Sumatra Regions Guide - excursions

Bukit Lawang
The little village of Bukit Lawang is situated on the eastern banks of the pretty Bahorok River facing one of the grandest forest areas in South East Asia, the Mount Leuser National Park. With its restful and pleasant setting, it was once one of the most popular tourist destinations in Northern Sumatra, the town existing primarily to cater to the tourist trade, with guides, restaurants and a variety of delightful guesthouses strung along the river. Since November 2003, however, Bukit Lawang has struggled to recover from the massive flash flood that wiped out most of its infrastructure, taking a huge dip in tourism that once formed the backbone of its economy. The charm is still there though, and its major attraction, the Orang-Utan Rehabilitation Centre across the river welcomes visitors more enthusiastically than ever. The Rehabilitation Centre was set up to help orphaned orang-utans that had been displaced because of land clearing or rescued from captivity, and teaching them the necessary skills to be able to survive in the wild. Visitors have an opportunity to view the apes twice daily when they come swinging through the trees to collect the bananas and milk left on feeding platforms in the forest, providing visitors with one of the more memorable experiences in Indonesia. Jungle trekking and tubing down the river are other popular activities.

Bukittinggi
Meaning 'high place', Bukittinggi is situated on a hill and set among majestic mountains, green plantations and rice terraces. One of the friendliest and most easy-going towns in Sumatra, it is home to the Minangkabau people and the area is seeped in the Minang culture, which is Muslim and strongly matrilineal. It is the commercial, educational and administrative centre of the highlands. One of the features of the town is the characteristic architecture - wooden houses with curved roofs soaring to a point representative of buffalo horns and decorated with beautiful wooden carvings. The Jam Gadang (Great Clock) is a Maningkabau-style clock tower and the town's landmark, overlooking the bustling market place that is crammed with fruit, vegetables and clothing stalls, and rickety horsecarts whose drivers insist on squeezing them through the colourful chaos.