Travel Info

About North Sumatra & Bukit Lawang

Indonesia is one of the most diverse countries on earth. Its second largest island Sumatra offers high mountains and volcanoes, beautiful beaches, huge lakes, crystal clear rivers and one of the last remaining rainforests of the world! On this wonderful island you can marvel at wild orangutans and other rare wildlife species and get to know a colorful and traditional culture.

Here you can read about information on how to get to Sumatra and Bukit Lawang & where to stay in this beautiful paradise.

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Gunung Leuser National Park

Directly behind the quaint village of Bukit Lawang, the dark green forested mountains of the jungle rise up so close that it feels like you can touch them. It is the edge of Gunung Leuser National Park – with around 900,000 hectares one of Indonesia’s largest nature reserves.

The rainforest is protected due to its biodiversity, which is unique! What makes the National Park special is its soil, which is up to six times more fertile than other rainforests in the region. Reason for that is one of the most active volcanoes in the world – Mount Sinabung. For millennia, its eruptions have showered the area with volcanic ash rich in minerals and nutrients. The ash acts as a fertilizer, allowing a jungle of astounding complexity to thrive. With thousands of species and plants, it is one of the most biodiverse rainforests in the world. It is home to the endangered Sumatran Tiger, the equally endangered Orangutans, Sumatran Rhinos, Forest Elephants, Siamangs, Macaques, Sumatran Pheasants and Hornbills. Due to this endemic flora and fauna, Indonesia is one of the megadiverse countries on our planet.

All these animals were once found together throughout Southeast Asia. But deforestation and poaching mean that Gunung Leuser National Park is now the only place in the world where they still coexist. For the Sumatran Orangutan, the rainforest in the north of the island is the most important refuge and –  along with Borneo – the last remaining home of these unique great apes. In 2004, the national park was therefore declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and, together with two other national parks, forms the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra. Since 2011 the area has been on the World Heritage List. 

Will we make something so precious disappear forever, or take our last chance and protect it for our children and grandchildren? Help us to have a positive impact on our most important ecosystem ∼ the rainforest ∼ and take part in our ecological tourism! 

Explore Our Jungle Treks

Bukit Lawang's OrangUtans

Bukit Lawang is a magical place at the entrance of Gunung Leuser National Park in North Sumatra. The village stretches along the crystal-clear Bahorok River, which meanders through the valleys of the mountainous rainforest and through the idyllic village. Rustic accommodations and restaurants as well as small stalls are lined up to the left and right of the jungle river – from fried bananas to all kinds of handcrafted jewelry and traditional clothing you can discover real treasures.

This most special place on the edge of the rainforest thrives on tourism, which is almost exclusively thanks to the orangutans. Bukit Lawang became known through the release station for orangutans kept in captivity. Until 2015 the released “semi-wild” great apes were fed on a platform to support their adaptation to the wilderness. These  semi-wild orangutans still live in the jungle behind the village. Therefore, there is a very high chance of observing our close relatives on one of our jungle treks – if we are lucky even with their offspring!

Besides an unforgettable jungle hike, there are many other exciting and interesting things to do in Bukit Lawang: exploring mysterious caves, refreshing white water rafting on traditional rubber tubes for hot days, a cultural discovery tour through Bukit Lawang’s rural surroundings or searching for the world’s biggest flowers are just some of the wonderful things you can do in and around Bukit Lawang!

Activities around Bukit Lawang

Flights & Transportation

To get to North Sumatra and Bukit Lawang you have to book a flight to Medan (KNO – Kualanamu International Airport). If your departure is in Europe, we can recommend flights via Qatar Airways with transits in Doha and Kuala Lumpur or via Singapore Airlines / Scoot with transit in Singapore.

