Bukit Lawang Vacations, Bukit Lawang Vacation Reviews, Tourism Guide

Bukit Lawang Vacation Guide

The tourist town of Bukit Lawang is the main access point for the magnificent rainforest of the Gunung Leuser national park, covering an area of about 8,000 sq km. The park's extensive range of wildlife includes orangutans, gibbons, tapirs, elephants, tigers and rhinos. The park contains over 380 species of birds, notably the hornbills and argus pheasant, the largest flower in the world, the Rafflesia, and the tallest flower in the world, Amorophophallus. Up-stream of Bukit Lawang is the Orangutan rehabilitation centre where young orphaned orangutans are taught to live in the wild. Twice-daily the young orangutans are fed a ration of bananas and milk. Tourists are only allowed to visit the rehabilitation centre during feeding times, currently at 8.00 am and 3.00 pm. A permit, valid one day, must be obtained from the PHPA office at Bukit Lawang, before visiting the rehabilitation centre. To reach the rehabilitation centre from Bukit Lawang requires a 2 km walk along the river followed by a river crossing in a dugout canoe and a short climb along a steep muddy trail through the jungle.