The hook
A riverside jungle village on the edge of Sumatra's great rainforest, one of the last places on Earth where you can trek into the wild and meet the critically endangered Sumatran orangutan swinging through the canopy.
01Why it's worth it
Bukit Lawang sits at the eastern gateway to Gunung Leuser National Park, part of a vast, ancient tract of Sumatran rainforest and one of the very few remaining strongholds of the Sumatran orangutan, the rarer, redder cousin of Borneo's, now critically endangered as its forest falls to palm oil. From the village, local guides lead treks of a half-day to several days into the steep, dripping jungle, where, along with gibbons, macaques, hornbills, and monitor lizards, you have a genuine chance of encountering wild and semi-wild orangutans in the trees, an intimate, unforgettable meeting with one of our closest relatives (guides keep a respectful distance to protect them). The village itself is laid-back and beautiful, strung along a rushing jungle river where you can swim and, at the end of a trek, float back to town on inner tubes through the rapids. It is rougher and less-known than Borneo's orangutan sites, which is part of its appeal, and it consistently lands on travellers' lists of Southeast Asia's must-sees for the raw jungle-and-wildlife experience.
02How to experience it
Base in the village and take a guided orangutan trek (a full day or a multi-day jungle overnight for deeper wilderness and better wildlife odds), choosing conservation-minded guides who keep proper distance from the apes. Swim in the river, and float back by tube after your trek. Go in the drier months, and come prepared for heat, humidity, and mud.
From the locals
Long-term Southeast Asia travellers put it at the very top of their must-see lists: one who "lived in South East Asia for seven years and visited all ten ASEAN countries" opened their list of favourites with "Bukit Lawang, Sumatra, Indonesia," ahead of far more famous names, the jungle-and-orangutan encounter that stays with people.