Bukit Lawang is the ideal location for a jungle experience. We can provide a taste of the jungle from the comfort of our rooms, but to fully immerse oneself and maximise opportunities to spot some of the spectacular wildlife indigenous to Gunung Leuser National Park include some jungle trekking in your itinerary.
We have partnered with reputable local tour operator Expedition Jungle, Sumatra Tours to offer you the best of experiences with full regard to protection of the environment and your safety. Expedition Jungle is an established operator of more than 10 years, holding tour operator insurance and specialising in jungle trekking and adventure travel in this area.
We also offer a range of other activities to give you the chance to experience the varied cultures and experiences this area can offer. Take an Indonesian cooking course, cycling tour, bird watching or a day of white water rafting.
Please note that whilst all these activities can be booked when you are in country we cannot guarantee availability at short notice. To make sure you don’t miss out please book in advance.
The last rehabilitated orangutans were received in Bukit Lawang in 2001. The ‘semi-wild’ orangutans and their off spring which had already been rehabilitated continued to be given banana and milk provisions at an orangutan feeding platform. This closed in 2015, but many of the ‘semi wild’ orangutans and their later off spring still reside in the jungle around Bukit Lawang.
There is a very good chance that you will spot a semi wild orangutan on a half day or one day trek in this area. As well as orangutans, Gunung Leuser National Park is host to a myriad of wildlife which includes gibbons, elephants, hornbills thomas leaf monkeys, clouded leopard, the Sumatra tiger and Sumatran rhino.
In general, the longer you trek for the higher your chances of spotting wildlife, but there can be no guarantees. After trekking many guests just feel enlivened and revitalized by the experience of being in the jungle and away from the distraction of modern technology and devices.
Spotting wildlife is the icing on the cake to spending time in this incredible ecosystem. Some of the trees in the rainforest are more than a 1,000 years old and deserve their own special mention. Not forgetting as well that trees are much easier to spot!
We love this jungle and everything that lives in it. We are therefore very rigorous in following the National Park guidelines. In particular, we do not allow any touching or feeding of orangutans or other wildlife and the guides always try to maintain a distance of 10 meters between guests and wildlife.
The reason for this rule is to protect the wildlife from picking up germs and disease from humans. In particular, orangutans, who share 98% of our DNA are very susceptible to human diseases. There is then a high chance of them passing illness to the wild population. A human illness such as a cold can be devastating to a primate and can decimate an already critically endangered population.
(Even if you don’t trek with us we really urge you to report any bad guiding practices to the TNGL office and/or the guide association office in Bukit Lawang and inform any guide that you trek with that you want to follow all the rules)
Jungle trekking is a great bonding experience for families and multi-generational groups. We are experienced in taking families into the jungle, keeping them safe, yet still affording them a long lasting memories and great fun.
We always take along extra guides for groups with children and we have a back pack carrier for smaller children that might need to be carried.
You don’t have to walk far to get to beautiful jungle locations around Bukit Lawang. Some families like to just spend the day having a barbeque picnic and some time to play in the river.
Please contact us for family friendly options.