This trip was amazing. We had nine days, went to beautiful Lake Toba, Berastagi, where we climbed the (not active) volcano for sunrise, and had brekkie and a cup of tea on top, which was gorgeous. Then we went to Batu Kapal, an orangutan conservation site and volunteered for a few days, which was an interesting and rewarding experience. The staff were great, welcoming and informative! Then we finished with a day walk in Gunung Leuser, where we saw some more orangutans, and explored Bukit Lawang for an afternoon. We tubed down the river which was so much fun. Jerry was great! He made us feel comfortable everywhere, serenaded us occasionally, was very informative, and often made us laugh. Likewise, Gali, Rido, Eddie and all the staff at Batu Kapal were amazing! We will be back! Stacey Alex and Ruby

This was an absolutely awesome experience. Jaka did a great job communicating and organising all the details for us - even resolving a minor issue one day for us while he was actually on his own holiday! Tommie, Edgo and Andaling were all fantastic on our exploration of the jungle (sorry for undoubted spelling errors there!) - they all knew their stuff, and made sure we had a great trip. We did the 4 nights/5 days trip and I would highly recommend this if you have the time. The 2-3 day treks only explore the first part of the jungle and while this is the best place to see orangutans and other pimates and is still awesome, it is all on land and you cross paths with other groups regularly. On the longer trip we spent days wandering up the Landak River as well as being in the jungle and had campsites to ourselves (shared with a troop of gibbons in a nearby tree at one place) so it expanded the landscape we experienced and the remoteness we felt. We also saw a deer, a snake, a few more (and different) primates and a tonne of dragonflies, butterflies, flowers and fungi that we didnt see on the first day in the 2-3 day trekking area. It had a few challenging sections, but we actually found it easier than we were expecting to complete the walking (a 50 year old couple and their 20 year daughter). The food was outstanding and included stuff we foraged and caught in the jungle on the more remote days - it was truely unbelievable what the guys could prepare over a campfire in the middle of nowhere! Jaka then organised a side trip after trekking to Tunkahan Elephant Sancutary as well as a lunch and awesome day before returning to Medan. There was really nothing about this whole experience that underdelivered and many parts that way overdelivered. All members of our family loved it and Jaka is a perfect person to organise the trip through - could not recommend doing the trip we did enough! On the night before our trek we stayed at the Luxury Villa the business owns - this was fantastic - it is in the jungle, an awesome place to stay and there were a number of volunter researchers there too tracking the orangutans and it was good to hear what they were doing. After the trip we stayed at the Happy Ria in the Bukit Lawang village - this is also a lovely building, but had no hot water or snacks/beers available onsite and is up a very long set of stairs from the village so you would have to be a bit better planned and bring anything you wanted up with you first trip! In summary, this was a fantastic trip and Sumatra Adventure Holidays did everything in their power to make it as good as possible for us - stop looking around and just send Jaka a message to book in! :)

My husband and I have recently returned from a wonderful trip to Indonesia, spending 6 days in Sumartra. From the moment we were picked up at our hotel in Medan we were spoilt by the friendly and kind Jaka and the members of his teams at Sumartra Adventure Holidays. After staying overnight at the Happy Ria Homestay at Bukit Lawang, we set off for a six hour trek into the Gunung Leuser National Park. This is a strenuous trek in very hot, humid conditions. Here, we were lucky enough to see many orangutans and other monkeys. Our guide, Teddy and assistant guide, Eddie, were very attentive, helping me climb up and down hills in the jungle. We camped for the night in tents near a river and enjoyed fabulous food prepared by our guides. Our next stop was a villa on a conservation site where Santa, a very friendly and informative staff member, advised us about volunteers monitoring wild orangutans in the area After a fast motorbike ride back to Bukit Lawang, we were driven to Batu Rongring, where we hiked to view an enormous tree in the middle of the jungle. We stayed overnight in a guesthouse in Tangkahan, overlooking the river. In the morning, we hiked into the jungle again where we saw a mother elephant, her baby and another young female elephant. Our guide, Bim, gave us pineapple to feed to the elephants which was a special treat for us. After our hike, we were driven to our last stop at a glamping site, set high above the river. We were transported across the river on a bamboo raft, which was a neat experience. After another delicious meal in the evening, Jaka had arranged for a local musician to entertain us . What a special treat to finish off a fantastic time spent with wonderful guides and other members of Jaka’s staff. Our last fun experience was a trip down the river in an inner tube raft, before heading back to our hotel in Medan. We would like to thank Jaka for an unforgettable holiday with him and his fantastic teams. We do not hesitate to highly recommend him and his tour company.

I was one of a group of ten on a private group tour who spent 14 days on a tour/trek managed by Jaka. (Jaka has one of the best offices on the planet). I have the highest regard for Jaka and his team. His organisational skill to pull people into the comprehensive itinerary of our trip was fantastic and he was very flexible when circumstances determined that changes had to be made. Safe and appropriate transport was provided from Medan to Medan with highly skilled drivers. Accommodation standards in the jungle areas vary, so best to ask for a package that suits your budget. Jaka's ambition is to see as many of his fellow Indonesians involved in eco tourism as possible and as such he employs the use of indigenous resources wherever he possibly can. We had elements of adventure, of awe and of fabulous fun packed into our itinerary. We hiked up volcanoes, swam and walked along and in pristine jungle rivers. We saw orangutans in their habitat. We fed elephants in their own jungle setting. We had cultural experiences with local people. We visited their places of worship. Were shown through local villages riding on becaks. Jaka and Eddie delivered beyond my expectations.

The tour was well organised, everything promised was delivered. The guides go the extra to ensure everything is right and are very friendly but still professional. Would certainly recommend the tour and the company. The tour was one which will always remain a special and unique experience for us thank you

I cannot praise Eddie and his team enough. The whole experience was absolutely fantastic. My family (including a 17, 14 and an 11 year old) had an adventure of a life time. From the jungle treks, elephant experience, orangotan spotting, caves, off road motorbike ride and river tubing everything was organised really well and we always felt safe and well cared for. It was inspirational to see how Eddie is inspiring a new generation to care for their wildlife and change the engrained attitudes of the past. I would strongly recommend this trip and particularly Sumatra Adventure Holidays for a family experience that you will never forget!

We did 5D/4N trek with This company, and its amazing. My first time seeing orang utan and others monkeys, the sceneries were really beautiful. The people were amazing and they treated u like family. Thank u so much for the experience team

We have just come back from an amazing adventure. We booked in for the 8 day northern Sumatra adventure and we were not disappointed. It started off with them picking us up at our hotel in Medan, my friend who i was travelling with has an accident and injured her knee on the flight over, the guys went above and beyond to make her feel comfortable.. even stopping so she could buy some crutches before we headed to our first stop Bukit Lawang. Our drive was full of some informative information, good laughs and some terrible singing (on our behalf... Jaka was fantastic). Once we arrived at Bukit Lawang..our accomation for the next 3 days. We were made very welcome. The rooms are basic, but with a fan, beds are comfortable and mozzie nets. To be honest i did not expect anything else.. after all you are in the jungle. People are very friendly, the food is amazing, and the beers are chilled (they must of known a few aussies were coming as extra beer arrived just after us 🤣) our afternoon was free so we soaked up the atmosphere, had a swim in the river with the locals and had once again a fablous meal. The following day was a half day trek to look for the orangutans. With my friends knee still out of action it was just Jaka (our guide) and myself. Once again he was amazing.. pointing out and explain the rubber plants as we past by them.. we also saw quite a few monkeys on the trek up. Now i am not the fittest person, but Jaka was happy to go at my pace. Within about a hour we came across a family of orangutans ( a male, 2 females and a baby).. it is apparently unusal to see the male with the females. When we arrived there were about 40 other people there enjoying this breathtaking sight. After about 20 mins, Jaka asked if i wished to move on to look for others.. i told him i was happy to stay here and enjoy the moment.. once again Jaka was happy to go with the flow.. within half an hour everyone else had gone and we were rewarded with the orangutans coming down closer. I can not describe how i felt, having these amazing animals within meters of me.. (see photos). After this experience it was a short trek back to our hotel (they are not always in the same spot so you may need to trek a little further). I will admit the trek was a little breath taking at times,but the experience was rewarding. The following day we went out in a tut-tut. We were shown some rice patties, how they make palm sugar, tofu and on the way back i mentioned i wanted to taste some duran fruit.... it smells aweful, but tastes not as offesive.. i dont think i would have it again, but it is something to try. Our afternoon was free.. so we were back to the river.The following day we were heading to Tangkahn... ok the roads were a little "bumpy", but sit back and embrace the "sumatran massage", trust me once you are there it is worth it. This place is amazing.. we had a room with a view of the river, once again the food was amazing, you also get the chance to try the famous kopi lawak (poop coffee).. oh and we had live music(in the middle of the jungle) on the night. Our afternoon was spent washing the elephants or you could visit the hot springs.. we took the elephants.. after washing them, they repaid us with a shower. The following day was a long drive, but we were advised of that before we booked it..it was a day of sight seeing.. having lunch while admiring a volcano..,and bad karako again.the day was finished with a smooth cruise across to Lake Toba. Wow this accomadation is stunning... breaktaking veiws (omg the sunsets).. the bed is comfortable... and for the first time in a few days.. hot water. We were spoilt here.. our guide (eino) and driver (tair)... sorry if they are spelt wrong. Were such gentlemen and the best hosts... we even woke up to freshly picked mangos.nothing was to much trouble... (i left my phone where we had lunch, and the boys were happy to get it for me). Learning the history of the area was very intresting (and suprising) i wont ruin it for you. Over the 8 days, we learnt alot about the people and the enviroment that makes up Sumatra. i felt we became more friends than tour guide and client. Once again i can not recommend these guys enough. I will however advise you to make sure you pack some toilet paper... as not every where you go has some, also the bed only have a fitted sheet, if you like to sleep with a flat sheet take one.. remember you are visiting anither country so be ooen Nd embrace their way of life and i am sure you will also have a ball...

My family spent 6 wonderful days in North Sumatra and enjoyed 3 different adventures with Sumatra Adventure Holiday, all wonderful. Trip #1 was a 6 hour trek with Amin and Eddy. We saw 7 or 8 orangutans, including babies,moms, and one adult male. Our guides were fantastic and we will always remember it. Trip ended with tubing down the river back to town. So much fun! When we drifted into town tons of little kids jumped up on our tubes eager to practice their English. So cute! All of the guides were incredibly knowledgeable, joyful, and we felt very safe the entire time. We also had a wonderful lunch. If you choose to do this trek, bring plenty of water and bug spray. Be prepared to sweat a lot. It is worth it! Trip#2 was white water rafting with Dede (spell?), an extremely talented boatsman who is also a very educated and sophisticated person with excellent English. The trip to the launch point includes some very rough roads, so you need to be prepared for that, but rafting was so fun and worth the bumpy ride to get there. There was enough water to be exciting, but not scary. We did not see one other tourist on this entire trip. Again, fantastic lunch and very safe and well trained guides. Trip#3 was a walk along the river and then straight up to a waterfall. Got to hang with Eddy again as the apprentice guide and were led by Kevri. Kevri’s english is excellent and we had a great time. The river walk was easy and fun, lots of swimming opportunities and monkeys, the waterfall walk was straight up, so bring hiking shoes. Again, did not see one tourist the entire time and we had the waterfall all to ourselves. I’m a 47-year-old woman who is relatively fit, but between the heat and the incline I was wiped out. Bring water, hat, sunscreen, tevas for river, hiking shoes for trek up to waterfall. You can combine this trip with visit to the jungle school. Everything about Sumatra adventure holiday was excellent. Sue is very knowledgeable and good at listening to your group’s particular needs. To enjoy this, you need to be OK with the heat and be someone who is willing to walk a lot and open to change, things don’t always go exactly the way you expect, and you need to be OK with that.

We travelled to the Philippines and Flores before moving on to our adventure in Sumatra. We'd booked with Sumatra Adventure Holidays and Sue was absolutely fantastic with all of the communication. We had a 12 hour delay in Denpasar but were able to re-arrange the pick-up time with Amin (our brilliant guide) so as could get a few hours sleep! Amin was superb throughout and treated us as family. The trip was exactly what we wanted to do, trekking in the jungle (and overnight stay) away from the other tourists. Washing the elephants - which we thought may be a bit tacky, but was great fun. Other treks up a volcano - all was very professional. We finished up with 3 days R & R at Lake Toba which was very nice. Very very pleased we chose to book with this company - would highly recommend

