Bukit Lawang is a small village located in the north Sumatra province at the Gunung Leuser National Park. This is the sanctuary of the Sumatran Orangutan.
The Orangutans at Bukit Lawang used to be in captivity and were set free many years ago. For this reason, is easier to find these primates closer to the village, moreover, the guides know the animals by their names. Have in mind that they can get really close to you, one of them took my friend's arm and wouldn't let her go until our guide give her some bananas! If you are lucky and you get inside enough to the jungle you will be able to see the real wild orangutans and many other animals.
There are other places among the Gunung Leuser National Park to have a jungle trekking in order to see orangutans, such as Ketambe. At this places it's difficult to see the primates, however, if you find them, they will be wild for sure.
The guides and the locals of the village are incredibly nice, they will take you around, and welcome you to the bars with live music. Bukit Lawang is a touristic place compared to other villages of Sumatra, however, it may be the enchantment of the village.
HOW TO GET THERE
The Bukit Lawang bus station is located at Gotong Royong village, about 1.5km from Bukit Lawang itself. Although private cars and motorbikes can enter Bukit Lawang, public buses from Medan/Binjai run only as far as the bus station.
To reach Bukit Lawang from the bus station, you can take a becak (rickshaw). Drivers usually ask a fare of 10.000idr, or 15.000idr if you can squeeze two people in a single becak. It's not necessarily to haggle with becak drivers as these fares are standard.
From Binjai to Bukit Lawang
We chose a sleeper bus from Banda Aceh that had a stop at Binjan. This experience was quite interesting, thanks to the fast drive of Indonesian people and the big amount of mini-stops that we did among the road, the locals got into the bus while it was driving slowly!
To continue the journey from Binjai to Bukit Lawang, you should catch a minibus that drives from Medan and Bukit Lawang. The price is 15.000idr. so don't let them fool you.
When we got to Binjan they left us there with no indications at all. I still don't know how we managed to understand that the bus to Bukit Lawang departed at another bus station. Nobody knew english and everyone we asked, tried to take us by becak... Finally, we found the other station and we realised that the fun had just started. The bus began to get full of people who were going to school or their jobs. When the bus was completely crowded, and believe me, it was really crowded, the people just jumped to the top of the bus and stayed there! We were staggered.
WHERE TO STAY
In fact, the village is one large and beautiful street next to the river. If you cross the river, the jungle adventure is waiting for you. At the lower part of the other side of the river has some nice restaurants and bars that will be fantastically full of nightlife.
There are plenty of hotels and guesthouses, have in mind that this is a touristic village! Most of them are available on booking, but not all. We stayed at Eriono Guesthouse. The accommodation was nice but we like especially the festive atmosphere with live music at the restaurant at nights.
GETTING AROUND
The village is an attraction by itself. The jungle surroundings, the monkeys jumping through the roofs, the beautiful river and the bridges crossing it, the small street full of restaurants with nice views, a lot of shops prepared for the tourists... And above all, the locals that make you feel like home, create a perfect environment to relax and have some fun after the trekking adventure.
Jungle trekking
The main reason to go to Bukit Lawang is to have a jungle trekking. In order to do it, you will have to hire a guide. I recommend you Deddi (phone number +62 81269292161), he is very friendly and knows a lot about the jungle. He will make your journey a memorable experience and help you arrange the homestay or transport.
We went for the two-nights three-days tour. The price was 110E per person and it included 2 days of trekking at the jungle and a half-day of rafting going back to the town. The food and the water is included and the two nights at different camps.
Crossing the river the jungle adventure was waiting for us. If you want to know more about this adventure click at Jungle trekking Bukit Lawang. Make sure you bring all the necessary things for the jungle, and don't forget your toilet paper!
Bat Cave and barbecue at the river
Around 1h walking from Bukit Lawang, through a nice path with many different plantations, we can find a big cave full of bats. After doing the jungle trekking I had a feeling of fearless and I thought I could do anything. However, seeing all the bats awakening as we were getting deeper in the cave made me feel very scared and I had to get out!
The Landak river sits on the edge of the jungle, following the same path to the cave. Compared to the river that sits besides Bukkit Lawang, called Bohorok river, this one is quieter and perfect for swimming in a relaxed spot. Many guides will offer to guide you until this point and cook a perfect barbecue with chicken and fish at the riverside.
Comments