Extraordinary two-day orangutan trek in Sumatra

When my concentration was focused on a jungle trek to see orangutans in Sumatra, Indonesia, I temporarily forgot the ongoing coup back ‘home’ by the techbro thugs and wannabe autocratic oligarch kings. For adventurous budget slow travelers, this post details our extraordinary two-day orangutan trek in Sumatra. For casual readers, this is a travel story about this trek with plenty of images that you certainly don’t see every day.

Sumatra is one of two places on Earth to see wild orangutans. The other is Borneo. Most tourists in North Sumatra jungle treks will see semi-wild orangutans – rehabilitated after illness, injury, or captivity, and sent back to the wild. Their babies are born in the wild, and so the next generation is considered wild. However, offspring see rehabilitated moms unconcerned when humans get close, and so babies adopt this approach to people. This is how I was able to get the amazing photos in this post. Nearly all are zoomed in on an old iPhone X. I was always at least the recommended 25 feet away from the orangutans.

Two-day orangutan trek in Sumatra

It’s easy to lose oneself to the moment when you’re standing under Earth’s largest arboreal mammal in a pristine rain forest without a spec of plastic trash to be found. It’s thrilling to leave the trail and watch a local guide track orangutans through thick canopy, and it’s extraordinary to stand still and watch with shallow breath amid a lively jungle racket as an orangutan comes down from the canopy to snatch a termite nest for a snack a couple dozen feet away.

This wild adventure happened in a sliver of the Gunung Leuser National Park near Bukit Lawang, near the center of North Sumatra. It’s a World Heritage Site.

I saw four adult female orangutans and three youngsters on three separate experiences over our two-day jungle trek. Male sightings are rare – they go deeper into the jungle and take longer than two days to track. Orangutans do not travel and live as families, although, as you will see, the babies and youngsters stick around their moms for some years.

Orangutan sighting #1

Female One and Baby One rested in the treetops, where orangutans spend something like 90 percent of their days. They are the largest arboreal mammals on Earth. Baby One was the youngest and smallest I saw. The ‘baby’ was less than two years old. I watched them for about 20 minutes when mom left the baby in their temporary treetop ‘nest’ to grab a termite nest for a snack halfway down a tree.

Chatty tourists around the scene sort of diluted the intensity of the moment, unfortunately.

Orangutan sighting #2

At midday, Female Two relaxed way up high in the canopy above us. Orangutans make a few nests each day for naps and sleeping when they aren’t eating. They generally do not reuse the same nests because they become invaded by bugs or snakes and excrement.

We watched for awhile, with strained necks and bated breath, but she never really moved, so we did. We went in a separate direction from other trekking groups and I’m so glad we did, because the next experience was rare — and incredibly special!

Orangutan sighting #3

This time there was no tourist crowd and this was an intense encounter! The only other people there for this fantastic experience: spouse Theo and two European young men now living in Australia, and our second guide named Henry (our primary guide was Putra). Mom Diane, 86-years-young, skipped this part of the trek and started back down the longer, but still treacherous trail, off the mountain. The rest of us hiked into the jungle on a slippery, muddy slope. Theo fell on his butt in the mud once.

It was worth it when we found Female Three and her young adolescent, ‘Baby’ Two. Female Four was following them.

Henry knew each of the adults and referred to them by names I cannot recall (but he called the babies only ‘baby’). The adult females were rehabilitated, but their babies were born in the wild. Sadly, Female Four’s baby didn’t survive. Henry believes it’s possible the childless female was following the other mother and her baby with a longing for the baby.

We watched the three orangutans move through the trees. For a while, we were almost directly under them, and then right next to them!

We moved off the trail to follow them. A thorny bush pierced my finger, my eyeglasses kept steaming from humidity, sweat poured off me in buckets, mosquitoes tried to bite through my long-sleeved thin cotton shirt, giant ants more than an inch long crawled everywhere, my sneakers covered in mud, leaches trying to get at me – and yet it was much easier to move on the jungle floor than it was on the muddy trail.

And so we followed them as they swung through the trees and we watched, and followed and watched some more, and I had the chance to make a small video. I whispered what the video shows, because I didn’t want to speak out loud – none of us did. That was the glorious benefit of no tourists: no distracting, unnecessary chatter clogging up this extraordinary event.

