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Sumatra Orangutan Explore
Sumatra Orangutan Explore
5
River Rafting & TubingEco ToursHiking & Camping ToursNature & Wildlife ToursDay Trips
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About
Join us in North Sumatra, one of the two only places in the world where you can spot Orangutans in the wild ! At Sumatra Orangutan Explore we organize unique and unforgettable jungle trekking striving to respect and preserve the unique ecosystem & biodiversity of the Gunung Leuser National Park and especially protect the endangered Sumatran Orangutan. Our eco-friendly daily tours aim to support local people & traditional activities. Our team of experienced English-speaking guides, certified by the Indonesia Tourist Guides Association (ITGA-HPI Himpunan Pramuwisata Indonesia) will be glad to share their knowledge with you. They strictly follow the Gunung Leuser National Park guidelines and our jungle rules. They do their best to keep the jungle clean and the wildlife safe!
Bukit Lawang, Indonesia
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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5.0
796 reviews
Excellent
789
Very good
7
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Sarah
2 contributions
Dec 2019
We did the 3D/2N trek in December and absolutely loved it!
Everything was amazing from start to finish,
Marie was highly attentive when I reached out and provided the most information out of all companies I contacted. She provided us with all of the information we needed for the trek and also provided advice on how to travel on wards from our trek.
The accommodation we stayed in prior to the trek was nice and better than we were expecting, with a beautiful view over the river. The food was amazing and they also have the cutest little cat Bento!
Sumatra Orangutan Explore are a highly responsible company to trek with and really care of the animals and the environment they live in. Our guides were collecting rubbish and food leftover from other groups throughout the three day trek.
The food on the trek was amazing, so much fresh fruit and a variety of food for lunch and dinner..you definitely don't need to take your own snacks into the jungle!
The guides were great fun, whilst still keeping us safe and also had very good English.They made us feel welcome and comfortable straight away and really added to the enjoyment of our trip.
The price for the treks is the same for all companies in Bukit Lawang but I think this trip is worth way more than what you pay, it was one of the best trips I have ever done!
I would highly recommend doing this trip and booking with as they were amazing from start to finish.We saw 16 Orangutans over three days along with loads of other animals, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, not to be missed!
Everything was amazing from start to finish,
Marie was highly attentive when I reached out and provided the most information out of all companies I contacted. She provided us with all of the information we needed for the trek and also provided advice on how to travel on wards from our trek.
The accommodation we stayed in prior to the trek was nice and better than we were expecting, with a beautiful view over the river. The food was amazing and they also have the cutest little cat Bento!
Sumatra Orangutan Explore are a highly responsible company to trek with and really care of the animals and the environment they live in. Our guides were collecting rubbish and food leftover from other groups throughout the three day trek.
The food on the trek was amazing, so much fresh fruit and a variety of food for lunch and dinner..you definitely don't need to take your own snacks into the jungle!
The guides were great fun, whilst still keeping us safe and also had very good English.They made us feel welcome and comfortable straight away and really added to the enjoyment of our trip.
The price for the treks is the same for all companies in Bukit Lawang but I think this trip is worth way more than what you pay, it was one of the best trips I have ever done!
I would highly recommend doing this trip and booking with as they were amazing from start to finish.We saw 16 Orangutans over three days along with loads of other animals, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, not to be missed!
Written February 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fureshteh F
2 contributions
Jan 2020
Unfortunately, I ended up hurting my foot and had to cancel the trek I planned to do. Iman was very accommodating and allowed for a full refund. My friend went on the trek and I stayed behind. The gang at Orangutan Explore made sure that I had an amazing time regardless of my disappointment for missing the trek!
Panji, the cook, brought a group of us to his home for a cooking class with his wife. This is not to be missed! He lives in the rice fields, the scenery was absolutely stunning and the food was amazing. I highly recommend this experience!
The guys at Orangutan Explore will never leave you bored. They are hilariously funny and very sweet. They made sure to point out all wild life that came by the guesthouse (and there was a lot!). We got lucky and had one of the orangutans and her baby come right up to the river near the guesthouse, which was incredible.
By night, they played guitar and we sang together. I had such an amazing time that I am planning to go back in a couple of months to complete the trek and see my new friends again.
Thank you to all the guides for taking care of me!
Panji, the cook, brought a group of us to his home for a cooking class with his wife. This is not to be missed! He lives in the rice fields, the scenery was absolutely stunning and the food was amazing. I highly recommend this experience!
The guys at Orangutan Explore will never leave you bored. They are hilariously funny and very sweet. They made sure to point out all wild life that came by the guesthouse (and there was a lot!). We got lucky and had one of the orangutans and her baby come right up to the river near the guesthouse, which was incredible.
By night, they played guitar and we sang together. I had such an amazing time that I am planning to go back in a couple of months to complete the trek and see my new friends again.
Thank you to all the guides for taking care of me!
