Exploring the Sumatran Rainforest
Enjoy the rewarding naturalist’s experience of exploring the pristine Sumatran rainforest of the Leuser Ecosystem with its biodiversity, starting just at the backyard of the Ecolodge. The 2.6 million hectare Leuser Ecosystem completely contains within it the Gunung Leuser National Park, which itself helps comprise the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Enjoy the unique event of observing Critically Endangered Sumatran orangutans in their natural habitat, with unique flora and fauna abound. Discover exotic flowers, among them wild orchids and the giant Rafflesia, some of which you may have only known until now from your local florist, and others perhaps not.
Discover an astonishing variety of insects, many of which have developed incredible abilities to blend in with the environment or in mimicking poisonous relatives, in order to protect themselves from predators. In view of such natural delight, one can expect nothing less than to be amazed at the natural wonders offered on a daily basis in the Leuser forests.
Bird and Nature Walks
You want to get a chance to see wild orangutans instead of the semi-wild ones? You like to be challenged to spot camouflaged birds, reptiles and mammals? You are patient and respect the animals by keeping a certain distance? This is the tour for you!
Price per person: 40 Euro (no minimum group size needed)
This tour goes into a less frequented area and gives you the chance to explore the exotic flora and fauna representing the precious biodiversity of the Sumatran Jungle.
Walking through a mix of secondary forest, gardens, rubber and palm oil plantations you have the chance to see butterflies, reptiles and mammals like wild orangutans or the thomas leaf monkeys.
The size of the tour does not fit to your needs or time scedule? Contact us, we are glad to help you.
- entrance fee for the Bat Cave
- competent bird-guides from “Bird and Nature Walks Bukit Lawang”
- general guiding and assisting
- Indonesian lunch pack
- fresh fruits and mineral water
- rent for binoculars
- daypack (be ready for the rain: take a drybag)
- mosquito repellent
- long pants (light)
- long shirt or T-shirt
- closed shoes
- hat or bandana
- toilet paper
- rain coat
- medical kit and prescriptions
- sunglasses
- binoculars (if you have some)
We sell a selection of jungle shoes, small backpacks and drybags in our lodge.
Jungle Trekking
Dive into the Gunung Leuser National Park and encounter semi-wild orangutans, who were reintroduced through the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP). Furthermore you have the chance to see a great variety of the flora and fauna of the Sumatran rainforest.
The right choice if you are short of time or if you do not want to do too much exercise in the hot and humid rainforest climate. You still have a chance to see semi-wild orangutans, other mammals and medical plants.
Price per person: 35 Euro (min 3 people)
Optional: going back by river tubing (extra 10 Euro)
After having breakfast in the Ecolodge Bukit Lawang, we start a 15 minutes walk through the nearby rubber plantation to reach the entrance of the Gunung Leuser National Park. Small trails will lead us through the dense vegetation where we can spot a variety of monkeys, butterflies and plants.
This is the right tour if you want to walk some hours in the tropical rainforest in order have a better opportunity to see the semi-wild orangutans but you do not want to sleep in the middle of the jungle.
Price per person: 45 Euro
Optional: going back by river tubing (extra 10 Euro)
After having breakfast in the Ecolodge Bukit Lawang, we start a 15 minutes walk through the nearby rubber plantation to reach the entrance of the Gunung Leuser National Park. Small trails will lead us through the dense vegetation where we can spot a variety of monkeys, butterflies and plants.
We will have larger brakes for eating delicious fruits and one lunchbrake to get us enough power through out the day.
If you want to explore the wildlife and stay overnight in the mystical rainforest – this is the right tour for you. You will have the opportunity to see the semi-wild orangutans and a big variety of flora and fauna.
Price per person: 80 Euro (min 3 people)
Optional: going back by river tubing (extra 10 Euro)
Day 1 – After having breakfast in the Ecolodge Bukit Lawang, we start a 15 minutes walk through the nearby rubber plantation to reach the entrance of the Gunung Leuser National Park. Small trails will lead us through the dense vegetation where we can spot a variety of monkeys, butterflies and plants. We will have larger brakes for eating delicious fruits and one lunchbrake to get us enough power through out the day.
When arriving on the campsite, the guide is cooking delicious jungle food, which we can enjoy while being surrounded by the sounds of the forest and river. In the night we can relax and chat along the fire or in side the camp.
Day 2 – Wake up with the sounds of the surrounded Gibbons and birds. Depending on your needs, the guide will cook you an Indonesian or Western breakfast before we start to walk back.
If you want to have time to stop, observe and explore the wildlife in more detail – this is the right tour for you. You will have the opportunity to see the semi-wild orangutans and a big variety of flora and fauna.
