Orangutan Trekking In Sumatra, Indonesia

Last Updated on March 11, 2025

I flew to Sumatra solely for one reason: to do a jungle trek and to hopefully see orangutans. There are only two places in the world where you can see orangutans in the wild, and Sumatra is one of them. The other one is Malaysian Borneo.

Orangutan trekking in Sumatra: My personal experience

Orangutan trekking – Sumatra vs. Borneo

I chose Sumatra for a number of reasons: first of all, it seemed a lot easier to get to Sumatra, the trek itself seemed more interesting (you get to sleep in a jungle camp right in the orangutans’ natural habitat) and there seemed to be more to do in Sumatra. Plus, this option was quite a bit cheaper than a trip to Borneo, and closer to Kuala Lumpur, which was the jumping-off point of my Asia sojourn.

I did not book anything prior to my trip, I simply hopped on a plane to Medan from Kuala Lumpur, which is a short 1-hour flight and the closest airport to the village where the orangutan treks start from, which is called Bukit Lawang.

Medan was also my first introduction to Indonesia, as I’d never been before (Sumatra was actually the starting point of a longer trip through the country). Because of that, I decided to spend a couple of nights there, but honestly, one night would’ve been enough, if at all. I later learned that most people head straight to Bukit Lawang from the airport.

How to get from Medan to Bukit Lawang by public bus

When I started researching how to get to Bukit Lawang by public transportation, I stumbled upon this “how to get there” section, and upon reading the part saying “Please note that the last buses can be at 4:30 pm, 6:30 pm or 7:30 pm (no fixed hours, welcome in Indonesia!)” I started wondering if I’d even be able to get to Bukit Lawang by bus. A private taxi (around IDR600,000 / US$37) seemed quite pricey compared to a IDR50,000 / US$3 bus.

I left Medan in the morning in order to allow for plenty of time to arrive in Bukat Lawang, which would take, according to a number of websites, between 3 and 5 hours, depending on traffic. Several of the detailed descriptions I’d found online had mentioned that there was no need to go to the Pinang Baris bus station, but to take a taxi to a bakery named MAWAR, which was located on the bus route. That way, I wouldn’t have to face potential scammers and the chaos of a busy bus terminal.

I arrived at Mawar around 9:30 in the morning, where there were already a number of buses waiting, and as soon as I got out of the taxi, the touts led me to the one saying “Bukit Lawang” on the window. Now let me say that an Indonesian bus is not comparable to a nice European Flixbus or any other coach – this was a small bus that was going to packed, and I was facing four or five uncomfortable hours on this bus.

I personally am fine with that, but if you’re used to a more comfortable way of traveling, I’d recommend taking a private taxi (which really isn’t all that expensive, especially if shared between two or more people). If you’re booking your orangutan trek ahead of time, your trekking operator can also arrange for a private driver to bring you to Bukit Lawang (IDR700,000 / US$43). The bus ride ended up being fine – there were a couple of times when parts of the road had been washed away because of heavy monsoon rains and we had to drive on rocky, unpaved roads, but only for short periods of time. For the most part, the road was paved, and to my surprise, we arrived after just over 3 hours – a lot quicker than I’d anticipated!

Booking an orangutan trek in Bukit Lawang

The “bus station” (if you can call it that) is a bit outside of town, and you’ll have to take a moto taxi to get to your accommodation. Note that the guesthouses and hotels on the right side of the river are a lot easier to reach. For me, the last part of the way included dragging all of my stuff over a wonky, old suspension bridge that didn’t inspired any confidence. Luckily, I was using a backpack on this trip – I am not sure how people would get a rolling suitcase across this bridge.

I’d booked a guesthouse only one day prior to my arrival – the benefits of traveling in the off-season. I don’t think this would be a good idea in the high season, because accommodation is limited in the small village, however, since I’d thought I may stay another day in Medan, I waited until the very last minute to make a reservation.

I chose a guesthouse that had not only good reviews, but also recent reviews (it was low season after all), and I went for one that had a lot of guests mention orangutan sightings on the trek that was arranged for them through the guesthouse.

Within fifteen minutes of arriving at the Green Travelodge, the owner Jay had signed me up for a trek that would start the next morning.

