As I write this blog, I am on a teaching assignment in Hong Kong and had a week off during the Lunar New Year for holiday travel. My wife and I decided we should visit somewhere exotic that we would never consider given the distance from our home base in Washington, DC. After some research, we agreed on a trip to hopefully see wild orangutans in the rainforest.
Borneo and Sumatra are the only two places in the world where one can visit orangutans in the wild. We were leaning towards traveling to Borneo, but a friend (who lived in nearby Brunei) recommended a better viewing experience in Northern Sumatra. Being based in Hong Kong, this meant either traveling via Kuala Lumpur or Singapore to Medan, Indonesia and land transport from there to Bukit Lawang. This would imply a full day of travel each way, plus a 3-hour transfer to and from our destination.
Neither Medan, nor Bukit Lawang, represent established tourism destinations. Apart from a contemporary, though modest, international airport at Medan, the primary experience will likely be eye-opening even for the more intrepid of international traveler. This part of Indonesia is not to the standard of Bali or Ubud – not anywhere close, in fact. We visited both in the mid-1990s when Bali and Ubud were emerging as tourist destinations and Bukit Lawang is meaningfully behind even that era in infrastructure, services and amenities.
The taxi-transfer to Bukit Lawang from Medan is a grueling, three-hour, white-knuckle ride reminiscent of the fearless motocross travelers in the Furiosa: Mad Max movie. You are exhausted when you arrive, only to learn that you will be deposited at the outskirts of the village and be met by a representative of your host accommodation to trudge a further half mile to your destination, while sharing the footpath with motorbikes and, hopefully, someone to carry your luggage – for a small fee.
Depending on your expectation or perspective, Bukit Lawang could be characterized as rustic, or very basic. But this also means the destination remains undiscovered and unburdened by over-tourism. During our visit over Lunar New Year, we saw few Westerners, although it was teeming with Indonesians celebrating the local holiday. Their interest was focused on recreation as opposed to tourist activities, so it felt as though we had the restaurants and national parks to ourselves.
The dining scene in Bukit Lawang mirrors the available accommodation in being very basic. The menu options generally focus on a handful of standard Indonesian dishes. Nasi Goreng, which is a dish comprising fried rice, egg and chicken or beef, is on every menu, as is Chicken Rendang, a slow-cooked stew steeped with spices, such as turmeric, lemongrass and ginger. Because Indonesia is a largely Muslim country, the only adult beverage available to wash down these tasty dishes is beer - and almost always the local brew Bintang, although Heineken may be offered as an occasional alternative.
From the preceding characterization, it should be abundantly clear that the tourism amenities in Bukit Lawang generally do not go beyond the basic creature comforts. Rather, the reward is in the opportunity to witness wildlife that is found in precious few destinations - among these being the orangutan, which is why we made the trip!
Our accommodation offered a two-day trekking experience, encompassing two separate parts of the Gunung Leuser National Park rainforest. The easier trek is a short walk from the village to the Bukit Lawang Forest and pretty much guarantees a reasonable level of wildlife viewing. But you cannot do either trek without being accompanied by a guide and paying a permit fee to enter the park, both of which were supplied in the trekking package that we purchased.
The alternative trek through Tualang Gepang / Bukit Kencur is the more precarious. You reach the trailhead via a 30-minute motorbike ride (also Mad Max style), and the hike involves some steep climbs and scrambles down and through rugged terrain in virgin rainforest. The upside is that you will have exclusive access to this part of the park, but due to the immensity of the wilderness area there is the prospect of limited wildlife sightings. Our experience of this trek involved very few glimpses of the local wildlife over the course of five hours of bushwhacking.
Thankfully, the Bukit Lawang Forest hike on our last day would represent the climax of our trip as we witnessed our first wild orangutans in their element at various points of the trek. Humorist Dave Barry described the species as “weird animals…that look soulful”. I understand that characterization and observed their complex propensity to be both social and solitary. The orangutan also share 97% of human DNA, so for us to watch them must be as entertaining as it is for them to return the favor. Being in their company is equal parts amusing, thrilling and spellbinding.
On this trek, we also spotted Thomas’s leaf monkeys, which are native to Sumatra, as well as long-tail macaques, short-tail macaques, and great argus pheasants, among other species. While we initially shared the trekking experience with a handful of hikers, the great majority were on limited half-day excursions and we had the wildlife to ourselves for the rest of the day. Being alone in the company of an active orangutan that held our attention for 20 minutes as we completed the tour was an unexpected treat.
Both treks were approximately 10 miles (15km) and lasted five hours. The terrain was challenging – with steep uphill and downhill sections on both. There was also water to cross, and in the case of the Bukit Lawang trek, we finished the trek by crossing a swift river waist-deep, hiking upstream and mounting river rafts to catapult down a mile of river to return to the village.
Any guided wildlife excursion will likely include a checklist of recommended items to pack, as well as a warning to be respectful of the wildlife. It is a good idea to pay heed to both to ensure a safe and comfortable experience.
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