Bukit Lawang is situated 98 km west of Medan’s airport. The drive takes approximately 3 to 4 hours. You have 3 options how to get from the airport to Bukit Lawang:

Private Car: We will happily organise you a private pick up service from the airport directly to your accomodation in Bukit Lawang. This is the easiest and most flexible option, as we can pick you up at any day or night time, you will have a safe and comfortable car with air con and your personal driver, who can stop where ever you need it (e.g. to have lunch or dinner on the way or for going to an ATM or money changer). A normal private car (4 passangers) costs 45 € / 800.000 IDR in total and the drive takes about 3 to 4 hours. Just let us know in your booking or a few days before your arrival. If you are traveling with more people, we can arrange a bigger car for your for 1.300.000 IDR in total.

Tourist Bus: Means you will share a car/mini van with other tourists who arrive more or less at the same time at the airport (sometimes it means to wait for the arrival of another plane or to drive through Medan City to pick up more passangers at hotels). Therefore that option usually takes a few hours longer to get to Bukit Lawang than by a private driver (around 5 to 6 hours) but on the other hand it only costs 14 € / 230.000 IDR per person. Please be aware that the tourist bus only operates from 8 am until the afternoon around 4 pm – for very early or late arrivals it’s unavailable. For returning from Bukit Lawang to Medan airport the toruist bus only leaves once a day at 8 am. As the tourist bus depends on other tourists it’s not always available during low season. So please let us know if you are interested and we will give you the current information. 

Public Bus: We only recommend this option if you are an Indonesian citizen or have lived in Indonesia for a while, as this drive is quite an adventure! From the airport you have to take the ALS bus to Binjai (around 2 hours, 50.000 IDR per person). Then you have to find the smaller PS bus going to Bukit Lawang. Depending on the bus stop you might have to take a tuk-tuk first (costing 5.000 to 10.000 IDR) to Tanah Lapang Binjai terminal. Please note that there are no fixed schedules, (welcome to Indonesia!).  The last bus is leaving around 4:30 pm, so make sure to reach Binjai before that. Depending on the driver and traffic The PS bus needs around 3 hours to Bukit Lawang. Prices depend on the bus driver, but mostly tourists have to pay more than locals. It should be something around 30.000 IDR per person. From our own experience we highly advise you to use option 1 or 2 as the public busses are very old, they’re not maintained, the speed can be crazy and mostly there are much more people + animals inside than seats avaible.

Of course all of this options are valid vice versa (from Bukit Lawang to Medan airport).

Where to stay

In Bukit Lawang, there are many lovely guesthouses located right along the riverbank or near the jungle with spectacular views! If you want to stay far away from any tourism and experience the rural village life of North Sumatra, there are some romantic huts in the middle of the rice fields with beautiful views of the mountains of Gunung Leuser National Park.

We are happy to give you recommendations (according to your budget) and can take care of the reservation/booking for you.

No matter which guesthouse you choose, your Jungle Guide will pick up you for your personal rainforest experience on our jungle treks. Just tell us your preferences and we will organise you a room in your favorite guesthouse!

Contact us
Wisma Leuser Sibayak
  • Located nearby the entrance to Gunung Leuser National Park
  • River beach in front of the hotel - ideal for swimming
  • Bamboo restaurant directly at the river
  • WiFi & Laundry service available
  • Garden with a delicious mango tree & gazebo for relaxing
  • All rooms with balcony or terrace & fan
Prices per night:
  • Standard rooms (2-3 pers.): from 9€ / 150.000 IDR
  • Riverside bungalows (3-4 pers.): 24€ / 400.000 IDR
  • Deluxe rooms (2 pers., aircon, hot water): from 21€ / 350.000 IDR

We are staying here ourselves and feel at home with the hearty Sibayak family. In our office, which you will find next to the restaurant, you can store all the luggage you don’t want to take with you into the rainforest during your jungle trek. We look forward to welcoming you here!

