6 Day North Sumatra Highlights - Jungles Orangutans Lakes and Volcanoes

We had a wonderful and adventurous vacation. 8 days and 7 nights. Observing animals in the wild, a two-day jungle hike with breathtaking views, a climb to the volcano to enjoy the sunrise with a cup of tea, and finally, pure relaxation on beautiful Lake Toba! The team was extremely well prepared and helpful, always providing us with plenty of interesting information about nature and the country. Thanks to Jaka, Baek, Rhido and Gali! We'll be back to discover new adventures and create unforgettable memories❣️

Upon arrival we were met at the airport by Amin and the driver seamlessly and set off on our tour. The driving in Sumatra is questionable however our driver was very safe and not once did we feel in danger on the roads. The whole trip was very well organised and there was never a time when we weren’t sure of what we were doing. Amin was great at introducing us to local foods and spots, and we never felt pressured to buy anything. Overall the accommodation was a higher standard than we were expecting after opting for the ‘budget’ tour. There is a lot of travelling with this tour, but we found that we could sleep for a lot of it. It was was also very flexible and we could stop anywhere if we wanted to take pictures, buy food, or simply to stretch our legs. None of the activities felt rushed or dragged out, and if extra time was available Amin always had a suggestion to make the most of our trip. Amin and Rio’s knowledge and experience in the jungle was excellent and they took us away from the crowds into more challenging and rewarding parts of the jungle. As a result we were very fortunate to have a long and memorable encounter with one of the orangutans and her baby. If you chose to stay a night in the jungle then take something extra  to sleep on (the ground is very hard). Amin introduced us to many local trees and plants and what they are used for in Indonesia. The food provided in the jungle was excellent – far better than anything we had eaten in Indonesia this far (though the scenery had its part to play in that). Whilst in Bukit Lawang, Amin invited us to join play football with his friends which was great fun (despite the heat). Amin was an excellent guide, lots of fun, very knowledgeable, and as he would say, made us feel like a brother .

Northern Sumatra is a rare and beautiful place with lots to see and do, the people are welcoming and kind, the food delicious and you have the opportunity to see and learn so much in a short time. We have just completed this tour and there were some serious highs; unfortunately there were also some serious lows. First the positives: The tour took us to most of the places we wished to visit and thanks to our wonderful guide Ebo we were able to get within metres of orangutans in the jungle. The hotels were of a good standard and our driver Tial was a safe driver although his car is very old and barely roadworthy. The negatives: Tial speaks very little English so there were real problems organising things with him; it also meant that he could not tell us what to expect when we arrived anywhere which lead to some serious problems. He could not provide a commentary of what we were seeing during the many hours we spent on the road. We were promised English speaking guides at each place we visited and had to contact the company to get one although he was with us for only one day. For the rest of the time we were left with Tial with the exception of the jungle trek with Ebo. So two of the reasons we paid a premium to this company ~ the provision of an experienced English speaking guide and above standard hotels were not delivered. Naturally we fed this back to the company at the time and we received a patronising reply that as we were in a 3rd world country we should 'go with the flow.' We are active just retired folk who have many years experience travelling in the 3rd world however we want a level of comfort and we want to learn as much as we can about where we visit and we are prepared to pay for the privilege. This company promised to meet those requirements however did not do so. We also saw other visitors and guides from other companies on the trip who were receiving far more information and much better organisation than we were, so we suggest that if you are looking for a complete and well managed experience in Sumatra you look elsewhere as we can not recommend Sumatra Adventures.