Written February 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lauren T
2 contributions
Jun 2022 • Friends
A group of 6 of us did the 3d2n trek - firstly, the company arranged airport transport for us to share with the others in our group, which was really helpful as Bukit Lawang is a 4hr drive from Medan city.
We all stayed in the Sumatra Orangutan Explore homestay on the riverside & as soon as we got there all of the guides gave us a lovely warm welcome!
The trek itself was so much fun - we saw orangutans, hornbills, Thomas leaf monkeys, macacs to name a few.
However, what really made the trip so memorable was our guides, Raja & Tyson. They were constantly smiling & went out of their way to make sure that everyone was enjoying themselves. Both of them had us in stitches & got everyone playing games around the campfire each evening as well. Even after the trek was over, they spent time showing us around the local village, played us lots of songs on the guitar & were happy to join us for dinner in the evenings.
I was genuinely sad to leave & had I not already booked my flight, I could have happily stayed longer. Overall, a 10/10 experience which I would 100% recommend to anyone who is thinking about visiting Sumatra :)
We all stayed in the Sumatra Orangutan Explore homestay on the riverside & as soon as we got there all of the guides gave us a lovely warm welcome!
The trek itself was so much fun - we saw orangutans, hornbills, Thomas leaf monkeys, macacs to name a few.
However, what really made the trip so memorable was our guides, Raja & Tyson. They were constantly smiling & went out of their way to make sure that everyone was enjoying themselves. Both of them had us in stitches & got everyone playing games around the campfire each evening as well. Even after the trek was over, they spent time showing us around the local village, played us lots of songs on the guitar & were happy to join us for dinner in the evenings.
I was genuinely sad to leave & had I not already booked my flight, I could have happily stayed longer. Overall, a 10/10 experience which I would 100% recommend to anyone who is thinking about visiting Sumatra :)
Written July 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Scott A
3 contributions
Mar 2023 • Friends
Today I completed an incredible trek to see the Orangutans at Gunung Leuser National Park thanks to are guides Bob and Jaka. They did a great job finding Orangutans and kept us safe in both the wildlife and the treacherous landscape. Bob has a great sense of humor which added to the fun and knew a wealth of information on the variety of wildlife, such as their calls, their habits, and where they are usually found.
Their company also did a great job in picking us up in Medan, providing suitable accommodations before and after the trek all at reasonable prices. (Note for multi day treks: delicious food and rustic accommodations are provided at no additional cost.) Then returned us back to Medan.
Lastly, they go above and beyond in treating the animals and their environment in an acceptable environmental way.
Their company also did a great job in picking us up in Medan, providing suitable accommodations before and after the trek all at reasonable prices. (Note for multi day treks: delicious food and rustic accommodations are provided at no additional cost.) Then returned us back to Medan.
Lastly, they go above and beyond in treating the animals and their environment in an acceptable environmental way.
Written March 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andy W
2 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
We had a fantastic experience with these guys - they helped sort out our entire trip to Bukit Lawang including transport. Sadly we only had time to do a one-day trek but this was also excellent, they are obviously one of the groups with high ethical standards (there were some that were feeding orangutans /other bad and dangerous behaviour like not keeping their distance) and really knowledgeable guides.
The food in their restaurant was also delicious. They even managed to source us some fresh cacao fruit for dessert after I mentioned it was my favourite!
The food in their restaurant was also delicious. They even managed to source us some fresh cacao fruit for dessert after I mentioned it was my favourite!
Written March 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CooperTravels01
31 contributions
Sep 2022 • Couples
We had the most amazing time on this trip. We did the 3D2N and saw everything we wanted to see - orangutans, gibbons, turtles, hornbills etc.
Our guides Nanda and Hussein were incredible - they were so considerate and made sure we were comfortable throughout. They were so knowledgeable of the local area and told us all about the wildlife and vegetation we saw. The food was INSANE as well. Thank you Hamja for cooking us vegan feasts that have probably been the best meals we’ve had on our entire trip.
We were made to feel welcome right from the moment we were collected at the airport, arrived at the accommodation, throughout the trip and back at the accommodation afterwards.
We’ve done a few different treks in Indonesia but this one was by far the best. The guides constantly adapted their speed / style to make us feel more comfortable and our trek more enjoyable.
We would highly recommend this tour and this company, and if you’re lucky enough to have Nanda and Hussein as your guides you will have the trek of a lifetime.
Our guides Nanda and Hussein were incredible - they were so considerate and made sure we were comfortable throughout. They were so knowledgeable of the local area and told us all about the wildlife and vegetation we saw. The food was INSANE as well. Thank you Hamja for cooking us vegan feasts that have probably been the best meals we’ve had on our entire trip.
We were made to feel welcome right from the moment we were collected at the airport, arrived at the accommodation, throughout the trip and back at the accommodation afterwards.
We’ve done a few different treks in Indonesia but this one was by far the best. The guides constantly adapted their speed / style to make us feel more comfortable and our trek more enjoyable.
