Useful Info

HOW TO GET THERE

FLIGHTS & TRANSPORTATION

To get to North Sumatra and Bukit Lawang you have to book a flight to Medan (KNO – Kualanamu International Airport). If your departure is in Europe, we can recommend flights via Qatar Airways with transits in Doha and Kuala Lumpur or via Singapore Airlines / Scoot with transit in Singapore.

Bukit Lawang

Our situated 98 km west of Medan’s airport. The drive takes approximately 4 hours. You have 3 options how to get from the airport to Bukit Lawang

WHERE TO STAY

There are many cute guesthouses next to the riverside of Bukit Lawang. We will Accommodate you to the lovely places which are situated close to the jungle with spectacular views!

Private Car

We will happily organize you a pickup service from the airport directly to your accommodation in Bukit Lawang. This is the easiest way, because you will have your personal car with air con and your personal driver, who can stop wherever you need it (e.g., to have lunch or dinner on the way). A private car costs 750.000 IDR and the drive takes about 4 hours. Just let us know in your booking or a few days before your arrival.

Tourist Bus

Tourist Bus: means you will share a private car with other tourists who arrive about at the same time at the airport (sometimes it means to wait for the arrival of another plane). Therefore, that option depends on the season. Please let us know if you are interested and we will give you the current information. Tourist bus costs 13 € / 210.000 IDR and takes about 5 to 6 hours to Bukit Lawang.

Gunung Leuser National Park

the Gunung Leuser National Park covers 1,095,000 ha in northern Sumatra and has amongst one of the most diverse biodiversity in the world by housing thousands of species of indigenous animals, insects and plants. This amazing rainforest provides also a home for endangered and protected species like the Sumatran Tiger, Rhinoceros, Slow Loris, Elephant and of course the wonderful people of the forest, the Sumatran Orangutans (“orang” means people and “utan” forest)

The Gunung Leuser National Park is one of the 2 only places in the world where you can observe Orangutans in the wild.

Public Bus:

We only recommend this option if you are an Indonesian Citizen or have lived in Indonesia for a while, as this drive is quite an adventure! From the airport you have to take a bus to Binjai. There you have to find a smaller bus going to Bukit Lawang. Prices depend on the bus driver, but mostly tourists have to pay more than locals. Therefore, we highly advise you to use option 1 or 2! Of course, all of these options are valid vice versa (from Bukit Lawang to Medan airport).

VISA INFORMATION & ENTRY REGULATIONS

Since the Covid 19 pandemic, there is no longer a free visa for Indonesia. All travelers must present a visa upon arrival or purchase one at the airport. At the moment (as of April 2023), a corona vaccination / in exceptional cases a medical certificate must also be presented.

If you would like to stay up to 60 days in Indonesia, you can apply for a renewable visa on arrival directly at the airport. It will cost you around 35 Dollars and gives you the possibility of extending your visa for another 30 days after your first month in Indonesia. For the extension, you have to go to the immigration office three times a few days before the expiry of the first 30 days or hire a visa agent.

If you plan to stay in Indonesia for a longer period, to visit all its beautiful islands or to do some volunteering for example, you have to apply for a social visa at the Indonesian Embassy of your home country. This visa will be valid for 6 months, but you have to extend it every 2 months in an Indonesian immigration office. Please check the formalities and prices depending on your home country at the appropriate website.

If you are very spontaneous, your last option is to leave Indonesia for 1 or 2 days (e.g. Penang, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore) after the 30 or 60 days of the Visa on Arrival and re-enter with a new Visa on Arrival. As this option is very popular among Travellers, the Indonesian government is trying to restrict it. Therefore, you should read the latest regulations carefully before choosing this option.

HEALTH & SAFETY

We recommend you procure a travel and health insurance for your entire trip in case something happens. Hospital and doctor bills can be very high in Indonesia… There is a small medical station and a pharmacy nearby Bukit Lawang. Anyways, in some cases it could be better to visit a hospital in Medan (capital of Sumatra). So better be safe with an insurance!

As well we recommend vaccination against rabies and hepatitis. However, this is not mandatory. If you are bitten by an animal (regardless of whether you have a vaccination or not), you can get a rabies shot directly at the infirmary of Bukit Lawang.

So far on all our treks, our guests returned healthy and happily without any injuries. However, there also are street animals in Indonesia which could transfer several sicknesses.

Travel insurance is within the personal responsibility of each traveller and should cover injuries, accidents and the loss of personal belongings.