experience in Taman Negara.

Monkeying around

Early the next day, Putra and I left. As we strolled into the jungle, Putra pointed out different types of trees and explained the heritage of the jungle. He pointed at some trees, and commented that those ones ‘stop the babies.’ They were rubber trees – used to make condoms!

We came across our first orangutan less than an hour into the trek. They’re different to the ones I’d seen in Borneo; their orange fur is a few shades paler. Although, they share the same searching gaze, no doubt wondering what snacks we had on us. 

We also spotted the typical ‘cheeky’ monkeys (or macaques, to be formal). They were mainly busy scrapping around with each other and trying to nick food out of the packs of trekkers. We saw a couple of female macaques babies on board, while male companions shrieked and fought in the trees high above us.

Putra told me his favourite jungle resident is the black gibbon, but that he’d not seen any for a few weeks. Later on, we’d climbed up a steep hill which had taken twenty minutes or so of huffing and puffing and sweating.

Moments away from the crest, Putra – with his mind-boggling powers) heard the distinct call of the black gibbons. And so, off we went, back down the hill (and then up another, even steeper, hill), following the bellows. 

It was worth it: we spotted a female black gibbon with her baby wrapped around her back.

She was as interested in us (or more likely, our food) as we were in her, and she went and had a rummage through my rucksack. Fortunately, our food was securely in Putra’s pack.

As I was filming the gibbons on my phone, mamma gibbon swooped down from her tree and whacked me around the head. I think, in monkey language, that means we’re BFFs.

Riding the ‘tube’ down the river

After a drenching from the afternoon rain, I took a dip in the Bohorok River as Putra prepared the transport to take us back to the village. While in the water, I was joined by a couple of monitor lizards – another highlight of the day. 

Then, we took the ‘tube’ back to Bukit Lawang.

No, fellow Londoners, this isn’t a rattling, dust-covered underground carriage. It is essentially a raft made from inflatable tyres that are strapped to driftwood. You lie back on it like a beanbag with your legs akimbo and use oars to steer. If you’re travelling as a group, they strap a bunch of these rafts together to make one long über raft.

I was travelling on my tod, so I had mine all to myself. Putra kindly made me a crown out of jungle leaves just in case I wasn’t feeling conspicuous enough. 

The current downstream is fast and there are lots of little waterfalls all the way down. Staying dry isn’t an option. Putra and our oarsman belted out songs in Bahasa, teaching me the Indonesian versions of songs from the Lion King. 

More orangutans!

Along the way, Putra, with his sixth sense, got wind of orangutans in the jungle. We parked up the raft and waddled barefoot through the forest to find them.

There were two large males and a baby playing in the trees; the perfect way to end my adventure jungle trekking in Bukit Lawang!

Is Jungle Trekking in Bukit Lawang ethical?

Whenever I undertake tourism where animals and wildlife are concerned, I like to know that the animals aren’t being put at risk or been exploited. On the whole, from my own experience and research, I understand that Bukit Lawang is based on an ethical set-up. But you should pick your guide carefully.

Guides in Bukit Lawang are licensed. Well, they should be. All guides are required to register with the Indonesia Tourist Guide Association (Himpunan Pramuwisata Indonesia: HPI). This licence means that the guide completes training and passes an exam every two years, as well as paying fees.

You can ask to see the HPI certificate for your potential guide before hiring them. 

The orangutans in the Gunung Leuser National Park are a mixture of wild and semi-wild. Between 1973 and 1995, around 200 orangutans were rehabilitated into the forest. Since then, new infants have been born into the wild by the rehabilitated orangutans. They feed themselves and no guide (or tourist) should feed them or any of the other primates in the canopy. 

If your guide tries to offer food in order to help you get a closer look or take photos – out your foot down and intervene! 

Your guide should accept no more than 8 people per group and maintain a distance of 10 metres at all times. And she/he should never rustle branches or try to provoke an orangutan into moving around for you.

In fact, during my trek, we did encounter a guide acting unethically by trying to provoke the first orangutans we met. Putra was furious and didn’t mince his words while sharing his opinion. 

