Day 37 to 39 - Sumatra's legendary jungle - Bukit Lawang

We arrived safely in Medan and were picked up by a driver organized by Junia Guesthouse. The journey is adventurous, the traffic is hell. It takes us 4.5 hours to cover 130 km. I think that says it all. We are warmly welcomed and our luggage is brought to the accommodation by moped. The next morning we set off into the jungle. Our guide André speaks perfect English and after just an hour we find the first orangutan. It is indescribable and breathtaking. He's high up in the trees, climbing in and out. But it should get even better. After another hour we see a mother with a baby about 4 years old. They are really close and we watch them practice climbing together for at least half an hour. Then we take a breakfast break with fresh fruit, see lots of Thomas Leaves Monkeys and the long-tail macaques. Then we continue up the mountain and down again... It's really a trekking tour.

Here in the Leuser National Park we are surrounded by 9000 km/2 of pure nature and it is the only place in the world where you can actually see orangutans in the wild. There was a nursing station until 2015, but now they live completely alone.

We see three more orangutans, including a mother with a two-year-old baby. André takes us to a place, he hopes she comes that way. And really: suddenly she is standing right in front of us, on the ground. Less than 2 meters away. The baby climbs in the trees nearby. Breathtaking is an understatement... Then we start the descent. 200 meters in altitude in a direct line, sometimes with a small rope as a holder. We are completely exhausted when we arrive at our jungle camp down by the river. Then we swim in the river, a wonderful way to cool off. At 35 degrees and 100 percent humidity, we were literally wet down to our underwear. And then the next surprise, a young female orangutan visits us in the camp. We can hardly believe our luck, she stays with us for over half an hour. There is also a wild gang of little monkeys. In the evening when we are eating (Mr. Don is a very good cook) it suddenly starts to rain, really... a tropical thunderstorm with huge raindrops, but it doesn't bring any cooling. We don't sleep much at night...

The next morning we swim in the river again and then we go rafting in old truck tubes and with luggage in plastic bags back to Bukit Lawang. A wild ride through rapids and only controlled with two sticks by André and Mr. Don). Crazy and beautiful!

In the afternoon we stroll through the town. To do this you have to cross a very shaky wooden bridge. Maximum of 6 orangutans at a time. Everyone is super friendly and we watch the hustle and bustle on the river. The lifeline, the River of Life! In the morning we are woken up in the homestay by little monkeys, chickens and cats. Three unforgettable days come to an end.