Bukit Lawang
2-day orangutan trek
One night by the river. Our most booked trek and the best chance of orangutans for the time you have.
€120 per personDetails →
Gunung Leuser National Park · North Sumatra
Orangutan trekking in Sumatra, with the people who live here
Walk into one of the last rainforests where Sumatran orangutans still live in the wild. Small groups, local guides from Bukit Lawang and Batu Katak, nights by the river, and a tube ride home.
2–12days in the jungle6guests max per group€120from, all inclusiveSince 2017guiding in Leuser
Why Sumatra
One of only two islands on Earth where you can see orangutans in the wild
Orangutans live only on Sumatra and Borneo. The Sumatran orangutan is critically endangered, and Gunung Leuser National Park in the north of the island is one of its last strongholds. The park is part of the UNESCO-listed Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra.
An orangutan trek here isn't a zoo visit. You walk through real primary rainforest with a local guide, listening for branches moving overhead, until someone stops and points. Then you stand quietly and watch a great ape go about its day.
Two places to trek
Bukit Lawang or Batu Katak?
Both villages sit on the edge of Gunung Leuser National Park, about 45 minutes apart. They feel very different once you're in the forest.
Bukit Lawang
The best-known place in Sumatra to see orangutans. Many here are semi-wild descendants of the old rehabilitation centre, so sightings are frequent.
Bukit Lawang orangutan treks →
Batu Katak
A quiet village with far fewer visitors. Fully wild orangutans, limestone caves, waterfalls and seasonal giant flowers.
Batu Katak orangutan treks →Orangutan treks from 1 day to 12 days
Every trek includes a licensed local guide, assistant and jungle chef, national park permits, all meals, camping gear, and a traditional river-tube ride back to the village. Prices are per person, based on two people travelling together.
Bukit Lawang
3-day orangutan trek
Two jungle camps and a waterfall. More time to track quietly, further from other groups.
€170 per personDetails →
Batu Katak
2-day Batu Katak trek
The quiet side of Leuser. Fewer trekkers, wild orangutans, gibbons calling at dawn.
€120 per personDetails →
Batu Katak
3-day Batu Katak trek
Silent tracking, a hidden water cave and, in season, the giant corpse flower.
€170 per personDetails →
Both areas
4-day combo trek
One night in Batu Katak, one in Bukit Lawang. Two forests, two chances to find orangutans.
€250 per personDetails →
Expedition
5-day Batu Katak to Bukit Lawang
Walk all the way between the two villages with four nights of wild camping. For fit trekkers.
€350 per personDetails →
How we trek
Ethical orangutan trekking isn't a slogan. It's four rules.
Bukit Lawang has a history of guides feeding orangutans to guarantee sightings. It harms the animals, and we don't do it.
We never feed them
Food teaches orangutans to approach people and spreads disease. Our guides don't carry fruit to lure them in, and we ask you not to either.
We keep our distance
At least 10 metres, more for mothers with babies. No touching, no selfies at arm's length, no crowding round a tree.
We keep it quiet
A maximum of six guests per group, and no shouting across the forest for other guides. Quiet groups see more anyway.
No fake guarantees
These are wild animals. We'll tell you honestly what your chances are, and we won't promise anything the forest can't.
What else lives in the forest
Gunung Leuser is the only place on Earth where orangutans, tigers, rhinos and elephants still share the same forest. On a trek you're far more likely to meet the smaller residents: Thomas leaf monkeys, white-handed gibbons and siamangs, hornbills, monitor lizards, pit vipers and tree frogs.
Your guides
Led by Rama and a team born on the edge of the park
Rama grew up in Bukit Lawang and has been guiding in Gunung Leuser since 2017. The forest, the river and the orangutans are his home, not a workplace. He built a small team of guides, assistants and jungle chefs from Bukit Lawang and Batu Katak who work the same way.
When you book with us, your money stays in these two villages: with the guides, the cooks, the drivers and the families who run the guesthouses.
A day on the trail
What an orangutan trek actually feels like
You'll be picked up from your guesthouse after breakfast and walk out through rubber and fruit gardens until the trees get taller and the air gets heavier. From there it's up and down muddy ridges, with stops whenever your guide hears something.
Lunch is fried rice wrapped in a banana leaf and a pile of tropical fruit. In the afternoon you drop down to a riverside camp: a simple shelter, a swim in clear water, and a candlelit dinner cooked over the fire. At night the forest gets loud.
On the last day you climb onto a row of inflated tubes lashed together and ride the river back to the village. Everybody's favourite part.
What our guests say
Escape To Sumatra is rated Excellent on Google (30 reviews) and Tripadvisor. A few words from recent guests:
★★★★★
“I liked the way they approach her, ethically, respecting every single rule.”
★★★★★
“Real jungle experience, plenty of wildlife (including orangutans!!)”
★★★★★
“A totally amazing experience. Very impressive wildlife sightings.”
★★★★★
“The jungle is mysterious and you climb the hill not knowing what you will see.”
★★★★★
“Everything was done in an ethical way, with great respect for the jungle and wildlife.”
★★★★★
“A true highlight of our trip!”
Orangutan trekking questions
Will I definitely see an orangutan?
Nobody honest can promise that, because these are wild animals. That said, most of our Bukit Lawang trekkers see at least one orangutan, often a mother and baby, on a 2-day trek. In Batu Katak the orangutans are fully wild and shyer, so sightings are rarer but feel very special. Longer treks give you more chances.
What is the best trek for seeing orangutans?
If orangutans are your top priority and you only have a couple of days, choose the 2 or 3-day Bukit Lawang trek. If you'd rather have a quieter jungle with fewer people and wild animals, choose Batu Katak, or do both with the 4-day combo.
How much does an orangutan trek in Sumatra cost?
Our treks start at €120 per person for 2 days and 1 night (minimum two people), including guide, park permits, meals, camping gear and river tubing back. See every price on the treks and prices page.
Can I come on my own?
Yes. If another group is trekking on your dates we'll put you together at no extra cost. If not, a solo supplement of €100 applies on the standard treks.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderate fitness is enough for the 2-day treks: expect 6 to 7 hours of walking on muddy, steep forest trails with plenty of stops. The 4-day and expedition treks are much harder.
Ready to meet the people of the forest?
Tell us your dates and how many of you are coming. Rama or one of the team will reply on WhatsApp, usually the same day, and help you pick the right trek.