Price per person: 110 Euro (min 3 people)
Optional: going back by river tubing (extra 10 Euro)
Day 1 – After having breakfast in the Ecolodge Bukit Lawang, we start a 15 minutes walk through the nearby rubber plantation to reach the entrance of the Gunung Leuser National Park. Small trails will lead us through the dense vegetation where we can spot a variety of monkeys, butterflies and plants. We will have larger brakes for eating delicious fruits and one lunchbrake to get us enough power through out the day.
When arriving on the campsite, the guide is cooking delicious jungle food, which we can enjoy while being surrounded by the sounds of the forest and river. In the night we can relax and chat along the fire or in side the camp.
Day 2 – Wake up with the sounds of the surrounded Gibbons and birds. Depending on your needs, the guide will cook you an Indonesian or Western breakfast before starting to explore the rainforest. In case you did not find the animal you were looking for on the first day – you get a second try! After exploring, eating fruits and lunch, we arrive at our camp, where you can refresh yourself under a waterfall nearby.
Day 3 – Wake up again with the sounds of the surrounded Gibbons and birds, we enjoy our breakfast and start our trekking towards a waterfall, where we can relax before going back to Bukit Lawang by foot or tube (optional).
If you want to go deeper inside the rainforest in order to look for wild orangutans – this is the right tour for you.
For people who are patient for spotting wild animals in general – whether orangutans or birds – , we propose to do the 1 day “Bird & Nature Walks”, on which you have a good chance to see the real behavior of wild animals.
Price per person: 155 Euro (min 3 people)
Optional: going back by river tubing (extra 10 Euro)
Day 1 – After having breakfast in the Ecolodge Bukit Lawang, we start a 15 minutes walk through the nearby rubber plantation to reach the entrance of the Gunung Leuser National Park. Small trails will lead us through the dense vegetation where we can spot a variety of monkeys, butterflies and plants. We will have larger brakes for eating delicious fruits and one lunchbrake to get us enough power through out the day.
When arriving on the campsite, the guide is cooking delicious jungle food, which we can enjoy while being surrounded by the sounds of the forest and river. In the night we can relax and chat along the fire or in side the camp.
Day 2 – Wake up with the sounds of the surrounded Gibbons and birds. Depending on your needs, the guide will cook you an Indonesian or Western breakfast before starting to explore the rainforest. In case you did not find the animal you were looking for on the first day – you get a second try! After exploring, eating fruits and lunch, we arrive at our camp, where you can refresh yourself under a waterfall nearby.
Day 3 – Today we get up early, eat breakfast, pack our stuff and start our most challenging day. A 5-6 hour hike will lead us through wildlife area where we can spot a variety of animals before arriving in the campsite.
Day 4 – After breakfast we get time to relax in the nearby waterfall area before we go back to Bukit Lawang by foot or tube (optional).
If you can’t get enough jungle feeling and if you are eager to look for endemic species like the Sumatran striped rabbit or endangered endemic animals, such as Sumatran Elephants or Sumatran Tiger – this is the right tour for you. You need to be fit and willing to walk many hours on several days and in harsh weather condition. Compared to the other tours we stay if possible every night in a different camp.
For people who are patient for spotting wild animals in general – whether orangutans or birds – , we propose to do the 1 day “Bird & Nature Walks”, on which you have a good chance to see the real behavior of wild animals.
Price per person: 190 Euro (min 3 people)
Optional: going back by river tubing (extra 10 Euro)
Day 1 – After having breakfast in the Ecolodge Bukit Lawang, we start a 15 minutes walk through the nearby rubber plantation to reach the entrance of the Gunung Leuser National Park. Small trails will lead us through the dense vegetation where we can spot a variety of monkeys, butterflies and plants. We will have larger brakes for eating delicious fruits and one lunchbrake to get us enough power through out the day.
When arriving on the campsite, the guide is cooking delicious jungle food, which we can enjoy while being surrounded by the sounds of the forest and river. In the night we can relax and chat along the fire or in side the camp.
Day 2 – Wake up with the sounds of the surrounded Gibbons and birds. Depending on your needs, the guide will cook you an Indonesian or Western breakfast before starting to explore the rainforest. In case you did not find the animal you were looking for on the first day – you get a second try! After exploring, eating fruits and lunch, we arrive at our camp, where you can refresh yourself under a waterfall nearby.
Day 3 – Today we get up early, eat breakfast, pack our stuff and start one of our most challenging days. A 5-6 hour hike will lead us through wildlife area where we can spot a variety of animals before arriving in the campsite.
Day 4 – We will make a tour in a similar way like on Day 3.
Day 5 – After breakfast we get time to relax in the nearby waterfall area before we go back to Bukit Lawang by foot or tube (optional).
