BUKIT LAWANG
Journey into the jungles of Northern Sumatra to find our closest cousin.
WHAT IS BUKIT LAWANG?
It is a small village in the north of Sumatra Indonesia. Located on the bank of the Bahorok River. Tourism is the reason why Bukit Lawang survives today and its location to the Gunung Leuser National Park. In 2003 a flash flood destroyed most of the village and killed many people. The reason for the flash flood was because of illegal logging. Thanks to help from many people the village was rebuilt and in some way is very key to helping people understand the damaging effects of illegal logging and deforestation.
Bukit Lawang is located 86 KM north of Medan, the main airport hub for the area.
WHY BUKIT LAWANG?
Bukit Lawang is key to helping Sumatran wildlife conservation. Tourists are able to pay local guides to show them the jungles and the wildlife that depends on this incredible habitat. The main draw to these jungles are the Sumatran Orangutans. There used to be a rehabilitation centre and feeding platform for Orangutans but this has since been abandoned in the hope that Orangutans will become more reliant on themselves than on humans. There are still many semi-wild Orangutans in the forest and close by to Bukit Lawang. There have been several accidents and close encounters with semi-wild Orangutans over the years. Mostly because tourists reach to get something out of their bag and draw the attention of these great apes thinking they have food.
IS IT WORTH THE JOURNEY?
We would say yes if you have the time, the journey can be difficult and the roads are pretty bad heading into the national park. Finding your guest house along the river can be confusing at first especially if you are arriving at night. Your transport will drop you off and you will generally have to walk to your overnight stay on the riverbank. The accommodation is also basic but clean from our experience.
We got very lucky with our journey into the jungle, the day we traveled to Bukit Lawang the heavens opened and there was an incredible amount of rain that came down. The next day was also a bit damp and wet and we decided to wait until the next day to explore with our guide. We were told this was the best way to do it as Orangutans don’t like rain. We ended up seeing many Orangutans, including babies and a big male.
WHAT TO BRING?
Good sturdy shoes, long trousers and bug cream. A small rucksack is good for carrying your camera, water and bug cream. Your guides will prepare lunch for you and are very helpful when hiking into the jungle. It is a real jungle and the tracks are not like footpaths in the west. It is very muddy, rocky and the jungle covers mountains so it is a good old hike.
Bring cash with you, I can’t remember if there was an ATM in the village or not. I think there was but from our experience it is best to bring enough cash with you as these rural ATM’s can be very hit and miss.
ORANGUTANS
So by now you can probably tell that most people travel here for the jungles and the Orangutans. We suggest doing your research as to what guide you use. Unfortunately still many guides will bribe Orangutans down from the trees using food. They are under pressure from tourists to give a good experience but the vicious cycle of Orangatans relying on humans never ends because of this. We heard “please don’t mention this when we get back”. We suggest speaking to your guide before hand and asking if this is something he does and perhaps explain that you would rather the bribery does not happen on your trek.
We hope you have a fantastic time on your journey into the jungle and we hope you find and manage to see the incredible Orangutans that live in these jungles.