Wisma Leuser Sibayak Guesthouse
Lovely stuff of Wisma Leuser Sibayak
Wisma Leuser Sibayak Restaurant
Join local kids swimming in front of Wisma Leuser Sibayak
Garden & river view rooms
Wisma Leuser Sibayak Standard Room double bed
Wisma Leuser Sibayak Standard Room twin beds
Wisma Leuser Sibayak Family Bungalow from outside
Wisma Leuser Sibayak Family Bungalow
Wisma Leuser Sibayak Deluxe Room from outside
Wisma Leuser Sibayak Deluxe Room
Wisma Leuser Sibayak Deluxe Room Balcony
Junia Guesthouse
  • Located between rainforest and river in the back part of Bukit Lawang
  • Very calm & relaxing
  • Beautiful wooden restaurant with excellent Indonesian food
  • Wonderful garden with a comfortable gazebo next to the river for chilling
  • WiFi available
  • Every Saturday Night life music at the neighbour guesthouse
Prices per night:
  • Standard Room (2-3 pers.): 15€ / 250.000 IDR
  • Stone Bathroom (3-4 pers.): 20€ / 320.000 IDR
  • Siamang Room (2 pers.): from 22€ / 365.000 IDR
  • Orangutan Bungalow (2 pers., hot water): 25€ / 410.000 IDR
  • Hornbill Room (2 pers., rooftop terrace, hot water): 32€ / 535.000 IDR
  • Thomas Leaf Monkey Bungalow (3 pers., aircon, hot water): 35€ / 575.000 IDR
  • Sweet Honeymoon Suite (2 pers., aircon, hot water): 32€ / 535.000 IDR
Junia Guesthouse in Bukit Lawang - Rainforest entrance
Tropical Garden of Junia Guesthouse
Junia Guesthouse - Gazebo at the riverside
Relaxing area of Junia Guesthouse next to the rainforest river

Tipping

Tipping is welcome all over Indonesia. It’s included in the consistently low prices for services and is therefore even expected in many places.

There are no clear rules, but there are some guidelines:

  • Drivers should receive about 100,000 IDR per day
  • Guides about 150.000 IDR per day
  • porters, who carry your luggage, you should give about 20.000 IDR
  • In the tip box of a hotel you can put 25.000-50.000 IDR per day
  • In restaurants you should give about 5-10% of the bill amount


For our trekking tours and other activities booked through us, we recommend a basic tip of 10% of the price. This is distributed centrally among our team according to equal shares. Individually you can of course increase the tip (for example if you were particularly enthusiastic about one person of the team).

Health & Safety

We recommend you to procure a travel and health insurance for your entire trip in case something happens. Hospital and doctor bills can be very high in Indonesia… There is a small medical station and a pharmacy nearby Bukit Lawang. Anyways, in some cases it could be better to visit a hospital in Medan (capital of Sumatra). So better be safe with an insurance!

As well we highly recommend to consult a doctor or tropical disease specialist about vaccination against dengue, rabies, hepatitis, typhoid, tetanus, polio and more. Still, this is not mandatory, but your own responsibility. For your holiday in Bukit Lawang you won’t need malaria prophylaxis as it’s no malaria risk area. However, depending on where you are travelling after (or before) Bukit Lawang, you should definitely find out whether these regions are malaria risk areas.

So far on all our treks  our guests returned healthy and happily without any injuries.  However, there also are street animals in Indonesia which could transfer several sicknesses, so it’s not only about the jungle trek.

Travel insurance is within the personal responsibility of each traveller and should cover injuries, accidents and the loss of personal belongings.

If you are bitten by an animal (regardless of whether you have a vaccination or not), you can get a rabies shot directly at the infirmary of Bukit Lawang.

 

At the moment (as of April 2023), a corona vaccination / in exceptional cases a medical certificate must also be presented.

Visa Information & Entry Regulations

Since the Covid 19 pandemic, there is no longer a free visa for Indonesia. All travellers must present a visa upon arrival or purchase one at the airport. Since June 2023, international travellers will no longer be required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination when entering the country. In addition, unvaccinated travellers will not have to undergo PCR tests or be quarantined. 

If you would like to stay up to 60 days in Indonesia, you can apply for a renewable visa on arrival (VOA) directly at the airport upon your arrival at the immigration or beforehand online. It will cost you 500.000 IDR (around 35 Dollars) and gives you the possibility of extending your visa for another 30 days after your first month in Indonesia. For the extension, you have to go to the immigration office three times a few days before the expiry of the first 30 days or hire a visa agent for a faster process.

