Bukit Lawang can rightly be called the nicest village in Sumatra. All travelers come here for the multi-day jungle trekking to spot orangutans, but Bukit Lawang has much more fun to offer for your trip to Sumatra! Plan – besides 2 or 3 days for the jungle trekking – 2 more days for the fun activities in Bukit Lawang.
In advance, it is very important to know that there are NO ATMs in Bukit Lawang. So you should bring enough cash before you come to Bukit Lawang. In some places you can pay by credit card, but this is often an exception. It is advisable to bring at least 5 million Rupiah (€300) per person, so that you also have enough for the jungle trekking.
Content of this blog:
1. Multi-day jungle trekking in Bukit Lawang
The trekking is the number one activity in Bukit Lawang and even in the itinerary of Sumatra; this is what everyone travels to this rainforest destination for. During the multi-day jungle trekking, you will hike for hours through the humid jungle with experienced guides and most likely spot orangutans. The chance of seeing orangutans is 99%. The orangutans are semi-wild in this jungle, so they are used to people. The orangutans are not fed and spend the whole day searching for food themselves. In addition, you can spot several other species of monkeys and animals, including gibbons, Thomas leaf monkeys, big tail macaques, hornbills and turtles.
The length of the jungle treks varies, from 1 to as many as 7 days. Most travelers choose the 2- or 3-day trekking, which we can certainly recommend. Anyway, it is a cool experience to sleep at least one night in the middle of the jungle with the sound of the animals and the ticking rain on top of the tent. Read in this extensive blog about the jungle trekking in Bukit Lawang, what to bring, what the days look like, where to book the trekking and much more practical information.
Did you know that Sumatra, along with Borneo, is the last place in the world where you can spot orangutans in the wild?
2. Bicycle tour in Bukit Lawang
If you are interested in discovering the local culture of Sumatra, a bicycle tour in Bukit Lawang is highly recommended. In about 5 hours you cycle 20 kilometers, combined with interesting stops. You cycle on a mountain bike because the roads are not always good and even, but because of the many stops it is easy to keep up.
Among other things, you will get to see how tofu, tempeh and brown sugar are made. Really from the natural product with all the steps to the final product. It is very interesting to learn more about this. At the same time you cycle through the local villages where every few minutes little kids are shouting HELLOOO at you and waving enthusiastically, super cute! They like it even more when you stop to give them a high five. You can book the bike tour at any accommodation in Bukit Lawang and it costs on average 450K Rupiah (€27) per person including guide.
It is also possible to do this tour by tuktuk, where you sit in the sidecar and make the same stops as you do cycling. However, we really liked the cycling because you can stop anywhere you want and be active at the same time.
3. Learn authentic Indonesian cuisine with a cooking class in Bukit Lawang
Indonesian cuisine is one of our favorite in the world. The aromas, flavors and spices make the dishes so incredibly delicious! With a cooking course in Bukit Lawang you can learn to prepare these delicious dishes yourself, using ingredients that you can usually buy at home. So you can continue to eat the nasi goreng, tempeh rendang, vegetable curry and tempeh semur at home. Who wouldn’t want that?
During the cooking course in Bukit Lawang, you will first go to the local market to buy the ingredients together with the chef. He will explain what he will use which ingredient for. After this it is time to start cutting the vegetables, discovering the different herbs and spices and then let everything come together in the pan. Wow, how good it already smells! You probably can’t wait to eat, but you will have to make all the dishes before you can start eating.
You can book the cooking course at any accommodation in Bukit Lawang, and even at some restaurants. If you have eaten very well at a restaurant, you can always check on the spot to see if they happen to offer cooking courses there. The cost will be between 300 and 350K (€20) per person. We ourselves did the cooking course at our accommodation Thomas Leaf Monkey Guesthouse. This one was completely vegetarian.
4. Tubing in the river of Bukit Lawang
Because Bukit Lawang is in the middle of the jungle, it is very humid. Because of this, you actually sweat all day long. It is therefore wonderfully refreshing to take a dip in the river, or even more fun: to tub in the river. Float down the river in an inflatable tube with the jungle on one side and the village on the other. The local children also do this all day long and have the greatest fun. On the multi-day jungle trekking you will also go back tubing, but it is still fun to do one more time.
On Sundays, all the locals dive into the river at Bukit Lawang. It is a lively happening, with young and old having fun in the water. If you come as a tourist to take a look along the waterfront they will absolutely love it. We were photographed with everyone for over an hour and if you join them in the water their day is made. This was very hilarious and so fun to take a look here on a Sunday.
5. Woodworking workshop in Bukit Lawang
Everywhere in Bukit Lawang you come across beautiful art boutiques. You see the most beautiful paintings and wooden statues and actually you want to take everything home. How much fun is it to make your own wooden statue? The artist will explain everything about the wood, how to work it and help you make your own creation.
6. Make your own coconut oil and/or natural soap
In Bukit Lawang there is a lot of homemade natural products. It is super interesting to learn more about this, and try it yourself. For example, you can make your own pure coconut oil or even natural soap. You can book this at Eriono Guesthouse, but probably at other accommodations as well. This activity costs between 300K and 400K Rupiah per person, which is €20 – €25.
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