Our 5 day treks start like all the shorter tours: after breakfast at 9 am in Bukit Lawang. Together with your guide you will walk through the lively village, climb up through the rubber plantation and reach the entrance of Gunung Leuser National Park. On this first day you have great chances to spot orangutans, gibbons, Thomas leaf monkeys and more wildlife – but you will also meet other trekking groups, especially during high season. The first night we will spend in one of our prepared campsites with mattresses, mosquito nets and cooking equipment – a comfortable base before the real adventure begins!
From the second day on, we will leave the well-trodden trails behind and step into the untouched rainforest. Here you will hardly meet any other people, the paths are no longer man-made but shaped by animals, and the jungle feels wild and pristine. The route now leads mostly along riverbeds, where you balance over rocks of all sizes and climb across rough, slippery terrain. It is less about steep ascents and descents (as during the shorter treks), but more about finding your way through water and stone. Be prepared to get wet – and to truly feel the wilderness under your feet!
Only on the 4th day, before we can raft back to Bukit Lawang, we have to climb and cross one more jungle hill. This means a final steep ascent and descent through thick rainforest – a real challenge, but one that rewards you with an even deeper connection to the wild.
Each day we will walk around 6 hours, and your guides will always look out for a beautiful place where you can stop for lunch break to restore your energy. There are a lot of animals in the jungle, but as they have never seen humans before they are very shy and elusive and therfore hard to spot and observe. The fewer animal sightings become all the more meaningful and impressive, evoking a very exceptional feeling of happiness. In the afternoon, we set up camp at remote spots that will always be nearby a stream or river as we need clean water for cooking and refilling our bottles but also to enjoy a good swim after the hike. From the second night on, our team builds the camps completely by themselves, using natural materials and the equipment that they with them so heavily. We will sleep all together under simple shelters, surrounded by nothing but jungle.
Evenings are spent with a delicious jungle dinner, sitting together by candlelight or a campfire, sharing stories, laughing and listening to the sounds of the night. Sometimes you may hear owls, or can be lucky to see the reflecting eyes of civet cats or slow loris in the dark – but in the real jungle, there are no guarantees. That’s exactly what makes it so unique and authentic.
If you are interested our team will always be happy to show you some of their survival tricks in the rainforest. Which plants and animals are poisonous? How to recognise weather footprints are fresh or already a few days old? Which plants to use for cooking, which ones for medical treatments? How to find your way through the wilderness when you loose track and many more things…
After that 5 days you will be perfectly able to find your way back home alone! Just kidding – On the last day, our famous “jungle taxi” awaits you: big rubber tubes tied together for a fun and refreshing rafting ride down the Bahorok River, back to Bukit Lawang – tired, wet, happy, and full of unforgettable memories.
This trek is perfect if you want to experience the real jungle – less crowded, raw, and full of surprises. It’s not about spotting many animals, but about discovering nature, testing your limits and learning skills that connect you deeply with the rainforest.
