Unlike other tour providers, our Indo-English family includes highly experienced and knowledgeable experts and guides. Our head guide in North Sumatra, Wanda has over 30 years guiding experience, learning much of his knowledge from his father and gradfather-in-law, two of the original guides to in Bukit Lawang back in the early 1970’s.

Today Wanda, his son Fabio and nephew Rama, continue the family legacy and maintain the unique knowledge of the forest passed down through the generations. Our tours are only led by family members who possess knowledge and respect for the forest. 

Wanda lives in a small village close to Bukit Lawang with his wife Ana and their 5 children.

In the UK, Andrea is the adopted daughter of Wanda and Ana’s family. She has over 22 years’ worth of experience in Indonesia. She has conducted research on wild orangutans in both Borneo and Sumatra, conducting her MSc and PhD on orangutan cultural behavior with eminent orangutan expert Professor Carel van Schaik at Zurich University.
 

In 2007, Andrea reopened the Suaq Balimbing research station in Aceh, famous for the intelligent tool-using orangutans that inhabit the swamp forests. It remains the largest remaining contiguous population of Sumatran orangutans. If you have a spirit for adventure we can take you to the swamps where one of our field assistants will show you what it is like to observe these fascinating animals in the wild. The area is not only rich in orangutans but is well known for the tigers, bears, giant otters and hundreds of bird, reptile and amphibian species.

Based back in the UK for now, Andrea lives with her husband Edit and their two children.. As well as being an expert in reclaimed wooden furniture, Edit has also worked as Andrea’s tree-climbing assistant in both Sumatra and Borneo. Between them there isn’t much they don’t know about the jungle!

Our Aceh tour leader Mahmuddin trying to follow orangutans in a flood at Suaq Balimbing, South Kluet Swamp, South Aceh