This sighting was my favorite part of the entire orangutan trek. It was a special, up close encounter without throngs of other tourists. In fact, as we left that part of the jungle, we saw other groups trying to catch up with those three orangutans, but I doubt if they made it. Certainly luck plays a role in addition to a great guide.

Orangutan sighting #4

Putra helped me down the mountain on an extremely difficult trail that was sometimes nearly vertical. Much of the trail had rope or heavy vines to grab over 80 degree angled slopes with mud, loose rocks and wet tree roots. We took this trail to save time since we had spent time tracking the previous three orangutans off trail.

I’m amazed I survived with my bad knee and a small accident. Theo slipped behind me and knocked into me. We both dangled over the trail as we hung onto a vine!

Warning! Parts of this hike are extremely difficult. People with health or mobility issues should confer about all routes with guides ahead of time, and perhaps not engage in this activity at all.

Once down the mountain, we saw Female Five and Baby Three. Once again, we were the only tourists in the vicinity. We saw them near the end of the excursion, near the river on our way back to Bukit Lawang, the village where we started. Theo’s Mom Diane rejoined our group at this spot and saw this sighting, too. (She reports the ‘easier’ trail down the mountain was not easy at all, but she managed.)

At this orangutan sighting, one of our European friends angered the mom by getting too close to the baby. She showed her fangs and started to come our way, as if she was going to come for our friend – so we all ran away! But she turned away from us as we left, as you can see below.

Our guides weren’t worried at all and all said she would not have attacked us. Rehabilitated Female Five is known to get grumpy and vocal, but never violent, when anyone gets within 50 feet of her baby. Still, it was quite the scare! Theo captured a picture of our run and as you can see in the shot above, Female Five had already turned her back on us as we ran away.

Next up was the white-water raft ride back to Bukit Lawang. It had rained for six hours as we slept in the campsite the night before, which made for easier – and more thrilling – rafting.

two-day orangutan trek details

Our main guide was Putra from Family Fun Guest House ‘n Jungle Tour in Bukit Lawang. Theo picked him as a guide based on reviews that said he didn’t rip off tourists and speaks excellent English. Alerted ahead of time to Mom Diane’s advanced age, Putra arranged for an extra guide. So it was us three, plus the two young men to make our party of five. We had two guides, as I mentioned for splitting up, plus one porter, for eight people total. Extra rafting helpers were added at the end to guide the ‘jungle taxi’ around a few tricky spots.

River crossings were necessary to reach camp so water shoes were a good idea. I wore my Teva sandals, but Putra has water shoes if you need them.

Putra’s accommodations at the Family Fun Guest House are basic, but clean and comfortable. For older budget slow travelers like us who want more comfort, you could stay elsewhere but still trek with Putra. But plan ahead! His schedule fills up.

Also, Putra is building a new nearby facility that will be just outside of the village that will be open in mid-2025. He only needs another $3,000 for building materials to finish – but that is a lot of money in this part of the world.

Putra’s wife Maya is sweet lady, a great cook, and is extremely helpful in making sure you are comfortable and have everything you need, including connecting you with laundry service.

Theo and our European friends enjoyed many cold beers on the patio at the Family Fun Guest House on the Bohorok River – the rafting river.

If you do this, do it with Putra

I cannot recommend Putra enough. As a guide, he was absolutely incredible! And so is his team! They know so much about all the wildlife you’ll see – not only orangutans, but also various other monkeys such as white-handed gibbons, pig-tailed and long-tailed macaques and Thomas leaf langurs. Putra easily spots birds for you as well, such as exotic-looking hornbills.

The campsite for the two-day trek is in a great spot compared to some of the other campsites we passed by. Ours was more in the open on a riverbed with an easy spot to soak after a long hot day of jungle trekking.

There is a toilet for tourists. Of course, you are camping in the jungle so all facilities are basic.

I must mention the food. Putra, Maya and the crew really go out of their way to make sure there is plenty of great tasting food and loads of fresh fruit to keep you fueled for this adventure. In fact, it was really too much food for us – but we understand the reason they keep feeding us. You really will need the energy to accomplish this trek.

This is not a beginner trek. But if you are moderately fit, determined, and keep a good attitude, you will be rewarded with an experience few get to have: you will see semi-wild and wild orangutans at one of only two places on Earth where they exist. In fact, Putra offers much longer treks as well our simple two-day adventure.

