Bukit Lawang: apes everywhere!

Bukit Lawang is a small, touristy village right in the middle of the jungle. I know I said that Tuktuk is also in the middle of the jungle, but this one is _really_ in the middle of the jungle. Check out those macaques (like grown up Georges) just chilling on the power lines! I spent several mornings just watching the monkeys while drinking my coffee.

Of course the main point of coming to Bukit Lawang is to enter the wilds, which we did a couple of times, guided of course by expert locals. The national park right next to Bukit Lawang village is unfortunately quite overcrowded, so while we saw orangutans there (wow!!) they were semi-wild, and the fact they were willing to come so close to the massed humans was not a good sign. :(

On our next trek, which included an overnight camp, we again saw orangutans but from a much greater distance, as wild orangutans are (sensibly) rather wary of humans. Check out that amazing cave we saw!

We also met some really lovely people here, including Andrea, who runs the guesthouse we stayed at (Green Hill) and also runs a library for local children. We also met a really cool American family who are currently living & working at an NGO in Kurdish Iraq.

-AlexRead more