Bukit Lawang: The Hidden Gem of Sumatra's Rainforest
Nestled on the edge of the world-famous Gunung Leuser National Park in North Sumatra, Indonesia, Bukit Lawang is one of Southeast Asia's most extraordinary ecotourism destinations. Known as the gateway to one of the oldest tropical rainforests on Earth, this charming riverside village offers visitors an unforgettable combination of wildlife, adventure, and natural beauty.
It is home of the Critically Endangered Sumatran Orangutan.
The village sits on the banks of the Bohorok River, about 90 km north-west of Medan, where the last houses give way to the forest. Gunung Leuser is part of the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004, and it is one of the very few places on the planet where orangutans, tigers, elephants and rhinos still share the same forest. Fewer than 14,000 Sumatran orangutans survive in the wild, and a good number of them live in the hills right behind Bukit Lawang.
The story of the village is tied to the apes. In 1973 two Swiss researchers opened the Bohorok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre here, to return animals confiscated from captivity to the forest. Feeding has long since stopped and the orangutans you meet today are wild or semi-wild, which is exactly the point: on a guided trek you can watch a mother moving through the canopy with her infant, at her own pace, in her own home.
Treks range from a few hours to several days with a night in the jungle. Along the way guides point out Thomas's leaf monkeys with their punk crests, white-handed gibbons calling at dawn, hornbills, and sometimes the giant Rafflesia flower. Many one-day treks end with tubing: you float back to the village down the Bohorok on an inner tube, which is the best way to arrive in time for dinner.
Bukit Lawang has a hard chapter too. In November 2003 a flash flood swept down the river and destroyed most of the village, killing more than two hundred people. It was rebuilt, and today its guesthouses, hanging bridges and riverside cafés are the work of a community that chose to stay.
Practical notes. Entry to the national park requires a permit and a licensed local guide; book through your guesthouse. Keep at least ten metres from the orangutans, never feed or touch them, and stay quiet in the forest. The drier months, roughly May to September, are the easiest for trekking, but rain is always possible. From Medan's Kualanamu airport the road takes around four hours by car or shared minibus. Bring good shoes, a dry bag for the tubing, and more patience than plans: the forest sets the schedule here, not you.