Plan your Jungle Trekking in Bukit Lawang

Getting to Bukit Lawang from Medan

As a general note on travelling in Sumatra. The island is growing in popularity with international tourists, but it does lack transport infrastructure in comparison with Java.

There are public buses and a growing number of flashy ‘tourist’ buses, but I found that in some places taking taxis is the only option. And I’m talking about long-distance, inter-city travel. Although cost-wise, these actually aren’t too bad if you’re travelling with at least one other person.

From Kualanamu International Airport I was able to ride the public bus all the way to Bukit Lawang. This means changing partway in Binjai but it was easy(ish) to communicate with the drivers. I spent around 50,000 IDR in total.

The second bus dropped me just outside of the village itself. From there, it’s about a half an hour walk or you can hop in a tuk-tuk. I buddied up with the couple I met on the bus.

Where to stay in Bukit Lawang

There is a mix of guest houses in Bukit Lawang, plus a few hostels. All of the accommodation is run by families and is pretty basic. I stayed at the Fun Family Guest House, which is run by Putra and his wife. They are the loveliest hosts who I totally recommend for both accommodation and guide services. 

I paid 50,000 IDR per night for my own room with a fan and mosquito net. This came with an Indonesian-style bathroom: cold shower, manual-flush toilet, and no washbasin. It was clean, comfortable, and close to the riverside and restaurants.

If I’m fortunate to return to Bukit Lawang, I would stay with Putra again. 

How to book jungle trekking in Bukit Lawang

Tourists are not permitted to go jungle trekking in Bukit Lawang without a guide, so you’ll need to hire one.

Local guides in town know the Gunung Leuser National Park like the back of their hands. This means they can spot signs of the primates and recognise their calls. So you’ll get a rich experience from your guide and are more likely to see the orangutans.

 Most of the guesthouses offer a trekking service. I heard that the owners can get a bit iffy with guests who stay with them and use alternative guides. So, check reviews carefully to find a guesthouse that you like the sound of and find out what the deal is in terms of trekking.  

Again, I can vouch for Putra as your guide. He knew the jungle and nature and was very respectful to the wildlife. Plus. he is a lot of ‘fun’ to hang out with and great conversation. 

At the time of writing, all guides in town are charging roughly the same price so as not to compete. The price varies depending on whether you book a day or multi-day trek. You can get an overview of the prices on the Bukit Lawang Jungle Trekking website. 

What to take jungle trekking  

Your guide should include lunch in the fee.

For myself, the nasi goreng and snack fruit was plenty but you might want to pack extra snacks. Make sure they are securely wrapped and tucked away in your backpack. Otherwise, the monkeys may attempt to hijack your pack. 

When jungle trekking in Bukit Lawang, naturally, there’s always a chance of rain in the rainforest! As Putra and I ate our nasi goreng, drops appeared in the stream we were sitting by. Within minutes, the whole rainforest was flooded. I’d definitely recommend taking a waterproof jacket or poncho, sturdy water-resistant hiking boots and a cover for your daypack. 

I’d recommend wearing long trekking/exercise trousers and not exposing your ankles. I didn’t have any trouble with leeches but I’d learned my lesson after camping in Taman Negara.

Cash is queen

Something I learnt the hard way. At the time of writing, there is no ATM in Bukit Lawang. 

Cash is queen in the village. You will need to take enough Indonesian rupiah to cover your trekking costs as well as your accommodation, food, and return journey out of the jungle.

As I said, I was unprepared and didn’t have enough money on me. Putra kindly drove me to the nearest village which has a couple of ATMs. It took around 20 minutes each way by motorbike, so almost an hour as a round trip.

Unfortunately, my bank declined the withdrawal, at all ATMs in the village. It turns out my specific bank card only works with two Indonesian banks. As Bukit Lawang was my first port of call in Indonesia, I hadn’t known that this would happen. 

In the end, Putra found a guy in Bukit Lawang with a chip and pin machine who could give me cashback. With the commission he took, that worked out expensive and a bit stressy. Plus, poor Putra lost over an hour of his time ferrying me around.

Do as the scouts do, and come prepared. Bring enough cash to cover your trip to the jungle, the mighty jungle.