If you plan to stay in Indonesia for a longer period, to visit all its beautiful islands or to do some volunteering for example, you have to apply for a social visa before enterin Indonesia. This visa will be valid for 6 months, but you have to extend it every 2 months in an Indonesian immigration office. Please check the formalities and prices depending on your home country at the appropriate website.

If you are very spontaneous, your last option is to leave Indonesia for 1 or 2 days (e.g. Penang, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore) after the 30 or 60 days of your Visa on Arrival and re-enter with a new VOA. As this option is very popular among backpackers, the Indonesian government is trying to restrict it. Therefore, you should read the latest regulations carefully before choosing this option.

SIM Card & Mobile Data

You don’t want to be without mobile internet during your trip to Indonesia?

Since April 18, 2020, this is no longer as easy as before. We explain how you can still use your cell phone on the road. There are 3 options for this:

 

1) Register your cell phone upon entry

In order to be able to use any Indonesian SIM card without restrictions, international cell phones must be registered upon entry into Indonesia. To do this, you need to fill out this online form, after which you will receive a QR code. You can find the required data (IMEI) for your cell phone in the settings of your device. Upon arrival at the airport, you need to go to the customs office (Bea Cukai, Customs), ask for IMEI registration and show the QR code. After successful registration you will receive the confirmation by mail.

If the purchase price of your phone is less than 500 USD, you will not be charged any additional fees. However, if your phone was more expensive, you will have to pay about 40% duty on the remaining amount: (purchase price – 500 USD) x 40%.

It is important that you register your cell phone directly upon entry (after arrival). As soon as you have left the airport and want to register your cell phone afterwards at a customs office, the reduction of 500 USD will be cancelled. A later registration is only possible within the first 60 days after your arrival.

 

2) Tourist SIM

Tourists can have their cell phone activated for 3 months at a time in a Telekomsel store. In Sumatra this is currently only possible in Medan. If you are spending a day in the city, you can go to the following Telkomsel/ Grapari store:
https://goo.gl/maps/7dpPVDFhv2pUHgdp6 (located on the top floor).

 

3) Buy SIM card/ eSIM in advance

For example, from providers like Holafly.

Alternatively, you can use a mobile LTE router. There you insert your local Indonesian SIM card and connect to your smartphone via the router. The only important thing is that your SIM card does not have password protection (otherwise, this may have to be deactivated via a cell phone).

You can also buy a cheap smartphone in Indonesia and use it as a hotspot.

Electricity & sockets

Usually the voltage of the socket in Indonesia is 127 to 230 volts (in Germany 230 volts). The Indonesian power grid has a frequency of 50Hz, which corresponds to the frequency of the German power grid.

An adapter is not necessary, because there are also type C and F sockets in Indonesia.

Time Zones

Indonesia spans two time zones:

Sumatra, Java, West and Central Kalimantan.
≙ Bangkok (GMT+ 7 hours).

South and East Kalimantan, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi.
≙ Singapore & Kuala Lumpur (GMT + 8 hours).

During German summer time, the time difference is one hour less in each case!

