Meet the Orang-utans, Sumatra, Indonesia

Sumatra

Venture into the enchanted dense jungle one of the biggest island of Indonesia. This is where fairytales can come true.

Sumatra is located just west of Java and south of the Malay Peninsula. It is very densely populated, and a fresh change of air if you come from Java. There are a few things here that do make it a harder island to explore than many other islands in Asia though. Firstly the infrastructure makes it quite hard to get around. There are not many options for public transportation, and not really that many roads. Because it has quite few inhabitants compared to Java, and much less tourism than Bali making these roads accessible does not seem like the biggest priority for Indonesia. This makes it a wild, vast land perfect for the adventurous lone explorer.

There are plenty of options to discover undiscovered lands and wonderful untouched nature. Sumatra is one of the most biodiverse areas on earth, known for its extraordinarily rich flora and fauna. Visiting this huge island I wasn’t the king of the jungle, but I sure felt like a jungle VIP. When I went to Sumatra's’ rainforest to experience orang-utans up close I felt like an 8-year-old in a candy shop.

Bukit Lawang

Your best chance of seeing orangutans in the wild is to venture into the jungle and head for Bukit Lawang.
Bukit Lawang is located just short of a hundred kilometers north-west of Medan, the capital city of Sumatra, but the road there is a journey in itself. We wanted to stay on a budget so we decided to do like the locals and go to the public bus station and take the bus. That was a trip that created memories. First of all the trip took us around ten hours from when we left our hotel. First, we had to get to the bus station, that was the easy part. We could just order a grab from the hotel to the bus station. Here, however, we had to wait until the bus was full to leave. A very common thing in Indonesia, but something completely strange for a European. When we finally left to set out on the journey we drove, after cramming around 6 extra people into the bus, that there weren’t seats for, on the most destroyed and molested road I have ever seen. Huge potholes and crakes in the road made it almost impossible for even the minibus to proceed, and many places with less than 5 kilometers per hour. We did have wonderful company though, and a few hours into the trip we got little children moving over to sit on our laps so their mums could get a break and some fresh air. The bus of course didn't have AC.

Reaching Bukit Lawang it became evident that it wasn't as much a town as it was a little tourist hole. Located in the jungle, build on the sides of the fast raging Bahorok River. The jungle on each side creating a dense and monkey-filled sanctum of precious diverse life. These noisy monkeys invaded the village every dusk and became cheeky monkeys who stole whatever was laying around and surprisingly fast escaped with their newly found treasures back into the jungle. Not being Orangutans, these weren’t really the monkeys we were looking for but they were cute and very cheeky monkeys, and they are everywhere. After spending six days in Bukit Lawang I can tell you that the village definitely contains more tourists than locals, and by far more monkeys than tourists.

Orangutans

So why were all the tourists here? Bukit Lawang is famous for being the largest animal sanctuary of Sumatran Orang-utan and this is of course what everyone has come here to explore. A population of 5.000 orang-utans should be living in Gunung Leuser National Park, which is the jungle that surrounds the village. So let the Orangutan adventure begin...

In Bahasa, the word orang-utan means “person of the forest.” And when you research on them you will learn that they are quite like humans in many ways. They are considered some of the most intelligent primates, after being extensively studied for their learning abilities through many years. They use tools, build quite complicated nests and have a quite established hierarchy.
They are considered critically endangered. And their numbers are decreasing. A lot is being done worldwide to prevent this, but their habitat is fastly disappearing due to deforestation. A bit part of this is Palm Oil and greedy people. Another is pet trading and the fact that many people think that an exotic animal could be a cute pet to dress up in children's clothes and make them jump through hoops for their pleasure. Disgusting!

These long-haired, orangish primates of wonders, are found only in Sumatra and Borneo. They are some of our closest relatives and when you meet them up close you will easily see the resemblance. Many of the orangutans who live here are what we call semi-wild because they were set out from the Bukit Lawang rehabilitation center for orangutang. This means that they are very used to humans and most of them do get fairly close.

