If you like animals, this is the tour for you.  The experience you’ll have here is increasingly rare.  You’ll never forget coming face to face with these endangered species.

When we began planning our trip to Indonesia, observing wildlife was a top priority.  Borneo is well known for its biodiversity and we started by our search there.  However, we quickly found that getting deep into the jungle was quite time consuming.  Always attempting to use our time as efficiently as possible, we eventually learned of the ecotourism possibilities on Sumatra.  In Gunung Leuser National Park, it’s technically possible to see orangutans, elephants, tigers, leopards and rhinos.  The island seemed like a better fit for a quick trip.  Flights from Kuala Lumpur to Medan were much cheaper than any of the options on Borneo and logistics were easier as well.  We decided to book a two-day overnight trek with Expedition Jungle.

Unfortunately, as our trip to Indonesia began, we arrived to late in Kuala Lumpur to board our flight to Medan.  While allowed for a night in my favorite city, it meant our two day hike would no longer be possible.  We weren’t able to arrive in Medan until the following evening.  Expedition Jungle helped to modify the tour and their driver transported us to Bukit Lawang.  One word of warning, the travel time on Google maps is way off for this drive.  What was listed as a 2-3 hour drive actually took 6.  Due to these unforseen problems, our two day trek had now been reduced to only 3 hours.  Needless to say, I was concerned that this wouldn’t be enough time to see much and that we had wasted our time.

“There are only two places you can still see orangutans in the wild and I would definitely recommend this one.”

The next day we awoke early for our hike into the national park.  The trek began along a trail just behind the lodge.  It wasn’t long before we were into the dense jungle.  About 30 minutes in we came around a corner and our guide pointed out a large orangutan perched on a branch above.  Going deeper into the jungle our guide trusted his instincts and took us down a small side path.  Towards the top of the hill, we heard another animal.  Eventually we saw another orangutan and its baby.  As this was formerly an orangutan rehabilitation center, the animals are more comfortable with humans and were in no hurry to leave the area.

We spent most of our remanding time observing these orangutans.  As the orangutans climbed above us, a large Pigtailed Macaque quietly walked up.  In a nearby tree, a Thomas Leaf Monkey watched us.  If this sounds incredible, it was.  The amount of wildlife we saw in only three hours was astonishing.  Despite the stressful flight delay and long car ride, it was easily worth it.  There are only two places you can still see orangutans in the wild and I would definitely recommend this one.  While a sighting is never guaranteed, I am confident your best chance will be in Gunung Leuser National Park.

While there are numerous tours that leave from Bukit Lawang, I would encourage you to be sure to pick a company that is responsible.  Be sure they pack out all food and don’t feed the animals.  Your guide should be conscious of the animals and view them from an appropriate distance.  Cheaper tours may offer a similar experience but not follow sustainable practices.

Photography Tips:

A jungle tour is one instance where having capable gear is important.  While you can get reasonably close to the wildlife, you’re definitely going to need a telephoto lens.  I carried a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom lens.  I found this focal length to be perfect on my full frame camera.  It should be ok on a crop sensor as well.  I also carried a 1.7x teleconverter but didn’t feel there was any need to use it.  A cheaper, non f/2.8, zoom lens will certainly work but will require you to push the ISO higher than I would prefer.