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Varius quam quisque id diam vel quam elementum pulvinar. Consequat mauris nunc congue nisi vitae suscipit tellus. Bibendum at varius vel pharetra vel turpis nunc. Gravida cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis. Sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit duis tristique. Eget magna fermentum iaculis eu non. Odio morbi quis commodo odio aenean sed adipiscing. Integer vitae justo eget magna fermentum iaculis eu. Ante in nibh mauris cursus mattis molestie a. Ut venenatis tellus in metus vulputate eu scelerisque felis. Sed odio morbi quis commodo odio aenean sed. Neque laoreet suspendisse interdum consectetur libero.
Varius quam quisque id diam vel quam elementum pulvinar. Consequat mauris nunc congue nisi vitae suscipit tellus. Bibendum at varius vel pharetra vel turpis nunc. Gravida cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis. Sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit duis tristique. Eget magna fermentum iaculis eu non. Odio morbi quis commodo odio aenean sed adipiscing. Integer vitae justo eget magna fermentum iaculis eu. Ante in nibh mauris cursus mattis molestie a. Ut venenatis tellus in metus vulputate eu scelerisque felis. Sed odio morbi quis commodo odio aenean sed. Neque laoreet suspendisse interdum consectetur libero.
Varius quam quisque id diam vel quam elementum pulvinar. Consequat mauris nunc congue nisi vitae suscipit tellus. Bibendum at varius vel pharetra vel turpis nunc. Gravida cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis. Sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit duis tristique. Eget magna fermentum iaculis eu non. Odio morbi quis commodo odio aenean sed adipiscing. Integer vitae justo eget magna fermentum iaculis eu. Ante in nibh mauris cursus mattis molestie a. Ut venenatis tellus in metus vulputate eu scelerisque felis. Sed odio morbi quis commodo odio aenean sed. Neque laoreet suspendisse interdum consectetur libero.
Varius quam quisque id diam vel quam elementum pulvinar. Consequat mauris nunc congue nisi vitae suscipit tellus. Bibendum at varius vel pharetra vel turpis nunc. Gravida cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis. Sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit duis tristique. Eget magna fermentum iaculis eu non. Odio morbi quis commodo odio aenean sed adipiscing. Integer vitae justo eget magna fermentum iaculis eu. Ante in nibh mauris cursus mattis molestie a. Ut venenatis tellus in metus vulputate eu scelerisque felis. Sed odio morbi quis commodo odio aenean sed. Neque laoreet suspendisse interdum consectetur libero.
Varius quam quisque id diam vel quam elementum pulvinar. Consequat mauris nunc congue nisi vitae suscipit tellus. Bibendum at varius vel pharetra vel turpis nunc. Gravida cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis. Sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit duis tristique. Eget magna fermentum iaculis eu non. Odio morbi quis commodo odio aenean sed adipiscing. Integer vitae justo eget magna fermentum iaculis eu. Ante in nibh mauris cursus mattis molestie a. Ut venenatis tellus in metus vulputate eu scelerisque felis. Sed odio morbi quis commodo odio aenean sed. Neque laoreet suspendisse interdum consectetur libero.
Varius quam quisque id diam vel quam elementum pulvinar. Consequat mauris nunc congue nisi vitae suscipit tellus. Bibendum at varius vel pharetra vel turpis nunc. Gravida cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis. Sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit duis tristique. Eget magna fermentum iaculis eu non. Odio morbi quis commodo odio aenean sed adipiscing. Integer vitae justo eget magna fermentum iaculis eu. Ante in nibh mauris cursus mattis molestie a. Ut venenatis tellus in metus vulputate eu scelerisque felis. Sed odio morbi quis commodo odio aenean sed. Neque laoreet suspendisse interdum consectetur libero.
Varius quam quisque id diam vel quam elementum pulvinar. Consequat mauris nunc congue nisi vitae suscipit tellus. Bibendum at varius vel pharetra vel turpis nunc. Gravida cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis. Sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit duis tristique. Eget magna fermentum iaculis eu non. Odio morbi quis commodo odio aenean sed adipiscing. Integer vitae justo eget magna fermentum iaculis eu. Ante in nibh mauris cursus mattis molestie a. Ut venenatis tellus in metus vulputate eu scelerisque felis. Sed odio morbi quis commodo odio aenean sed. Neque laoreet suspendisse interdum consectetur libero.

HOW TO GET TO BUKIT LAWANG?​

There are 3 possibilities how to get to the small village at the gates to the Sumatran Rainforest: By private car - by tourist bus (shared car) - or by public bus. We explain all your options:​
Click Here

Where to stay?

At the riverside as well as in the surroundings of Bukit Lawang are many lovely guesthouses. We will help you organizing your favorite place! Here are our recommendations:
Click Here
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