We booked a tour with our guest house and got a tour just the two of us with two guides. The tour starts at dawn and lets you trek for around 5-6 hours in an unspoiled, beautiful, untouched jungle. The treks are overgrown, the vines hang down from the old forest and the smell is so fantastic. You are in the heart of the jungle and once you get away from the other tourist groups you can almost hear the jungle breathe. We spotted seven orangutangs and two small toddlers. They were the most adorable sight for sore eyes. I mean who wants a puppy?

Because they are used to humans they come very close, and on several occasions, we did have the possibility to touch them. We didn’t because they are wild animals, and because they share something like 97% of our DNA they are in high risk of getting contagious decreases when in contact with humans. Even if you do have the chance to touch them, don't. Do not take selfies with them, do not hold them... Do not be that tourist! They are beautiful and wild animals and you do not need a selfie with an Orangutan to be happy. Trust me!

Other Monkeys

There are many other treasures in the jungle, and after seeing the orang-utans we were able to properly enjoy our encounters with many other fascinating animals of the forest like baboons, peacocks, and quite a few lesser monkeys.

Say Hello to Mr. Gibbon. Gibbons are apes, but, unlike orang-utans, they are considered lesser apes, on account of their smaller body size. Gibbons are fast movers, swinging through the canopy using their arms called brachiation. Living in tropical rainforests, their main food source is ripe fruit supplemented with leaves, flowers, and insects. If you stay a few days in Bukit Lawang your chance of seeing this feller is good. Your best chance is around dusk or dawn on the riversides. He is a cutie.

The Siamang is a type of gibbon but considered its own species. They are around twice the size of other gibbons, and can weigh up to 15 kg. Even if you do not get a chance to see them, your chance of not hearing them are slim. They make loud, resonating calls and songs. When you go for a trekking, or an over night stay in the jungle you will most certainly hear them roaring from the tree tops. Like most of the monkeys and apes in Indonesia, the siamangs and gibbons are threatened by the deforestation and illegal animal trade.

The Macaques. Everyone who has traveled to Asia knows this little monkey. Besides their reputation, are adorable. Many places in Sumatra, and all over Asia, they are considered a pest. It is largely unfair since their status is human-created. They are extraordinary resilience and adaptable with the capacity to thrive in almost any environment. They are quick and fast learners and when humans interact with them they learn. When they are fed they learn that they like human food and that humans are slow and easy to scare… We could hear them every morning on the rooftop of your room. It sounded like they were having a tap-dance-competition, and they woke us up every morning before dawn. Not the worst way to be woken up in the jungle.

One of the most adorable apes who dwells here is the Slow Loris. The name might give them away but they are slow in everything and mostly active at night. They primarily eat fruits but like the other apes, they have a large variety in their diet. During the day they sleep curled up in branches. Unlike the others, they do not look a lot like monkeys, and they are tiny and very hard to spot.

The Thomas's langur is another adorable monkey. It’s beautiful grey and white fur makes it easier to spot in the green jungle. They also venture into the village quite often so if you hang around the river at dusk, a bit outside the village, your chances of the encounter is pretty good.

Like the Leaf monkeys, who inhabit these forest areas they are all threatened by deforestation and most of them are endangered or vulnerable in their status. And even though most campaigns are made on Orang-utans all of these monkeys will benefit from stopping deforestation and illegal animal trade.

What the city has to offer

Orangutang trekking and monkey watching aside, Bukit Lawang is a very traveler-friendly place. The people are friendly and very social. There is a boy in every hostel or guest house that plays the guitar and most places have live music every night. You can easily spend a few days here untugging, relaxing and chilling in hammocks, and enjoying being so close to nature. For a bit of adventure go splashing or tubing in the river. DO NOT GO ALONE. The river is ranging and very dangerous. You can rent the tubes but bring a guide. Many of the boys will go with you if you pay for their tube, and it is not safe alone.

On a side note. We had power cuts every day. When the rain started the power went off. Some days it was for a few hours. some days it was all evening and night. Do yourself the favor and bring a torch, pocket light or something like that.

Feel like an adventurer? You can book as many days as you want in the forest. Our guide told us he once took a group 2 weeks into the jungle so only your imagination, money and time can get in the way.