North Sumatra Expedition

Six days, five nights

Medan - Bukit Lawang - Tangkahan - Lake Toba

Suggested Itinerary

Day One

Nasi goreng and a lemon juice, anyone?

Your friendly English-speaking guide and driver will meet you at your accommodation or the airport in Medan and take you on the comfortable 2.5-3 hour drive to Bukit Lawang in private air-conditioned transport.

Arrive in Bukit Lawang and be transferred to your accommodation. Relax and enjoy refreshments, while discussing the plan for your trek on day 2 with your guide.

You will then be free to spend the rest of your day enjoying the local atmosphere. Enjoy a refreshing swim in the river, wander around the cafes and curio shops or just kick back and relax in your accommodation.

If you prefer to get up and out, we can also arrange a variety of short tours in the local area. If this is something you may be interested in check out our cultural tours and contact us to discuss the options.

Watch the wood carvers...

...or why not have a go yourself and make your own souvenir?

Day Two

After a relaxing night and an early morning breakfast, your guide will collect you to take you into the Gunung Leuser National Park to begin your half day trekking adventure.

Your trek will begin at the park boundary where the terrain consists of gentle sloping foothills. Depending on the time of year you may encounter wild orangutans and other primates such as long-tailed macaques, pig-tailed macaques, silver langurs and white-handed gibbons. While your guide will happily discuss the human-wildlife conflicts that happens in the area, we encourage you to move through the Park boundary area swiftly as this is where a large majority of tourists are taken to see orangutans and often becomes crowded.

Trek away from the crowds with our expert guides

We will lead you away from the main tracks to maximise your chances of seeing the wildlife in their natural states. As with all our treks we adhere to strict wildlife watching guidelines, which you can read by clicking here. Along with the orangutans and other primates, you may also encounter the endangered Siamang, Great Argus pheasant and various hornbill species.

Enjoy watching the wildlife from a safe distance

Orangutan

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.

Join us to explore the surrounding countryside

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 (read the wildlife watching guidelines here).

Around 1pm we will return to the village and your accommodation, where you can relax at the river and enjoy a delicious lunch at a restaurant of your choice. The rest of the day is yours to explore the many sights of Bukit Lawang and the surrounding area. If you are interested in one of our short excursions, please discuss your options at the time of booking to make the most out of your time here.

Oil palm refinery on the road to Tangkahan

Day Three

After an early morning breakfast, you will be driven in your private transport along the bumpy back roads for a 2.5 hour journey to Tangkahan, known as Leuser’s ‘Hidden Paradise’. Along the way, you will want to take a breather and maybe take some photographs of the remote Karonese villages or oil palm industry which lines the route.

View from Jungle Lodge, Tangkahan.

On arrival in Tangkahan your guide will take you to your accommodation* for a refreshing welcome drink. Before your visit to the elephants, enjoy some time relaxing at the river, at a local cafe, or soak in the natural hot spring opposite your accommodation.

In the afternoon , your guide will meet you for the short stroll to see the elephants of Tangkahan. The Tangkahan Conservation Response Unit, or CRU, established in 2002, cares for a herd of trained, captive elephants. In their early years of operation, the elephants, rescued from training camps in southern Sumatra, were used to patrol the National Park in the fight against illegal logging, once rampant in the area. Now this has been stopped in the local vicinity, the elephants are used purely as an ecotourism attraction. With no chance of returning to the wild, the CRU uses the funds gained from tourism to feed and care for the elephants.

Grab a scrubbing brush and enjoy bathing the CRU elephants!

Spend around an hour with the elephants at the Buluh river where you can chat to the CRU mahouts and give the elephants a good scrub as they laze in the river shallows.

As a responsible tour operator, we do not support elephant riding at Tangkahan but we are happy to contribute to the feeding and upkeep of these hugely important animals with the bathing ritual.

The Conservation Response Unit in Tangkahan cares for a herd of ex-working elephants

Following the bathing, we will return you to your accommodation where you are free to enjoy your evening.

CRU elephants at the Buluh River in Tangkahan

Day Four

After an early morning breakfast, we will leave Tangkahan for the 7-8 hour drive to Lake Toba*, the largest volcanic lake in the world. Along the way we will pause for breaks and enjoy the rich variety of scenery and culture along the way.

We will arrive in Parapat on the shores of Lake Toba and take the afternoon ferry across to Samosir Island, the stunning island located in the centre of the flooded super-volcano crater.

The ferry takes around 45 minutes to the tuk tuk peninsular on Samosir island

On arrival at your accommodation overlooking the lake, you are free to relax and unwind at your own pace, maybe take a refreshing swim in the warm waters of the lake or take a stroll around the tuk-tuk peninsular to soak up the unique and special atmosphere of the lakeside communities; the evening and your accommodation is there to enjoy at your leisure.

Tabo Cottages in Samosir are one of our partner hotels

Room availability is seasonal dependent

Day Five

After a leisurely breakfast by the lake, your guide will meet you with the car to take you to visit Tomok village, the Batak Museum and the Tombs of the Batak Kings. With a full day to explore the island and Batak culture of Samosir Island you will get a great idea of how the local people live.

A traditional Batak house – a common site on Samosir island

The traditional funeral puppet, Si Gale-gale

Tomok, the best place on Samosir to see the traditional wooden Batak houses, was once home to the Sialagana King and the ‘cannibal table’, it is the best place to explore traditional Batak houses and take in a traditional Batak Toba dance performance and learn about Sigale-gale, a wooden puppet used in local funerals.

After lunch we will visit the Efrata waterfall and if you are feeling brave take a dip in its cool and refreshing waters, along the way we will visit the homes of local weavers and take in the spectacular scenery of the island. In the late afternoon we will return to the hotel where you can swim in the lake and relax or maybe even hire a bicycle to explore the area. The evening is yours to relax.

Efrata waterfall on Samosir island is particularly stunning after rain

Day Six

After an early breakfast we will check out of the hotel and prepare for the 4-hour trip back to Medan where we shall bid you farewall for your onward journey.

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

*Accommodation may vary depending on time of year and availability, but rest assured all rooms meet our high standards and guarantee spectacular views of the rainforest, river or lake.

**If you prefer a shorter drive, we can substitute Lake Toba for a visit to Berastagi; home of the Sinabung and Sibayak volcanoes and unique Karonese markets and traditions. Just ask us for your options.

Be a Responsible Tourist

Please be aware that as ecological experts with over 30 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.

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 transport.
Expert, English-speaking guide and assistant.
Two-nights accommodation in Bukit Lawang.
One day trek with overnight camp with fresh fruit snack, dinner and lunch with 1.5L mineral water.
Entrance and camera permits to Gunung Leuser National Park.
One-night accommodation in a deluxe double room in Berastagi (upgrades may be available if discussed at time of booking).
Guided sunrise trek to the peak of Mount Sibayak.
Entrance to hot springs pool in Berastagi.

What’s not included?

Food and drink at your accommodation or tree house café (except welcome drink on arrival).
Bottled water (aside from that provided on the jungle trek).

What you need to bring

Clothing suitable for hot, humid jungle.
Sturdy walking shoes or boots.
Two or three changes of lightweight clothing.
Long socks.
Small backpack to carry camera.
Sun block
Insect repellent.
Extra water.
Rain gear if bad weather.
Clothing suitable for cooler weather on the early morning volcano trek and evening in Berastagi (fleece jumper or similar, long trousers).
Swimwear
Towel or sarong.
Plastic bag for wet clothes (you will get wet bathing the elephants!).