Package deal extras

After our stay at Putra’s Family Fun Guest House, he and Maya drove us our next stop at Berastagi near the Sinabung and Sibayak volcanoes. He took the back way through the Gunung Leuser National Park, and we stopped for coffee at a sweet spot with a great volcanic view.

Before our trek, Putra arranged to have a driver take us from Tanjung Balai, a port city south of Medan, to his hotel in Bukit Lawang – a six hour drive at night in rural Sumatra. Normally, we budget slow travelers would have taken a bus, but we came to Indonesia via ferry from Port Dickson, Malaysia, and wanted to save a day because we are ‘fast traveling’ with Mom Diane.

Basically, Putra can help curate anything you need. He is honest, and he won’t rip you off. Additionally, he knows everything about the local culture and wildlife. His English is advanced, he has a sense of humor, and he is extremely kind.

A note about USAID

No internet on this trek meant no news, which meant I could devote my attention to the present moment in front of me. Back to reality in Berastagi with an internet connection, I looked up something that had crossed my mind more than once on this fantastic jungle trek: what impact, if any, would the loss of money from The United States Agency for International Development have on the orangutans and Indonesian people?

Turns out: plenty. And none of it good.

Without humanitarian and food help from USAID, Indonesia will face a resurgent terrorist problem as extremist groups regain control over vulnerable (hungry) populations. This fact has been reported extensively by The Jakarta Post and other English-language Indonesian media sites in early 2025. China might step in to give a small amount of food money, but whether it will replace what is lost remains to be seen.

Additionally, orangutans will be affected. Humanitarian aid means people won’t capture orangutans for the black market, or sell land for more palm oil plantations. Palm oil crop is more lucrative than rubber tree fields. But the orangutans can’t live on rows of curated palm trees on giant plantations. Also, the palms deplete the soil of nutrients as they suck up ridiculous amounts water.

In December 2024, USAID held an event designed to advance orangutan conservation strategies between Indonesian public and private sectors.

“Since 2001, the United States has invested over $50 million through USAID to protect Indonesia’s orangutans and their habitats, as part of a broader commitment to natural resources management,” said a symposium news release. “U.S. partnerships with the government, private sector, and civil society to conserve and protect Indonesia’s rich tropical forests are helping to protect 6.5 million hectares of orangutan habitat.”

Eco-tourism like our trek can help put money into the local economy so people can earn a living without turning to even more palm oil fields (there are miles of these around the park) that destroy orangutan habitats and helping to prevent black market orangutans.

I say travel now, because Life is Now, and who knows how much longer this safe, extraordinary trekking experience will be available. Five more years? Ten? Longer? Shorter?

At the time of this writing, the Trump administration planned to cut USAID despite a court order to honor contracts already granted. It’s only a matter of time before the effects of lost food help for people will directly impact orangutan conservation in this part of the world.

Our two-day orangutan trek package deal price

Our package deal for three people included:

• six-hour private car ride at night from Tanjung Balai through rural areas to Bukit Lawang
• three-night stay at the Family Fun Guest House
• two-day, one-night jungle trek including all park fees, all meals, camping, extra guide for Mom Diane
• four-hour private car ride from Bukit Lawang to Berastagi

All for $550 — plus we generously tipped our trek team and hosts.

You cannot put a price on what we experienced and the memories we have. And also, the friends we made. Putra, his wife and trekking team are all good people and hard workers. We are rooting for Putra’s entrepreneurial success!

And it’s worth saying one more time to hopefully light the fire under your ass, my dear fellow budget slow traveler. The world is burning with climate change, the ‘free world’ ruler is faltering, seas are emptying, jungles are disappearing. This is why we say travel now – because Life is Now!!

Thanks for reading, “Extraordinary two-day orangutan trek in Sumatra.”

About Ellen

Ellen and spouse Tedly started a budget slow travel lifestyle in 2015. She was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer while traveling in Europe in 2018 through an annual mammogram. She had a double mastectomy in Croatia, recovered from surgery, and kept traveling.

As a recovered alcoholic, Ellen seeks out spiritual growth opportunities in a variety of ways during her travel life, including service work, volunteering, and the occasional silent meditation retreat.

---

Other adventures on Earth: