Punk-crested leaf monkeys on the guesthouse roof, swing bridges over a jungle river, and a village that rebuilt itself around the orangutans.
The Thomas leaf monkey, or Thomas langur, lives only in northern Sumatra. It is black and white, with a pale face, a startled expression and a crest of hair that stands up like a punk's.
In Bukit Lawang troops live in the trees above the guesthouses and come down to the riverside in the early morning and late afternoon. Very often they're the first wildlife you see, from your balcony, before you've had your coffee.
The village grew up around an orangutan rehabilitation centre opened in 1973, where orphaned and ex-captive apes were taught to live in the forest. Many of the semi-wild orangutans you meet on treks today descend from them.
In 2003 a flash flood swept through the valley and destroyed much of the village. It was rebuilt, and today a string of guesthouses, warungs and swing bridges lines both banks of the Bohorok.
For the day between treks.
Sit outside with tea and wait. The leaf monkeys usually arrive along the riverside trees soon after dawn.
Walk upstream on the path past guesthouses and gardens towards the park entrance and the old rehabilitation centre.
Cross the swaying suspension bridges and come back down the other bank.
Cool off in a calm pool of the river with the locals, then eat at a riverside warung.
The langurs often return in the late afternoon. Then the swifts come out over the water.
_di_Bukit_Lawang.jpg?width=1280)
Guesthouses with balconies over the river are the best monkey-watching spots; the quieter ones are upstream.
Bring binoculars and be patient. Stay quiet and still, and the langurs will come surprisingly close.
Never feed the monkeys. Dress modestly in the village and swim in shorts and a T-shirt where locals do.
Bukit Lawang practical notes →Photographs from Wikimedia Commons and Pexels under their licences.
_di_Bukit_Lawang.jpg){kind=link}