- entrance fee for the Gunung Leuser National Park
- camera fee
- guiding and assisting
- Indonesian lunch pack
- dinner
- breakfast
- fresh fruits and mineral water
- camping equipment (tent and mattress)
- daypack (be ready for the rain: take a drybag)
- mosquito repellent
- long pants (light)
- long shirt or T-shirt
- closed shoes
- hat or bandana
- toilet paper
- rain coat
If you are several days in the jungle:
- we advise to take jungle shoes (rubber shoes)*
- clothes for swimming
- clothes for sleeping
- flip-flops for camp
- headlamp
- tootbrush / toothpaste
We sell a selection of jungle shoes, small backpacks and drybags in our lodge.
To jungle trek in Bukit Lawang, there will be guides to take you into the Leuser Ecosystem/National Park. These are experienced, responsible and knowledgeable guides who can organize trek lengths of half day, full day or several days according to your preferences.
Make sure to ask for the list of recommended guides from our reception desk and to be informed about current prices.
Your guide will answer your questions regarding the jungle, but will as well prepare the necessary permits to enter the park, organize your provisions and any necessary camping equipment. Please come prepared with appropriate forest gear (boots, rainjacket, etc) so as to make your visit more comfortable and safe.
We also ask that everyone please remembers at all times that wild orangutans, monkeys and other fauna and flora must stay wild. It does not benefit the species and habitats that so many come to visit and experience to do so. There is potential for humans to catch illnesses from wildlife, just as there is also potential for wildlife to catch our ailments. It is best that the animals and plants are left as they have been for millions of years – with the only thing taken being photographs and the stories we tell of them later on to our loved ones. Therefore, we ask that everyone visiting the forest follows this very simple rule: never attempt to feed or get too close (no less than 10m distance at all times).
Learn about Organic Farming
Farm Tour
Learn about local fruits, vegetables and organic farming practices. Our farmer Anto is motivated to respond to your individual wishes, to share his experience and to have an interchange of knowledge.
Price per person: 11 Euro (no minimum groupsize needed)
The Ecofarm is operated by our partner, the Environmental Education Centre Bohorok
Ecofarming Centre
Another outlet of Bohorok Environmental Centre is the Eco-Farming Centre in Timban Lawang. This is a several hectare demonstration plot in a nearby village for organic fruit and vegetable, medicinal plant, and natural composting cultivation.
Local farmers are able to learn here about these and other ventures, including natural pest control, biogas, livestock and fish farming, with staff available to qualify and encourage them to start such initiatives on their own land. Recently, the centre has been completed with biogas and enlarged compost facilities as well as a beautiful new bamboo construction and farmhouse, where delicious meals from local fare are prepared for visitors.
So please also do not hesitate to book a tour to the Eco-Farming Centre, where you can also learn about the work being done, and perhaps learn a thing or two that you may wish to replicate at your own home. You are very welcome to discover the wealth of medicinal herbs and roots, taste delicious pineapple and coconut, and relax with a tasty lunch.
- transport to the Ecofarm (Round-trip)
- guide
- interest about ecofarming
Exploring the Culture of Bukit Lawang
Experience the local communities, their culture, livelihood and traditions, through a variety of opportunities from local entrepreneurs, artists and farmers. Enjoy a village tour and learn to cook a real «nasi goreng» (fried rice) dish, collect your own vegetables from the local gardens and prepare it the traditional Bukit Lawang way.
Learn from the people how rice is grown, how rubber is tapped, where chocolate originates from, weave your own mat from pandanus leaves, learn about natural roof thatching (atap) and weaving walls (tepas) with bamboo, carve your own coconut pendant or create a sculpture from driftwood with local artists – or a multitude of other ‘country wisdom’ gems that may have otherwise been considered lost to the ages.
Please inquire at our reception desk to see what may be available during your stay.
Becak Tour
Take a look at the surroundings together with a local – using a Becak or rental bicycles.
Other Activities and Services
Apart from trekking in the Leuser forests, there are a variety of other interesting and beautiful excursions.
Walking along the Landak River
One such example is a trip to the nearby pristine Landak river. You can easily explore by yourself. A pleasant walk through local rubber and citrus plantations, will lead you to the banks of the river, where you can reward yourself with a refreshing swim,
If you go with a guide, it enables you to enjoy a delicious picnic of fresh fish prepared with herbs cooked in banana leaves atop an open fire. Ask our reception for more details and prices.
Exploring the Bat Cave
Take a stroll through the surrounding rubber plantations and stop at the Bat Cave to have a look at these special creatures. Entrance fee 25.000 Rp / person. Guides are available on the spot.
Weekly Market
Whether buying or selling goods or having a chat – on Friday the people of Bukit Lawang meet on the market.
Tangkahan
Make a Daytour and go to Tangkahan, where you can take part in the daily washing of the Elephants.
Massage
Relax after the demanding activities and get a traditional massage.
Transport
We offer a private and sharing transport service. For more information please contact
our email at info@ecolodgebukitlawang.com or +62 812 607 99 83
Contact us - we are glad to help you
feel free to contact us on:
+62 812 607 99 83
info@ecolodgebukitlawang.com