Jungle Explorer - Two days, one night 
Bukit Lawang

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1

Your friendly English-speaking guide and driver will meet you at your accommodation, or the airport, in Medan ready to drive the 2.5-3 hours trip to Bukit Lawang in private air-conditioned transport.

On arrival in Bukit Lawang you will transfer to your accommodation* upstream where you can enjoy some light refreshments in the riverside restaurant while discussing the plan for your trek on day 2 with your guide.

You are free to spend the day enjoying the local atmosphere. Maybe you will fancy a refreshing swim in the river, a lazy afternoon in the cafes or a wander through the curio shops? Or you might just prefer to kick back and relax in your accommodation. For the more active visitor, we can also arrange a variety of short tours in the local area to fill your time. If this is something you may be interested in check out our cultural tours and contact us to discuss the options.

Day 2

Choose between a half day (3 hours) or a full day (6 hours) trek.

After a relaxing night at your guest house or homestay and an early morning breakfast, your guide will meet you to begin your adventure in the Gunung Leuser National Park.

Your trek starts in the village and leads to the park boundary where rubber and durian plantations in community forests border the park. Here the terrain consists of gentle sloping foothills, which can be slippery in wet weather. Depending on the time of year you may encounter wild orangutans and other primates in this area as they come out to raid the fruit in the plantations. While your guide will happily discuss the human-wildlife conflicts that happen in these areas, we encourage you to move through these areas swiftly as this is where a large majority of tourists are taken to see orangutans, often becoming crowded and therefore undesirable.

Our one-day treks last for a total of 6 hours and will take you slightly deeper into the jungle than the half day trek. We will lead you away from the main paths to maximise your chances of seeing the wildlife in their natural states. As with all of our treks we adhere to strict wildlife watching guidelines, which you can read by clicking here. Along with the orangutans and other primates (macaques, langurs and gibbons), you may also encounter the Great Argus pheasant and various hornbill species.

As you enter the National Park itself your guides will point out fauna and flora of interest, including tracks and signs of wildlife and stories passed down over the generations of our family. 

During your trek you will want to stop frequently to watch wildlife but please remember we enforce strict rules on maintaining a safe distance and time in close proximity to the orangutans and other primate species in the area (please read the wildlife watching guidelines here).

If you choose a full day trek, you also have the option at the time of booking to walk back to your accommodation or float back down the river on a rubber tube raft steered by your expert guides. This option is not available with the half day trek.

4-5pm Leave Bukit Lawang and return to Medan or another destination.

All of our tours are flexible and can be altered to suit your requirements and budget. 

We can adjust the challenge of the trek according to your wishes but remember this is a hill forest and all treks include some challenging ascents and descents to differing degrees, which are often muddy and slippery during times of rain. Sturdy footwear and a good level of fitness is a must.

 

Contact us to discuss your options

 

Be a Responsible Tourist

Please be aware that as ecological experts with over 20 years’ experience in the area, to reduce the risks of disease transmission we strictly follow the IUCN Guidelines for viewing wild primate populations (please read the wildlife watching guidelines here). Orangutans and other primates are extremely sensitive to common human illnesses and so joining a trek while you are experiencing any sort of cold, flu or gastrointestinal sickness puts the whole local population at risk. Please let us know if you are experiencing any symptoms before you embark on any trek so that we can reschedule.

Our guides will never feed, touch or encourage our guests to touch or feed orangutans or any other wild animal, so please do not ask and if you witness other tourists doing so, please share the guidelines with them.

What’s Included?

• Private air-conditioned return transport.
• Expert, English-speaking guide and assistant.
• One-night accommodation in a Deluxe double room (upgrades are available if discussed at time of booking) at Sam’s Bungalows and Restaurant in Bukit Lawang.
• Welcome drink 
• Half day or full day trek.
• Optional rubber tube rafting.
• Entrance and camera permits to Gunung Leuser National Park.
• Packed lunch on the trek with fresh fruit snack and 1.5L mineral water.

What’s not included

• Lunch or Dinner on day 1.
• Food and drink at your accommodation (except welcome drink on arrival).

What you need to bring.

• Clothing suitable for hot, humid jungle.
• Sturdy walking shoes or boots.
• Long socks.
• Small backpack to carry camera. 
• Sun block
• Insect repellent.
• Extra water.
• Swimwear.
• Rain gear if bad weather.

 

• Minimum of 3 people up to a maximum of 6.
• Single supplements apply so we may recommend joining with other solo travellers. 
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Please read our frequently asked questions section for information on what else to bring or Contact us for prices and more details