How likely am I to see Orangutans, when I am in Sumatra this August and September, if I don't go to a special sanctuary for them? The Lonely Planet book makes it seem like I will see them swinging through the trees from the bus window, and from the guesthouse porch. That would be cool, but they seem like such exotic creatures that I am not really expecting to see them accidentally.
We will be taking the boat from Melaka, Malaysia, and then travelling overland to Bukittinggi, Indonesia. Then we will hang out there and in the nearby towns and villages for 20 or 30 days.
Reply to this Hi Mell
We visited Bukit Lawang, Sumatra in August and didn't see any wild orangutans and we even visited the sanctuary! We saw one in the grounds but he was a newbie finding his feet! Admittedly we didn't do the trekking there though, people we met who had done this did see one or two but like you said I don't think you'll see them swinging past you as you go by on the bus!
The only place we saw wild ones was in Borneo when we were with a guide. Had we not been with him there is no way we'd have spotted them as they live so high up in the trees the only way to know they are there is to tune your ears into their munching... something guides must train years for as we didn't hear anything!
Having said all that I'm sure people do manage to spot them by pure chance so you just never know.... keep those eyes peeled! 😊
Reply to this Thanks Sophie and Dale. 😊 I will look high and listen for munching. Well, I will get my daughter to do it anyway. She is surprisingly observant. I wouldnt have spotted the nemo fish when were were snorkling, if she hadnt observed which plants they are found in.
Reply to this Hi Mel,
Good Luck with the boat and bus from Melaka to Bukittinggi- have heard it is just one nightmare trip.
If you are really interested in seeing orangutans in the wild ( not in Bukit Lawang which is in North Sumatra not West Sumatra where you are headed) you might be lucky enough to get the end of the fruit season in south Aceh in Ketambe, just depends if you are there at beginning of August.
Would mean a flight from Padang to Medan and then a flight to Kutacane and bus to Ketambe.
Check out this website on
Ketambe and how to get there.
And if you want an excellent guide go with Johan from Cinta Alam Guesthouse and not from Friendship - they are not very experienced.
Or if Johan is busy check out Pak Mus next door- wonderful people - I stayed with them for 8 days and did an overnight trek up to the hot springs.
See my
Photos of Pak Mus Ketambe
Pak Mus also has a
Face Book
I visited there in Nov 2006 ( only saw one up a tree - but it was still wonderful ) and will be heading back there in July this year.
Pamela
Reply to this Thanks for the reply, Pamela 😊
I will still go to Bukittinggi. The orangutans would be more of a bonus, rather than the reason for the trip. I like what I read about Bukittinggi, and the surrounding area. We will be in Sumatra for 20 to 30 days, but will not move around too much, in order to just soak up the atmosphere and to prevent being tired all the time. Next visit to Sumatra, will be to a different part. At least being chased by an orangutan is one thing I wont have to worry about. Somebody mentioned on one of forum discussions here on TravelBlog, that he was chased by one in Sumatra.
Good Luck with the boat and bus from Melaka to Bukittinggi- have heard it is just one nightmare trip.
I heard the bus journeys in Sumatra are a horror show. I was hoping the one I am taking might be one of the less bad ones. How bad is the journey exactly? Do you or anyone reading have any survival tips and tricks to suggest? What exactly can I expect to happen during the journey?
I read there is minibus service that goes from the port town to Bukittinggi. Maybe that is an improvement over the bus? Does anyone know if this service will be easy to find, or if it will find me like so many tourist services do, when I get off the boat?
Reply to this Mell, just an addition to the info I gave on another thread. I would advise against taking the minivans when in Indonesia. They are quicker and therefore seem to be a better option, but the space is often far less than a bus, especially leg room. The seats are aslo shared, so you have to fight for your space!!
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