Sumatra small group holiday
Description of Sumatra small group holiday
This Sumatra small group holiday takes you off the familiar tourist trail to a part of Indonesia that’s much less visited, for a genuine travel experience. There’s so much to enjoy in Sumatra: lush landscapes and abundant wildlife, including a population of wild orangutans, waterfalls, volcanoes and the chance to meet local Batak families.
This nine day holiday starts and finishes in Medan. From here, travel to the peaceful village of Bukit Lawang on the banks of the Bohorok river. You’ll stay in the wonderful Bukit Lawang Eco Lodge, gaining a real jungle experience but also supporting the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme with your stay. Next, take a two day trek through Gunung Leuser National Park, wild camping overnight. Home to a rich ecosystem, around 300 species of birds and the endangered Sumatran tiger, this park is also the best place in Indonesia to see wild orangutans. In Berastagi you’ll hike up Sibayak, an active volcano with steaming vents. Tuck into a picnic at the top, admiring the views, and enjoy a soak in the hot springs afterwards. The holiday then moves on to Lake Toba. Here, you’ll see Indonesia’s highest waterfall and have a cultural tour with a traditional Batak dance performance. You can also meet the brightly clad Batak people of Samonsir Island. Sumatra has so much to offer the adventurous travellers, and this holiday is the chance to explore Indonesia’s wild west.
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Reviews
2 Reviews of Sumatra small group holiday
Reviewed on 25 Sep 2025 by David Leesley
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Seeing wild Orangutan up close
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Do a bit of prep for the hiking. Hiking in hot and humid jungle is not your average
walk in the park.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Was some interaction with the local economy. But limited on meals as not wanting to risk illness.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent holiday. Good balance between physical and rest
Reviewed on 23 Oct 2023 by Ian Jackson
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The jungle trek and seeing the wildlife.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
None
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Local guides were excellent.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
As per usual, a well organised trip with decent accommodation and excellent guides.
Responsible Travel
Planet
We work with local guides in Gunung Leuser National Park who are committed to the conservation of wildlife. By visiting this area our passengers are supporting their work directly and contributing to the local economy. Our guides are proud of the national park and will endeavour to make sure our groups do not pollute or damage this fragile ecosystem.Where possible our group leaders will always try and find a water refill station. This way our guests can top up and reuse plastic bottles, rather than purchasing new ones and contributing to problem of plastic wastage. We give all our travellers cloth bags too, so they don’t feel the need to use plastic ones.
We use suppliers that mirror our environmental values. We work with hotels and encourage them to implement sustainable practices and we remind our guests of how to do this themselves whilst on their trip (i.e. turning off the AC when not in their rooms and reusing towels).
We recommend low carbon transport and use this to make the journey as stimulating and sustainable as possible.
People
We know where to find all things local. We support and recommend our neighbours, spreading the tourism income to those who need it most. We use local leaders and in Berastagi we also use local Batak guides who are indigenous to the area. We offer local people good working conditions, a fair wage and empower them through training opportunities. We eat local and shop local throughout this trip and encourage our travellers to purchase from multiple different vendors to ‘share the love’.It’s part of our philosophy to act local too and that means respecting the local traditions, such as the wearing of modest clothing during the tour. Sumatra in general has a very conservative standard of dress and our passengers can be respected by the locals when following this. We recommend both men and women cover their knees by wearing long pants or a long skirt, and shoulders should also be covered at all times.
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