The different orangutan trekking options in Sumatra:

The trekking operators in Bukit Lawang all seem to work with the same guides and offer similar trek options:

• 1-day trek: 70 Euros (includes the guide & permit, a fruit salad as a snack, a porter, and the return to Bukit Lawang via “rafting”)
• 2-day trek: 120 Euros (includes the guide & permit, lunch, fruits & coffee snack, dinner, breakfast, lunch, one night in the jungle camp, a porter, and the return to Bukit Lawang via “rafting)
• 3-day trek: 170 Euros (includes the guide & permit, fruits & coffee snacks, 2 dinners, 2 breakfasts, 3 lunches, a porter, two nights in jungle camps, and the return to Bukit Lawang via “rafting”)

These prices are set by the ITGA-HPI Indonesia Guide Association, which is why all the trekking outfitters have the same rates and similar offerings. There’s no need to shop around anymore, but it is still worth reading recent reviews before deciding which company to choose. A tour guide can make or break your trip, and that’s the main difference between the various trekking operators / travel agencies. No matter which option you choose – a 1-day, 2-day or a 3-day trek, remember that orangutan sightings can not be guaranteed. What is guaranteed is that you’ll see wildlife in the jungle – be it macaque monkeys, maybe gibbons, bird life, insects etc. Since the orangutans are completely wild in Leuser National Park, they’re obviously on their own schedule and not on the trekking guides’ schedule (although, if you keep on reading, you’ll find out that some orangutans are very interested in the trekkers and know exactly where they camp). And since you’ll be trekking with certified guides, the chances that you’ll see orangutans are very high.

Having come all the way to Sumatra to see orangutans in the wild, I didn’t want to risk the disappointment of not seeing any orangutans on a one-day trek, which is why I opted for an overnight trek. Two days in the jungle meant twice as many chances to spot orangutans than just one day.

Three days of “roughing it” seemed a bit too much of a challenge though – I have now reached an age where I like hot showers and a functioning toilet too much to do without them for too long. And it seemed like I’d chosen the right trek: two British guys I met in the jungle camp, where several tour operators have tents, left camp early on day 2 to continue their 3-day trek. When I ran into them again after their trek ended, they told me that they did not have any more orangutan encounters after the epic sightings we had on the trek together. But I am getting ahead of myself.

I had a rough night’s sleep before I set off on my trek, which I don’t blame my guesthouse for, but the pouring rain that hit the roof so hard that I was unable to sleep. I was laying wide awake for hours, wondering if the tent in the jungle camp was sufficiently waterproof.

Orangutan trekking in the rainy season

I knew that coming to Sumatra in the rainy season was risky, but I decided I was willing to take a chance. On the upside, traveling during this time of year meant there would be less tourists than during high season (May – September).

It was still raining when I threw a few things in my daypack for the trek: I brought some light clothes to sleep in at night, a lightweight travel towel, flip flops, a headlamp, a portable charger, my camera, some essential toiletries, sunscreen and mosquito spray. The rest of my luggage stayed behind at the guesthouse.

At 9am, I was picked up by one of the two guides who’d lead our group, Dandi. Luckily, it stopped raining the minute we started our hike. I met my two fellow hikers – a female solo traveler from France, and a woman from the Ukraine, who were both around my age. The three of us had two young local guides accompanying us. 

As soon as we left the village, we found ourselves surrounded by the jungle – or rather the “rainforest”, as our guide pointed out. The beauty of doing an orangutan trek in Bukit Lawang is that you don’t need to drive anywhere for hours to get the jungle – the village is literally surrounded by it.

The first orangutan sighting

As I was admiring the grounds of a guesthouse we passed on our trek, our guide suddenly turned around to us and exclaimed “Guys! There is an orangutan right here!” We dropped our backpacks, grabbed our cameras and followed him to the spot where the orangutan had been sighted. There were already a bunch of other tourists, armed with cameras and smartphones, looking up into the trees. When I realized how far up in the tree the orangutan was, I was beyond thankful for investing in a camera with a proper zoom lens – the iPhone was not able to even capture the beautiful creature. 

It turned out that her baby was right there, too, and we watched them frolic in the trees for a while until our guides told us it was time to move on. We felt like we’d won the orangutan lottery: our first sighting, before we even reached the National Park!

Not long after that, we reached the official entrance to Leuser National Park, and shortly after entering the park (which isn’t gated – there was just a sign saying “Weclome To Gunung Leuser National Park”), we had saw another orangutang. Now this was exciting! Considering that orangutan sightings were not even guaranteed, and recent reviews I read had mentioned “one or two sightings” on the trek, made us feel super giddy.
At first, the orangutan was high up in the trees, barely visible, but she decided to come down eventually, and shortly after, her baby joined her. This time around, the orangutans were a lot closer than during our first encounter. So close even that I could film them with my phone!