We would highly recommend this tour and this company, and if you’re lucky enough to have Nanda and Hussein as your guides you will have the trek of a lifetime.
Written October 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Luna K
Den Bosch, The Netherlands2 contributions
Jan 2020
I did the tradiotional cooking class with my family yesterday and it was amazing! First we went to the market by becak and bought all the ingredients for the food we would prepare later in the morning. After that we had a nice trip through the ricefields, before we were welcomed by Panji and Ijah in their beautiful home. Panji and Ijah were very friendly and were exited to teach us how to cook traditional Indonesian food. The food tasted incredible. I would definitely recommend this activity to people who love food and want to see a different part of the area.
Written January 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Elliot B
10 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
My partner and I booked the ethical jungle trek (3 days and 2 nights) with Sumatra Orangutang Explore and our experience was nothing short of amazing!
Starting with the jungle trek, our guides were Ricky and Jaka, both were very knowledgable of the jungle, had great energy and humour and always ensured our group containing 6 people were well looked after. Over the 3 days, we never went hungry, as we were served a number of excellent meals across breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as generous servings of fresh fruit to snack on. We were fortunate enough to see a lot of wildlife during our 3 days in the jungle, most notably semi-wild and wild orangutan’s, various types of monkeys (including black gibbons, Thomas monkeys and macka’s) as well as many other types of tropical insects and animals found within Gunung Leuser National Park. During the evening Ricky and Jaka would entertain us with a number of games and magic tricks which we found very enjoyable.
We also booked a village tour with Sumatra Orangutan Explore, Tambrin was our guide for this and alike to our previous experience, the village tour was very informative and we learnt about the local culture, the process of making red palm sugar, tofu and thatched roofs. Tambrin was really personable and shared a lot of information with us, making our tour that extra bit special.
As for the food when we were out of the jungle, we kept coming back to the restaurant as the food served here was excellent from the banana pancakes to the nasi goreng and the rendang!
Lastly, Nanda was always able to accommodate any requests / tours we had and ensured a smooth experience during our time at Bukit Lawang.
All the staff are a credit to the Sumatra Orangutan Explore team, big shout out in particular to Ricky, Jaka, Tambrin and Nanda!
Starting with the jungle trek, our guides were Ricky and Jaka, both were very knowledgable of the jungle, had great energy and humour and always ensured our group containing 6 people were well looked after. Over the 3 days, we never went hungry, as we were served a number of excellent meals across breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as generous servings of fresh fruit to snack on. We were fortunate enough to see a lot of wildlife during our 3 days in the jungle, most notably semi-wild and wild orangutan’s, various types of monkeys (including black gibbons, Thomas monkeys and macka’s) as well as many other types of tropical insects and animals found within Gunung Leuser National Park. During the evening Ricky and Jaka would entertain us with a number of games and magic tricks which we found very enjoyable.
We also booked a village tour with Sumatra Orangutan Explore, Tambrin was our guide for this and alike to our previous experience, the village tour was very informative and we learnt about the local culture, the process of making red palm sugar, tofu and thatched roofs. Tambrin was really personable and shared a lot of information with us, making our tour that extra bit special.
As for the food when we were out of the jungle, we kept coming back to the restaurant as the food served here was excellent from the banana pancakes to the nasi goreng and the rendang!
Lastly, Nanda was always able to accommodate any requests / tours we had and ensured a smooth experience during our time at Bukit Lawang.
All the staff are a credit to the Sumatra Orangutan Explore team, big shout out in particular to Ricky, Jaka, Tambrin and Nanda!
Written May 19, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Noora
4 contributions
Nov 2022
What an unforgettable experience! Amad and Raja were great, fun and knowledgeable guides. We were so well taken care of. Food was also delicious, thanks to the cooks as well! The best part of the trip was obviously seeing the amazing wild life and exploring the national park.
Trip itself was 5/5, but communication in booking phase left some room for improvement though. I recommend contacting them via Whatsapp (instead of sending e-mail), especially if you book last-minute/need answers fast.
Trip itself was 5/5, but communication in booking phase left some room for improvement though. I recommend contacting them via Whatsapp (instead of sending e-mail), especially if you book last-minute/need answers fast.
Written January 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Simone Juul Borring
1 contribution
Sep 2022 • Couples
We went on a 3D/2N jungle trek with these guys and it was amazing! What I liked the most was obviously the orangutans, but in a whole the trip was just really good aswell. The way everything works at the camps, the nice and competent guides, who you can tell are really doing their part to take care of and protect the jungle, the good food. All of it is just such a good experince and I can 100% recommend going on a jungle trek with these guys!
Written October 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello. I am looking into booking this tour with you. Is it possible to have a bit more information about it?
We are travelling with a 68 years old person and just wondering if this trek would be suitable for her or is it aimed to younger people? Also, is it 2D/1N or 3D/1N?? Would pick up and drop off form Medan be possible?
Thank you so much for your help
Written April 18, 2023
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