QUEST TO FIND SUMATRAN ORANGUTAN
On holiday of Ied Al Fitr in June 2017, I had a week holiday, but nothing planned because I thought it would be expensive to travel around during those times. As always, Dennis would have this idea of impromptu trips. After browsing through some destinations, flying to Medan was a great idea because it was in the middle between Bangkok and Surabaya, moreover, it would be an exciting trip to see Orangutans, which were already in our bucket list for quite sometime.
Within one day, a trip for the next day was confirmed. We would be having two days of trekking in the jungle, with a local guide!
We spent a night in Medan and got picked up by the driver early morning the day after. We headed to Bukit Lawang, the entrance to Gunung Leuser (Leuser Mountain) — a National Park 2.5 hours drive away from Medan. I’m writing more about Bukit Lawang and its people herebecause they deserve a dedicated post.
After we arrived around 9am, we were led to a guest house in the Bukit Lawang village to have our welcome drink there, and got introduced to our Guide named Leli — a local who had been exploring the jungle since he was 9 years old.
We were walking from the village to the entrance of Gunung Leuser National Park, which required us to go passed alleys in the village, a bridge, up to the hill and finally arriving at the entrance.
Leli helped us to pay the entrance fee to the Park Ranger, who also registered us. They need to do that in order to track visitors that come in and come out of National Park.
Around noon, our journey began, trekking into the jungle we go!
We planned to reach our destination where we would spend the night by 4–5 PM, before it was going dark. It would be dangerous if we were still in the jungle when it got dark. It was 4–5 hours trekking but we didn’t get bored at all. Leli explained lots of things to us, and we also asked lots of questions to him about the jungle and its species. He also mentioned about plants and their benefits during our walk, and how the villagers used them for herbal medicines, etc.
We stopped for lunch at an open area which Leli thought was safe for us to enjoy our food, without being attacked by baboons. He opened 3 packages from his backpacks, which were packs of nasi goreng that his mom had cooked. On top of the nasi goreng, he sliced cucumbers and tomatoes. Fancy! Of course, some macaques already smelled the food, and they were coming closer, but Leli put on his scary face every time they came closer to scare them away.
Trekking in the jungle was actually no joke. The path was going up and down, and you could not really guess where you need to go, as there was no clear walkway. Having a guide was actually very important, besides of telling us where to go, he really had the skill to survive in the jungle. During the walk, you need to be careful of what you’d step onto. Just in case there were snakes. Or giant insects. Or others. On top of the wild terrain, the weather was very humid. We were sweating like crazy!
During the few hours of our walk we encountered thomas leaf monkeys, macaques, baby and female orangutans.
Suddenly, our guide told us to walk slowly and made no sound. He then pointed out to a shape among the trees. A huge male orangutan was sitting there; we were so lucky!
At one point, we stopped because we heard gibbons calling each other. It was loud, but beautiful and serene, like a song. It lasted for 10–15 minutes and we were just standing there, enjoying them without seeing any gibbons in sight. It was magical.
We were staying for the night near the river. Leli made a point that near the river was nice because there would be no mosquitoes because of the moving water. There were few shacks there, and a cook was waiting for us.
We had snacks by the river, prepared by our cook. It was simple but our surroundings made them unforgettable.
We spent time playing by the river, cleaning up, enjoying the scenery, and exploring a bit. Then the sunset and it was dark. Not too long after, the dinner was ready. To be honest, we couldn’t really see what we ate because it was so dark, but it were delicious. After dinner, we killed time by playing simple games with Leli and our cook; it was fun and we laughed so much. We were so tired from the trekking that we decided to sleep early.
Our bed was made from a very thin 1 sheet mattress, but they managed to install mosquito nets above our “bed”. Good that we brought our travel pillow with us, it was worth carrying them through the jungle. I thought that I would have difficulties to sleep, but that was not happening. I was too tired I think, and I was sleeping through the night, only waking up when it was bright already.
After breakfast, the three of us headed back into the jungle to continue our journey.
The second day was as eventful as the first day. Almost at the end of the journey, we were chased by an aggressive orangutan from which we literally had to run for our lives. I remembered running up and down, and wondered where did I get this energy from? Adrenaline rush for sure!
I also got bitten by a leech that went into my shoes, and didn’t notice it until Dennis saw blood on my shoes. The leech was fat already by the time we took it off.
Our finishing line was an open space river bank, where our cook was already waiting with packages of mie goreng. Yum!
We then headed back to the Bukit Lawang village by floating down the river on tubes that were tied together, along with Leli and the cook. They put our bags and shoes inside a huge plastic bag and also tied them onto the tubes. The scenery was beautiful, and it was a grand ending to our memorable two-day journey!
Oh, did I mention that there was no phone signal starting from Bukit Lawang village?
More Information
Agency we booked: Bukit Lawang Travel, I highly recommend them because all arrangements were so smooth! We loved our guide Leli because he’s very skilful and informative, and on top of that he is easy to get along.
What to wear: A very comfortable sportswear/t-shirt, and preferably long pants/long sleeves as you will get sunburned, and it will be useful to prevent insect bites — not that it will stop them though. Durable sport shoes.
What to bring: mosquito repellent (I used it over the clothes as well since the mosquito bites can go through your clothes), huge water bottle, money (no ATM at Bukit Lawang), changing clothes if you will stay for the night, personal necessities, band aids, plastic bags for your dirty clothes and trashes, wet tissues.
Once again, if you’re planning to visiting, please bring your trashes back in plastic bag.
Original post on our blog: http://www.dennislydia.com/quest-to-find-sumatran-orangutan/