Our tour guide Ibo and his assistant Edi where such a great Team. The had a lot of knowledge, even a better eye to show us the animals and could answer us all our questions. We also did a stop where we got some fruits and a nice talk. For any question to plan this trip I can also recommend the guy behind everything, who helped me a lot and was easy to talk over what's app. Thanks for the great day to the hole Team. Aaron

When I left Australia, the trip was planned with several options. Arrived at Medan only to find my luggage was still in KL. When finally an official accompanied me out of the luggage area, the driver and another guest were waiting and the issue of where to deliver the luggage quickly solved. So we headed off to Bukit Lawang and overnighting there before the motorbike transfer to the forest retreat. Having visited during construction I was amazed at the changes. Construction finished landscaping and the pool done! Room was delightful as was the food. Food bought fresh daily and prepared by staff who have all had Safe Food Handling Training. No Bali Belly here! All staff were helpful and understanding of lack of language skills and keen to speak English and share their knowledge. On the last morning I woke to see a mum and young orangutan outside the window. Watched them for 30min before they moved on. A real buzz Over the rest of the time we did some of the "set" activities eg the very large tree that involved a wonderful forest walk, and some options that had arisen in the previous 3 weeks. We were given information and asked of we would like to do. And that spontaneity added to the experience. Generally we could go at our own pace and saw many interesting and unexpected things eg invite to a Karonese wedding and a stay at a Catholic nun retreat. This was my third trip with this organisation and each has been different and better than the last. I am now planning a return trip in 2020 with my 8yo granddaughter. I know that both of us will be well looked after and have a great time.

What an adventure!! We were picked up from our hotel by our tour guide Ivan and drove in style to Bukit Lawang about 4 hours drive. We stayed the first night in a great Guesthouse and had the whole day to explore. The next day our guides Ivan and Tony picked us up and we started the adventure, both guides were brilliant and really helped us both knowledgeable and knew the jungle very well within hours we had located a couple of orangutans. That night we stayed in a tent by the river and were provided a banquet in the jungle for dinner. The next day we made our way to the conservation building at Batu Kapal where we stayed over night with the option to go in the morning for more nature spotting ( we opted not to but wish we had as they spotted two more orangutans, we managed to see them only as we were leaving) we opted for the river route as it was a lot quicker. All in all one of the best ( and exhausting) thing Ive ever done and couldn’t be happier I did it. The guides were professional and fun throughout. Two things to point you in the best direction 1. Get picked up straight from the airport don’t bother staying in Medan it is not a nice place and the tour will arrange direct pick up for you 2. If you get the time spend it at Bukit Lawang or Batu Kapel after your adventure you won’t regret it, both places are amazing, relaxed and the people are great.

We did a 3 days trip with Jouri, a really nice guy from sumatranadventure.com He and his team cared us a lot. Sweating was forgotten completely when they found the big orange in the mountains. So great! Unique impressions just 5 feet away from the male orang. Meals and everything were typically indonesian and right enough. Very informed and explaining guides! The camp could be a little bit more comfortable but there is nothing to complain. Who wants a real dschungle adventure - do this! Thanks to the guys, whose do a lot of hard work to satisfy their guests!

From start to finish of our 10 day trek/tour it was absolutely phenomenal. In the run up, Sue was really accommodating and quick to answer any questions/requests we had in terms of adjustments to the tour to fit everything we wanted to do in. Me and my boyfriend had a private tour with our guide Jaka and a driver for the whole time. We’ve never met nicer people than those we met in Sumatra and especially Bukit Lawang. So welcoming and kind. The tour itself was amazing and felt so personal. The eco lodge we stayed in at the end of our trip was exactly the tranquility we needed and it was great to have a cooking lesson with Mutha who managed the lodge with her husband. Overall the whole holiday was the perfect combination of action, adventure, delicious food and peacefulness just went you needed it. We’ll never forget our experience with Sumatra Adventure Holidays and Jaka and his friends. It was also a pleasure to meet Sue who along with Jaka is such an inspiration. We’re itching to come back ASAP and couldn’t recommend this company or Sumatra enough. The only thing I would mention is that if you are wanting a more secluded trek experience I’d advise going trekking for a longer trek. Ours was only one day of real trekking which didn’t take us too far from Bukit Lawang and there was lots of other tourists around despite us being there out of season! However we did see orangutans pretty much straight away. Next time we go we will look to go trekking for a longer period to get a more ‘authentic’ trek experience.