Sumatra’s Wild Side: Orangutans, Rivers & Rural Life

Welcome to Indonesia, and the Island of Sumatra! Arrive at anytime and meet your group and CEO in the evening for a welcome meeting. Then head out for your first night out alongside the crew! Maybe grab a beer or a fresh local juice at a bar in town to start getting to know Indo and your group better!

Included Experiences

• Connect With New Friends: Connect with new friends on your first night out in a new destination. Only available on 18-to-Thirtysomethings tours.
• Meet Your CEO and Group: Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.

Nothin' like a city tour to get to know the lay of the land. Walk and cruise on a becak, an Indonesian cycle rickshaw, through Medan today, visit the must-see spots like the Al-Mashun Great Mosque and Maimun Palace. Marvel at an ancient Chinese temple, explore the jewel of Medan, wander through the bustling local market, a fish market-turned fabric shop and chow down on a delicious family-style Padang lunch together. After the tour, the rest of the day is yours to explore the wonderful city of Medan.

Included Experiences

• Padang Lunch: Fill up on an amazing lunch as the locals do in West Sumatra. We'll sit down together for a delicious Padang style meal, where our host will serve a large number of small platters of different dishes. The charm of Padang cuisine lies not only in its range of dishes but also in its serving style, called hidang. Diners are charged only for the platters that have been eaten from; untouched platters are taken away and served to other guests.
• The Great Mosque of Medan and Maimun Palace Visit: Visit the Grand mosque of Medan, Al-Mashun. Built in the early 1900's, this beautiful mosque is a mix of Middle Eastern, Spanish and Indian architecture. It was part of the Maimun Palace complex, so after visiting the mosque, walk to the palace and explore the property built by to the sultan of Deli in the year 1888 with Malay, Mogul and Italian influences.
• Vihara Gunung Timur: Visit the beautiful Vihara Gunung Timur. This Chinese temple is the largest in the city of Medan and on the island of Sumatra. This temple was built in the 1962 and dedicated to Dongyue Dadi. Enjoy your visit and admire the classic Chinese architecture.
• Tjong Afie Mansion: Visit the "historical jewel in Medan," a 35-room, 2-story mansion built in 1895. It is a registered historical landmark as well as a cultural heritage building and museum.

Drive west after breakfast to Bukit Lawang, a village tucked away in the jungle. Perfect for nature enthusiasts and adventurers. We'll arrive in the afternoon. Check in to the hotel, then chill out or get out and explore! Enjoy that free time! Local cooking class, anyone?

Included Experiences

• Free Time: Spend the afternoon free to explore this small jungle village.

Optional Experiences

• Local Cooking Class: Take a becak to a local cooking class for dinner. Learn to make famous dishes from the Batak ethnic group in North Sumatra like flavorful fish stew or aromatic rendang chicken and acar campur, a local pickled vegetable salad.

The trek of a lifetime begins today as we head out into the Gunung Leuser National Park, home of the beautiful orangutan. This rainforest is one of the richest and most vibrant in the whole world! Our destination today is our campsite, deep in the jungle! We'll trek for around 6-7 hours today, on the look out for animals that most people only dream of spotting. Think orangutans, monkeys, giant monitor lizards and a bunch of colorful birds! We'll stop when we encounter animals (fingers crossed for a bunch of orangutans), take lots of breaks throughout the hike and stop for a picnic lunch halfway. Camp will already be set up for us when we arrive so that's your cue to relax and prepare for a delicious local cookout made by our local guide. A much deserved feast after today's adventure! You will be hiking with your belongings on your back, so make sure to bring a small backpack to carry the few things you'll need for this 2 day/1 night jungle trek. Your main luggage will be left safely in Bukit Lawang.

Included Experiences

• Gunung Leuser National Park Trek: Trek into Gunung Leuser National Park, one of the richest tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia, until you reach your campsite this afternoon. The hike starts from Bukit Lawang Village and enters the dense jungle terrain. Cross over streams, climb hills and enjoy the shade from the canopy above. The trails are narrow, often muddy, sometimes steep and uneven, winding through dense rainforest. On the hike, we hope to encounter semi-wild orangutans, Thomas leaf monkeys, long-tailed macaques, gibbons, and possibly hornbills or monitor lizards. Gunung Leuser National Park is a special place because it is one of the only places on Earth where orangutans live naturally. Keep your eyes and your camera peeled!