Just a short while later, we stumbled upon another large gathering of various trekking groups and their guides staring up into the trees above them – which could only mean one thing: another orangutan sighting!

There was an orangutan that slowly swinging from tree to tree right alongside the trail, offering us many photo ops from different angles. Considering how many humans there were, watching him, snapping pictures, ooh-ing and aah-ing, one may think that he got annoyed by us, but he acted as if we weren’t even there, going about its day.

After this third sighting, I could’ve happily gone back to Bukit Lawang, but, spoiler alert: our orangutan trek would get even better!

After a lunch break (simple fried rice with a fried egg that had been pre-packed for us), it wasn’t much further to our camp. It wasn’t very far, but it was a steep and slippery downhill trail (if you can even call it that), sometimes only manageable with the help of a rope. Finally, we made it from the top of the ridge down to the riverside, where several trekking operators built makeshift camps – simple tents (not fully closed) with mosquito nets, a tiny pillow and a thin blanket). There were a few picnic tables and a single toilet bowl sitting in the forest, and that’s where we would be spending the rest of the afternoon. 

A surprise waiting for us at the jungle camp

When we got to the camp, a female orangutan and her baby had also arrived there, checking out what was going on there. We’d initially been disappointed when we found out that we’d be sleeping in the river camp instead of the jungle camp (a decision that was made because of potential rain – apparently, the camp by the river had a better set up) because that meant no more trekking on day 2. We’d be taking the “jungle taxi”, as our guides referred to the tubing-rafting-boat, back to Bukit Lawang straight from the camp.

However, momma orangutan and her baby showing up at the camp changed everything. This was by far the closest and longest orangutan encounter.

When we first arrived at the camp around 3:30pm, I was wondering what we’d be doing for the rest of the day, but the orangutans ended up making sure that we wouldn’t get bored: they entertained us for the rest of the day, until it got dark.
Momma Orangutan first watched us from a tree, while her baby was swinging through the branches of the surrounding trees, occasionally paying momma a visit to drink from her breast. Eventually, she came down from her tree and had a look around the camp. First, she decided to check out one of the tents, then walking over to another tent. It was only thanks to our guides who kept her at bay that she didn’t end up stealing all our stuff.

While she was checking out the kitchen tent, where some of the guides were preparing dinner, she got ahold of a bucket which she brought to her baby, who then ended up playing with it, putting the bucket on his head, and just being silly. The mother ended up coming down from her tree several times, having a look around, sitting down at the table (where trekkers were having tea and cookies, but every time the orangutan came down, we removed all food and drinks), trying to sneak into one of the tents, and our guides trying to get her to leave. At some point, mother and baby disappeared into the jungle and we sat down in one of the tents to have dinner.

We shared the dinner spread with two other girls who were also doing an overnight trek, and we were all blown away by the huge spread that our guides and porters had prepared for us. Considering we were in the rainforest, without electricity and with very basic equipment and utensils, it was amazing to see several curries, rice dishes, eggs, tofu, tempeh, potatoes and fresh fruits in front of us.

For the rest of the night, our guides entertained us with some silly games and magic tricks and had a bonfire going. I went to bed very full and very happy that night.

Day 2 of the trek: More orangutan time!

The next morning, as the camp slowly woke up, our guides were already busy in the kitchen, cooking us breakfast and making sure coffee and tea were ready for us.

We didn’t have much planned for this day, since we’d already arrived at the river, from where we’d take the “boat” back to Bukit Lawang. Had we slept in the jungle camp, we’d be hiking down to the river now. Instead, we had a relaxed morning and we were treated to another visit from momma orangutan and her baby.

She came back and watched people enjoying their morning coffee, and in a moment of someone not paying attention to their coffee cup, she even came down and took a big sip. After watching us all afternoon drinking tea from our cups, she figured that this must be something good (luckily there was only a sip left in that cup, it wasn’t entirely full). This was not great to see for our guides, however, who don’t want the orangutans to get to used to the camp and possibly finding food and drinks there. Considering orangutans share 97% of the human DNA, it shouldn’t have been a surprise, but all of us were in awe about how human-like their behavior was.

