image: get ty. MAP ILLUSTRATION: JOHN PLUMER
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Str ait of Malacca
Bukit Lawang
MEDAN
Medan INDONESIA 10 miles
------------ When to go: The best
ESSENTIALS -
establishing his dominance, warding off the intruders to his forest. We back away, circling the clearing slowly, avoiding eye contact. It’s hard not to pause to marvel at how close we are to this giant, but it’s important to remember that we are strangers in his home. The encounter serves as a stark reminder of the jungle’s wild unpredictability, even in a protected and much visited national park. We avoid the large male for the rest of the
hike, though we receive ongoing updates via our guide’s walkie-talkie about where he’s prowling the forest floor. Shortly afterward, we come across a younger male, an adolescent. He’s only recently been separated from his mother. In the wild, orangutans stay alongside their mothers until they’re seven or eight years old, with females even returning to visit their mothers well into their later years. This one is staying away from any trouble, high in the trees. It would have been tough to spot him if he hadn’t been hanging so nonchalantly, dangling from one hand and one foot, while swinging through the thick, humid air. The humidity is perhaps the most
challenging aspect of this hike. The trail itself continues without any incline, with no risk of slipping through the mud. While I’m
watching the young male, my guide is joined by a friend who’s leading an American wildlife enthusiast. The traveler has spent decades searching the world’s jungles, and entertains me with stories of gorillas and chimps in the Congo as we watch the young male swing casually along the treetops. Every person I meet while walking these trails is enthusiastic about the wildlife and conscious of its conservation. Although not yet as popular as many of the other wildlife experiences in Southeast Asia, Sumatra offers travelers the opportunity to meet like- minded and inquisitive visitors along the way. It’s also ideal for those of us trying to minimize our impact on the destinations we visit. The income from tourism in the region helps to motivate the preservation of this essential natural habitat. As the sun sets on my first hike, we sit
and watch the flecks of sky turn orange, then fade to pink. The last orangutan we spot is nestled in the crisscrossing boughs of a high, hanging tree. My guide says that she’s female, the first childless female we’ve found. She sits peaceably, glowing orange in the fading sun, looking us in the eye, unperturbed and unafraid. We are merely observers on the forest floor, lucky enough to have entered her domain.
time to visit Sumatra is between April and October, when you’ll avoid the monsoon season (November to March) and the potential flooding that comes with it. Roads sometimes become inaccessible during monsoon season. Currency: Indonesian Rupiah. $1 = 15,000 IDR Language: Although Indonesian is the main language in Sumatra, English- speaking guides are easy to find. English is also widely spoken in the hotels and restaurants in Bukit Lawang. Getting around: To enter the jungle, you’ll need to travel with an official guide. You’ll have no trouble finding a guide once you get to Bukit Lawang, and they are also easy to organize via your hotel with minimal advance notice.
------------ Experience Southeast Asia
BOOK IT NOW -
with an extended journey on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, departing February 2, 2023. Mountainous Indonesia, Thailand’s palm-fringed beaches, Malaysia’s fiery curries and the historic Vietnamese city of Hue await discovery on this 38-night voyage that offers overnight calls in Hong Kong and Singapore.
------------ To book your trip to
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Indonesia, contact your travel advisor. SUMMER 2022 • 31
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