Your tropical jungle adventure continues today, starting with a camp breakfast. Taking a different path, we'll hike through more of Gunung Leuser National Park, keeping an eye out for more endangered animals and admiring the insanely awesome jungle surroundings. We’re hoping for more interactions with orangutans especially today! At our destination, we'll have a riverside lunch then hop into an inner tube and raft down the river, returning to Bukit Lawang on a traditional raft. How cool is that? Enjoy free time to chill or visit the Bat Cave. Then get ready! ‘Cause we’re going out! Tonight is your Big Night Out alongside the crew. We’ll hit up a jungly bar and have ourselves a night!

Included Experiences

• Gunung Leuser National Park Trek Day 2: Continue the epic trek through the beautiful Gunung Leuser National Park. This is a steeper hike but we'll have plenty of breaks and shade. Make sure to keep your voice low in hopes to see as much wildlife as possible.
• Sumatra River Tubing: Go with the flow on this cool and exciting river rafting experience. In a traditional Sumatra raft, all tied together, float down the river, leaving Gunung Leuser National Park and returning to Bukit Lawang.
• Bukit Lawang Big Night Out: Hit the jungle-y town of Bukit Lawang tonight with the crew for your Big Night Out. It's about to be a WILD night! Wild... get it?.. like the jungle? You get it!

Optional Experiences

• Bat Cave Trek: Marvel at the geological formations and thousands of bats that suspend from the roof of the cave as you make your way through the darkness with a flashlight. Please note, appropriate footwear is advised as the ground can be uneven and slippery.

We said it before and we'll say it again, Bukit Lawang is an adventurers paradise! So today is yours to live that! Choose to explore the town on your own terms or head out on an epic full day white water rafting adventure or cycle through the jungly bamboo homes and rural magic of Bukit Lawang. Get out there!

Included Experiences

• Free Time: Time for adventure! Get out and explore Bukit Lawang!

Optional Experiences

• Sei Bingei River White Water Rafting: Drive along the beautiful Sei Bingei river to the starting point (which can take about 2 hours). Then the rafting adventure begins! This is an excellent opportunity to see birds and other wildlife, as well as getting your blood pumping (mildly) during the rafting. Raft until you reach the waterfall where we'll stop on the bank of the river to swim and eat. Then return to Bukit Lawang.
• Half day Cycling Bukit Lawang Kampung Tour: Meet the local English Speaking guide will pick you up at your guesthouse and take you through rice paddy panoramas to see the marvelous irrigation system at work. The area around Bukit Lawang is hardly touched by tourism and has retained much of its rural magic. On this unique tour you will observe the ancient routine of planting and harvesting rice and explore everyday village life. En route you will see how people live in Kampung Bukit and how they produce brown sugar, tofu and rubber or how they weave bamboo for their houses. Guided talks with the villagers will deeply immerse you in Indonesian culture. The last stopover on this tour will be at Simpang Mursal Timbangjaya for a typical local lunch together with villagers.

Leave Bukit Lawang today as you head back to Medan. On the way, we have the opportunity to spend the day at Kampung Lama, a special village where Malay, Javanese and Bataknese communities live peacefully together. While enjoying a local snack and drink, learn about the history and uniqueness of the village. Then get hands on making traditional crafts made of coconut leaves and learning local games. Next up, enjoy a delicious lunch and some time on the farm. After an amazing day with the villagers, return to Medan for the night.

Included Experiences

• Kampung Lama Village Experience: Visit the unique village of Kampung Lama where Malay, Javanese, and Bataknese communities live together. Learn about the interesting history of the village, enjoy a delicious lunch, and join the locals in the fields for some farming activities. Depending on the season, we may help plant rice, harvest it or get our hands dirty in the vegetable garden.

Say goodbye to Sumatra! If you are ending your tour in Medan, book a domestic flight back to Jakarta or Bali and allow for 4 hours to transit to the international airport to catch your onward flight back to your final destination.