contact person in area :
Hp + 62812 6559 0954
Name Mr. Muttaqin Harahap
Home Address street medan - binjai km 10. No f12A sunggal medan city.
Hp + 62812 6559 0954
Name Mr. Muttaqin Harahap
Home Address street medan - binjai km 10. No f12A sunggal medan city.
Getting There
Location
Hotels and Guesthouses in Bukit Lawang
Location
Bukit Lawang is located 86km from Medan, the largest city in Indonesia's Northern island of Sumatra, at the entrance to Gunung Leuser National Park, the last sanctuary of the Sumatran orangutan.
Getting there from Medan
In order to reach Bukit Lawang, tourists can either:
- take a taxi direct from Medan city centre or airport to Bukit Lawang (about $25)
- hail a becak (motorised rickshaw) or taxi (about $4), or a local yellow bus (about $0.20) to Pinang Baris station; from there large orange buses travel to Bukit Lawang for approx $0.50, or faster minibuses for $1. Buses run until roughly 5:30pm.
- take a bus or taxi to Binjai, about 15km from Medan on the road to Bukit Lawang, where minibuses continue until around 6:30pm
Getting to Medan
As Medan is at the top of Indonesia it is a natural first step in an Indonesian trip. Most international visitors arrive from either Singapore, Penang, or Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For flights routed to Medan from Europe and the USA, either Singapore or Malaysia Airlines will provide through tickets with a change in Singapore/Kuala Lumpur. To Australia, the Indonesian airline Garuda is the third carrier.
The full list of international destinations is:
Kuala Lumpur: Air Asia, Malaysia Airlines
Subang (Kuala Lumpur): Firefly
Subang (Kuala Lumpur): Firefly
Thailand
Phuket: Air Asia
Phuket: Air Asia
Access from Penang via high-speed ferry to Medan's port of Belawan is also an option, though the flight is a better option and may only cost $20 more.
The SilkAir Singapore - Medan flight is usually the most expensive, and the short and competitive Penang-Medan fare the cheapest.
You can book flights on all airlines except Sriwajaya online - for Sriwayaja contact an Indonesian travel agent.
Domestic Routes:
There are numerous domestic routes departing from Medan. With the exception of Air Asia, you will need to contact a local travel agent for bookings.
Banda Aceh (Aceh): Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, Sriwajaya Air
Meulaboh (Aceh): Susi Air
Blang Pidie (Aceh): Susi Air
Padang Sidempuan (North Sumatra): Susi Air
Siborong-Borong (North Sumatra): Susi Air
Padang (West Sumatra): Sriwajaya Air, Mandala, Batavia Air
Gunung Sitoli (Pulau Nias): Riau Airlines, Merpati
Sinabang (Pulau Simeulue): Merpati, Susi Air
Batam (Riau) - Kartika Airlines, Batavia Air Pekanbaru (Riau): Riau Airlines, Sriwajaya Air
Jakarta (Java): Air Asia, Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, Sriwajaya Air, Mandala (stopover in Padang),
Bandung (Java): Air Asia
Yogyakarta (Java): Batavia Air (stopover in Batam)
To get to other Indonesian airports, a change in Jakarta will be required. A local travel agent should be able to issue a through ticket to anywhere you want to go.
Meulaboh (Aceh): Susi Air
Blang Pidie (Aceh): Susi Air
Padang Sidempuan (North Sumatra): Susi Air
Siborong-Borong (North Sumatra): Susi Air
Padang (West Sumatra): Sriwajaya Air, Mandala, Batavia Air
Gunung Sitoli (Pulau Nias): Riau Airlines, Merpati
Sinabang (Pulau Simeulue): Merpati, Susi Air
Batam (Riau) - Kartika Airlines, Batavia Air Pekanbaru (Riau): Riau Airlines, Sriwajaya Air
Jakarta (Java): Air Asia, Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, Sriwajaya Air, Mandala (stopover in Padang),
Bandung (Java): Air Asia
Yogyakarta (Java): Batavia Air (stopover in Batam)
To get to other Indonesian airports, a change in Jakarta will be required. A local travel agent should be able to issue a through ticket to anywhere you want to go.
Local attractions
The main tourist destinations near Medan aside from Bukit Lawang, are Berastagi, a hill-station, and Danau Toba, the world's largest voclanic lake. Both Berastagi and Bukit Lawang are generally visited as a return trip from Medan, although it is possible to arrange to take a tourist bus or charter a bus between the two towns to cut out the stay in Medan. Danau Toba is a little further afield: a tourist bus/charter can be arranged from Bukit Lawang, or from Medan itself, about a five-hour journey. A slightly cheaper option is to take the local bus from Amplas bus station, Medan.
All will drop off in Tuk Tuk on the shores of Lake Toba, for a ferry across. From Lake Toba, travellers will either double back to Medan for an onward or homeward flight, take a six-hour bus journey to Sibolga, the port for Pulau Nias (which is then an 8 hour ferry journey), or continue on by bus to Bukittinggi (which offers cool air, and Danau Maninjau, another lake), a 12-hour journey (longer in slower, cheaper buses). Travelling by bus back to Medan and flying onto Padang, near to Bukittinggi, or to Gunung Sitoli (on Nias itself) would be a slightly shorter and more comfortable journey, albeit more expensive. From Bukittinggi, most people will take the long bus journey to Java, or fly onto Jakarta.
A quicker, more costly alternative is the daily forty minute flight from Medan to Silangit, just a few minutes from Lake Toba. This is operated by Susi Air on 12-seat Cessna aircraft.
Hotels and Guesthouses in Bukit Lawang
The current accommodation options in Bukit Lawang are in two main areas - on the left bank of the River Bohorok near the Village Entrance, and on the right bank, near the Feeding Centre
Near the Village Entrance, across the river:
- Wisma Leuser Sibayak, located immediately across the river
- Bukit Lawang Cottages Eco-Lodge, operated by Paneco, across the river
- Batu Mandi, across the river, on higher ground, a short walk on the path towards the bat cave
- Rindu Alam, across the river, further downstream of the village
- Yusman, upstream of Wisma Leuser Sibayak
- Bukit Lawang Indah, also just upstream of Wisma Leuser Sibayak
Towards the Orangutan Feeding Area, 10 minutes walk along the right bank of the river
- Jungle Inn.
- Sam's Bungalows. Three rooms,
- Garden Inn
- Indra Inn
- Rain Forest. Operated by Nora, formerly of Rain Forest Cafe.
Most of these, except for Sam's Bungalows, operated in Bukit Lawang before the flood; many of the other hotels that you may find in old guidebooks are not open any more.
| Bukit Lawang flood |
A major flood tragically hit Bukit Lawang in 2003 (see BBC News report). A third of the population of the village was killed. The Bukit Lawang Trust is working to support those orphaned and made destitute by the flood. They have built a hospital to provide access to healthcare for people in the village.
As the people of Bukit Lawang are almost 100% dependent on tourism for income, they have worked to rebuild the village, and as of 2008 numerous accommodation options and restaurants are available, as well as trekking and tour guides. The orangutans were less affected by the flood than the human population as they were mostly on higher ground.
As the people of Bukit Lawang are almost 100% dependent on tourism for income, they have worked to rebuild the village, and as of 2008 numerous accommodation options and restaurants are available, as well as trekking and tour guides. The orangutans were less affected by the flood than the human population as they were mostly on higher ground.