Our guides tried to escort Momma Orangutan out of the camp after her mischievous behavior, but she wasn’t having any of it. Just like the day before, she went on to check out several of the tents in the camp, trying to see what was going on inside and what she could steal. Her baby got lucky and found a rain poncho that was drying on a clothesline, trying to put it over his head – just as it had watched us do it. You can tell how smart they are, monitoring our behavior and copying it immediately.

At some point, they got bored and decided that it was time to move on, and we then took a short walk to a nearby waterfall.

Back to Bukit Lawang in the “Jungle Taxi”

After that, we packed up the camp and got in the tubes that our guides had prepared while we enjoyed the waterfall. They’d connected several tubes with a rope, threw all of our backpacks in waterproof bags, and off we went. The way back to Bukit Bintang via “jungle taxi” ended up being a lot more exhilarating than expected, with some pretty wild rapids and a strong current in the river, which may be less strong during the summer months, but because of the heavy rainfalls, the river was fast-flowing.

Not even half an hour later, we were back in the village. That showed us how little we’d actually walked the day before – and that’s the beauty of Bukit Lawang: the wildlife is right there. My guesthouse owner later told me that occasionally they even had orangutans wander right into their backyard. The National Park pretty much borders the village, which is why the orangutans are so accessible here.

Would I recommend orangutan trekking in Sumatra?

I would 100% recommend orangutan trekking in Sumatra – it was honestly so much better than expected. Of course that had a lot to do with the curious mother and baby duo that entertained us for hours at our camp, and I have since heard from other people who only had a couple of orangutan encounters in the National Park on their trek – so don’t expect a similar experience on your own trek. But even these shorter encounters in the rainforest were nothing short of amazing. And let’s not forget the other wildlife encounters: tomas leaf monkeys, the macaques, monkeys, turtles, insects and so much birdlife.

Any nature and animal lover will get their money’s worth in Leuser National Park.

I saved some of the video footage I took during my orangutan trek in an Instragam highlight, if you’d like to check it out.

Orangutan trekking in Sumatra: FAQ & Practical Information

How likely am I to see orangutans in Sumatra?

When we had our first orangutan sighting after only fifteen minutes of trekking, I couldn’t believe it! Surely, there must be loads of orangutans in Leuser National Park? Well, luck was definitely on our side: I later heard from people that they didn’t have any orangutan sightings on their trek, or only one from very far away. Just go in with low expectations to avoid disappointment.

Not into jungle camping?

I know that “roughing it” in the very basic jungle camp is not for everyone, and that’s exactly why there is the option for a 1-day trek. Generally, you should get lucky on a 1-day trek and see orangutans. However, there is no guarantee.

When to book your orangutan trek

If you’re visiting Sumatra in the peak season (between May and September, and over the Christmas holiday period), I recommend booking your trek in advance. I’ve always been lucky to show up in a place and be able to hop on a tour (including a trek to Machu Picchu), but if you’re pressed for time and you want to make sure you’ve got a spot on a trek that fits your travel dates, it’s advisable to book your trek before you arrive in Bukit Lawang.

Here are some options bookable through GetYourGuide – remember to always read the most recent reviews:

 

What to pack for your orangutan overnight trek

I traveled very light and didn’t bring much in my daypack, mainly because I didn’t want to lug around too many kilos and my camera gear takes up quite a bit of space in my backpack.

Here’s everything I packed:

• change of clothes to sleep in
• bikini for swimming in the river
• phone and portable charger
• Nikon Coolpix 950 digital camera with telephoto lens (almost all the photos in this article were taken with this camera)
• flip flops to change into in the camp
• lightweight quick-dry travel towel
• lightweight rain jacket
• one pair of undies and socks
• one extra tank top for day 2
• zippie jacket in case I’d get cold at night
• headlamp (that came in handy at night)
• mosquito spray
• small bottle of sunscreen
• toothbrush, toothpaste & deodorant, contact lens holder & solution
• basic first aid kit with band aids, antiseptic wound spray, ibuprofen
• big bottle of water

Where to stay in Bukit Lawang

If you travel with a lot of luggage (like a big suitcase), I’d recommend staying on the right side of the river. Getting across the river on the rickety suspension bridges in town was quite adventurous and I did fall once while crossing it with all my luggage – luckily, I was traveling with a backpack.

These are the best-rated hotels and guesthouses in Bukit Lawang (all of them should be able to arrange your orangutan trek for you, if you haven’t booked it prior to your arrival in Sumatra):