If you want to spot orangutans in the wild, there are only two places left in the world to do so: Sumatra and Borneo. We have been to both places and prefer the jungle of Sumatra, because it is a bit more accessible to get there and the trekking is a lot more fun. In this blog you will read everything you need to know about the Bukit Lawang jungle trek to the orangutans in Sumatra in Gunung Leuser National Park….

How many days of jungle trekking should I book?

There are vastly different jungle treks in Bukit Lawang that you can do. These vary from a 1-day, to a 10-day trek! Most travelers choose the 3 days / 2 nights, or the 2 days / 1 night.

We ourselves did the 2 days / 1 night and found this just right. It is great fun to spend a night in the jungle, but after that we thought it was just fine. We were very lucky to see many orangutans and other animals on the first day.

Is the Bukit Lawang jungle trekking ecologically sound?

Beforehand, we had our doubts about this. Because they are semi wild orangutans and we thought we would be trudging through the jungle with hundreds of tourists, we were afraid it would not be ecologically responsible. However, fortunately we have had very good experiences with Sumatra Eco travel, who keep very good accountability. They make sure that nobody comes too close to the orangutans, and they clean up all the waste (also from other organizations) and take it back to the village.

Semi-wild orangutans

The orangutans you will spot during jungle trekking are semi-wild. These are orangutans that were once in a rehabilitation center to be patched up, and then released. So they are used to people, but you are definitely not supposed to get too close or touch them.

Of course, there are also wild orangutans in the Sumatra jungle, but you will (almost) never be able to spot them. This is because when the wild orangutans hear people approaching they quickly take off.

100% Wild orangutan spotting in Sumatra

Want to spot orangutans in Sumatra that are 100% wild? Then you need to move further into Sumatra to Ketambe. This is about an 8-hour drive on (partly) unpaved roads from Bukit Lawang. So you have to go considerably deep into the jungle of Gunung Leuser National Park in Sumatra to see wild orangutans. This did not fit into our itinerary so we did not do it.

Packing list for jungle trekking

It is important not to take too much with you during the jungle trek in Bukit Lawang in Gunung Leuser National Park. Make sure you stick to the packing list below and you’ll be fine.

Packing list 2 days / 1 night jungle trekking

• 1 shirt/top + a clean one
• 1 pair of breezy long pants for the day and 1 pair of shorts or long pants for the evening
• possibly a sweater for the evening. We didn’t need it, but it can get cold sometimes
• sleeping gear
• clean underwear
• high socks against leeches + extra pair of socks
• swimwear
• raincoat
• good walking shoes for trekking
• flip-flops/sandals
• towel
• mosquito spray (1 bottle per person)
• sunburn
• sunglasses
• toiletries (lens tray, brush, toothbrush)
• 2 liters of water per person. You can refill this at base camp
• camera
• zoom lens for wildlife photography
• powerbank
• headlamp if you have one. Otherwise get one from the organization

What animals can you encounter during jungle trekking in Bukit Lawang?

You’ll most likely come for the orangutans, but did you know you can spot many more animals?

• Various species of gibbons
• Thomas Leaf monkey
• Several species of macaque, including the big tail macaque
• Hornbills
• Turtles
• Peacocks

There are also elephants, rhinos, tigers and bears in Gunung Leuser National Park. However, they are so far away from civilization that there is a 0.00001% chance that you will encounter them. Even with the 10-day trek, they have never been spotted by our Sumatra Eco Travel organization….

Program day 1 of jungle trekking

Make sure you have packed your things the night before because you will leave early today. After breakfast you will walk out of Bukit Lawang at 08:30, on to the jungle! Pretty soon you walk into Gunung Leuser National Park. Here you will be instructed on how to behave when you come face to face with the wild animals (read: orangutans).

• Do not make loud noises
• Always keep at least 10 meters away
• Turn off your camera’s flash
• And most importantly, don’t unzip your bag. These are semi-wild orangutans and if you unzip your bag they will think you are carrying food for them and will immediately come to you. As fun as this sounds, of course this is totally not the intention.

The morning consists mainly of admiring the orangutans, big tail macaques and gibbons. You are not doing much hiking yet, but mainly taking pictures and enjoying the wildlife.

Around 11:00 you will get a large portion of fruit, after which the hike actually begins. You will be walking quite a bit now, but fortunately it is still fairly flat. Around lunchtime there will be a lot more ascent and descent, which will make you work up a sweat. Anyway, the jungle in Sumatra is super humid, so you are going to sweat a lot anyway.

After lunchtime, you will have to ascend and descend several more times before you arrive (between 3 and 5 p.m.) at the base camp on the river. Here you put on your swimwear and enjoy an ice-cold bath in the river, in this beautiful place. Meanwhile, the guides and porters are already preparing dinner, which by the way is incredibly extensive and delicious. In the evening the guides will do some fun jungle riddles with you, before you crawl into your tent in time.

The tents where you sleep and the “kitchen” in the jungle.

Day 2 jungle trekking in Gunung Leuser National Park

You will probably wake up early to all the jungle sounds: twittering birds, roaring monkeys and the flowing water of the river will make you know immediately that you are in the middle of nature. What a place to wake up to; good morning from Gunung Leuser National Park! You have two options to choose from this morning:

• Join us on an additional 1.5 – 2 hour hike through the jungle of Gunung Leuser National Park. You will first hike up steeply and then descend steeply again. There is a small chance of spotting wildlife.
• Or relax by the river, play games and do some sunbathing

Around 12:00 everyone will be together again and you will go to a waterfall 10 minutes walk from the base camp. Here you will swim together and relax a bit. Then you get a delicious lunch at the base camp and get ready to go back to civilization.

You don’t do this on foot, but by jungle cab! The guides tie a number of tubes (inflatable tires) together, which you sit on with your group. Then you float for 45 minutes through the jungle, in the rapids and along the beautiful nature. You enjoy immensely beautiful views along the way, this is such a fun way to end this fantastic jungle trek. At 15:00 you are back in Bukit Lawang, take a shower and toast to a fantastic time!

This program is based on our experience of the 2 days / 1 night jungle trekking with Sumatra Eco travel. If you book the 3 days / 2 nights trekking this of course looks slightly different, but overall all organizations do the same tour.