Where it all happens
Gunung Leuser National Park
A UNESCO World Heritage rainforest, and one of the last places on Earth where wild orangutans still roam free.
The park
Sumatra's wild heart
Established in 1980 as one of Indonesia's first national parks, Gunung Leuser is part of the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004, spanning three national parks. It's also one of the last places on the planet where four of Sumatra's largest mammals still share the same forest: the Sumatran tiger, rhinoceros, elephant, and orangutan, all endangered, all running out of room elsewhere on the island.
Bukit Lawang sits right at its edge, 3 to 4 hours by road from Medan: an easy way into a place this wild.
Getting here
Bukit Lawang is the gateway
A road trip of 3 to 4 hours from Medan's airport brings you straight to the edge of the park. From there, the forest starts almost immediately: no long approach, no buffer zone. This proximity is part of what makes Bukit Lawang one of the most practical bases for exploring Gunung Leuser.
See how to get here →
Who lives here
More than orangutans
The Sumatran orangutan gets most of the attention, and rightly so: Gunung Leuser is one of only two remaining habitats for this critically endangered species. But walk quietly and the forest reveals more.
Thomas's langurs, found nowhere else on Earth. Gibbons calling through the canopy. Hornbills and monitor lizards are easier to spot. Deeper in, and rarely seen, are elephants, tigers, and Sumatran rhinos, three of the rarest large mammals left in Asia.
By the numbers
A concentration of life
Figures from the UNESCO World Heritage listing for the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra.