Orangutans in Bukit Lawang

Orangutans only have two natural habitats left in the world. Seeing them in the wild was a dream come true.

A guide is mandatory to see the orangutans in Gunung Leuser National Park. We met Putra at Junia Guesthouse in Bukit Lawang. The day after our arrival, on his day off, he treated us to a beach BBQ. Seen here fitting a chicken to a clever bamboo spit, he made riverside.

Leaf table grilled chicken presentation.

Lush, plush and deep.

This is Jacky, is well known for hand holding. She was part of the now retired rehabilitation program. Orangutans that were part of the program got names from the rangers.

Thomas Leaf Monkeys, "punky monkeys" are endemic to Sumatra. The babies have white heads for up to a year.

A Rhinoceros Hornbill is the same size as a swan. It sounded like an nearby helicopter as it flew away.

White Handed Gibbons are the fastest of the apes, we saw this guy cruising, high up in the canopy before stopping to eat.

Exotic fruit break of mangosteen, rambutan, mandarin and passion fruit drizzled over pineapple.

This long tailed macaque seemed upset that Nick was ignoring him, as he shot photos of orangutans up above. He got under foot and nearly stepped on trying to get attention.

Minha is the most infamous Orangutan in Sumatra. Also part of the old rehabilitation program. Our guide claims that she has bit over one hundred people and could tell if she was in a bad mood, luckily we found her in a good mood. She let us take pictures for a few minutes then it was time to go.

We saw fifteen orangutans in two days of trekking. It was an all together amazing experience that we would recommend to anyone.