Mischievous and light-fingered, long-tailed macaques are so common that they’re regarded as a pest (we advise you to watch your belongings around them in the village).Īs well as primates, the park is home to hundreds of species of other mammals and birds, most of them rare or endangered. Your guide can also point out some of the many other primates that inhabit the area: gibbons, baboons, langurs, slow lorises and tarsiers. Some human viruses can jump to our evolutionary cousins, and careless contact could cause a catastrophe.īecause these are wild animals, sightings are never guaranteed, but we work with experienced, responsible guides who are intimately familiar with the jungle and orangutan habits. This makes it a good base for orangutan-spotting jaunts into the UNESCO-listed park, one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet.Ī private guide is essential, both to help you locate orangutans in the dense canopy and to protect the delicate ecosystem. The village was once the site of an orangutan sanctuary and, though it’s long gone, the clever, long-lived creatures remember when staff fed them regularly and return to the area often. The narrow wooden footbridge over the river also adds a certain intrepid frisson to any river crossing. The hotels here are simple, rustic even - not much more than four walls, a roof and a bed - which can make a visit feel adventurous or austere, depending on your preferences.
But a guided tour of the city can reveal a little of authentic urban Indonesia, including crumbling Dutch colonial buildings, the Sultan’s Palace and street-food stalls that come alive as the sun goes down.Ībout 100 km (62 miles) northwest of the capital, Bukit Lawang is a riverside village on the edge of the Gunung Leuser National Park. The capital city of Medan is the major transportation hub for the island and it frankly lacks the natural appeal of the rest of Sumatra - you won’t find beaches or mountain backdrops here. The jungles, ravines and coursing rivers also offer ample opportunity for hiking and tubing. Thanks to its forbidding terrain, much of the island is sparsely populated, and vast swathes of wilderness are protected in national parks where you might glimpse other rare endemic species. Dotted with smoking volcanoes and covered in a glossy, dense rainforest, Sumatra is one of the last two places in the world where you can see orangutans in the wild.
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