Guide

Bukit Lawang Travel Guide: Location, Tickets & Things to Do

The essentials for a trip to Bukit Lawang: location and address, official park fees, getting there, what to do, park rules and the 2003 flash flood.

By Tim Rindu Alam HotelUpdated 29 September 20268 min read

Bukit Lawang village along the Bohorok River, surrounded by forested hills

Photo: Madeleine Holland · CC BY 2.0

Bukit Lawang is a riverside village in Bahorok District, Langkat Regency, North Sumatra, roughly 86–90 km by road northwest of Medan and the eastern gateway to Gunung Leuser National Park. This guide answers the basics first — where it is, what the park ticket costs, how to get there — with a source linked beside every fact.

Quick facts

Address: Desa Perkebunan Bukit Lawang, Bahorok District, Langkat Regency, North Sumatra (Langkat Culture & Tourism Office; detikSumut, Sep 2023).
Distance from Medan: about 86 km by road (Wikivoyage) to 90 km (detikSumut, Sep 2023); the Langkat tourism office quotes about 120 km.
Travel time from Medan: about 2 h 40 min by car (detikSumut) to 3–4 h by public bus from Pinang Baris (Wikivoyage).
National park ticket (PP 36/2024, valid from 30 October 2024): Indonesians from IDR 10,000 per person per day Monday–Saturday and IDR 15,000 on Sundays and public holidays; foreign visitors from IDR 150,000 per person per day; hiking levy from IDR 20,000 per person per activity (Kompas, 25 Oct 2024).
Trekking rule: register and go with a guide; entering the park without one is treated as illegal (detikSumut, Feb 2023).
The park: Gunung Leuser National Park, established 1980, about 7,927 km², part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra" (inscribed 2004) and on the List of World Heritage in Danger since 2011 (UNESCO; Wikipedia).

Where is Bukit Lawang, and what is the address?

Bukit Lawang lies on the Bohorok River at the foot of the forested hills where Gunung Leuser National Park begins. Administratively it is Desa Perkebunan Bukit Lawang, Bahorok District, Langkat Regency, in the province of North Sumatra, as listed by the Langkat Culture & Tourism Office. For navigation apps, searching "Bukit Lawang, Bahorok" is enough to reach the village.

Distance figures vary by source: Wikivoyage gives 86 km by road, detikSumut and Indonesia's official tourism site about 90 km, and the Langkat tourism office about 120 km. Plan by travel time rather than kilometres.

How much is the Bukit Lawang entrance ticket?

The fee you pay to enter the national park at Bukit Lawang is the Gunung Leuser National Park ticket. The park authority (BBTNGL) announced new rates under Government Regulation (PP) No. 36 of 2024, replacing PP 12/2014, effective 30 October 2024, as reported by Kompas on 25 October 2024:

Indonesian visitors: from IDR 10,000 per person per day (Monday–Saturday), from IDR 15,000 on Sundays and public holidays.
Students (groups of at least five): from IDR 5,000 on weekdays, from IDR 7,500 on Sundays and holidays.
Foreign visitors: from IDR 150,000 per person per day.
Activity levies (all visitors): hiking from IDR 20,000 per person per activity, camping from IDR 5,000 per person per day, drones from IDR 2 million per unit per day.

Older articles, such as detikSumut's September 2023 list (IDR 5,000 on weekdays for Indonesians), predate PP 36/2024. Guide fees are not set by the park; ask exactly what a trek package includes.

How do you get to Bukit Lawang?

Almost everyone arrives by road from Medan or Kualanamu International Airport: by private car, by public bus from Pinang Baris terminal via Binjai, or by tourist minibus. Travel times, the airport options and a comparison of each mode are in our guide to getting from Medan to Bukit Lawang. If you are heading on to the volcanic lake further south, see Bukit Lawang to Lake Toba.

What can you do in Bukit Lawang?

Pick activities by how much effort you want to put in:

See orangutans in the forest. Guided treks run from a two-hour walk to overnight trips. Start with our guide to jungle trekking and orangutans in Bukit Lawang.
Float down the river. Tubing on the Bohorok is how many treks end, but the current strengthens after rain; read river tubing on the Bohorok before you go.
A short outing. The Bat Cave near the village suits a half day with a torch and good shoes: Bukit Lawang bat cave.
A cool swim on a trek. Several jungle waterfalls are reached on guided routes: waterfalls near Bukit Lawang.
Take it slow. Walk the riverbank and village, or rest on a terrace between activities.

Hiker photographing an orangutan on a jungle trailPhoto: Visions of Domino · CC BY 2.0

Which park rules matter most?

Guide and registration are mandatory inside the park (detikSumut, Feb 2023).
No feeding and no bringing food into the area: BBTNGL signs at the entrance say so (Mongabay Indonesia, Oct 2015), and the head of BBTNGL has asked visitors to keep their distance and not feed orangutans (VOA Indonesia, Apr 2023).
Keep your distance: IUCN great-ape guidance sets at least 7 m and strongly advises 10 m, and says people who are ill should not visit apes (IUCN SSC Section on Great Apes).

Why this matters and how to choose a guide who follows the rules is covered in the trekking guide.

When is the best time to visit?

There is no true dry season. Long-term records from the Kualanamu station near Medan show February as the driest month and September–October as the wettest, and guidebooks disagree on the exact seasons. Weekends and the June–early July school holidays are busiest. Month-by-month figures are in Bukit Lawang weather and the best time to visit.

How did Bukit Lawang become known for orangutans?

An orangutan rehabilitation centre was founded here in 1973 for orangutans that had been kept illegally as pets, and it went on to release more than 200 of them into the forest (Mongabay, Nov 2016). BBTNGL stopped budgeting for supplementary feeding in early 2015 because it considered the orangutans able to find their own food (Mongabay Indonesia), and the tourist feeding platforms closed in 2016. The orangutans seen today live freely; many are former rehabilitants or their offspring.

What happened in the 2003 Bukit Lawang flash flood?

On the night of 2 November 2003, heavy rain swelled the Bohorok River and a torrent of logs, mud and boulders swept through Bukit Lawang while most residents and guests were asleep, destroying buildings, bridges and roads. Casualty figures varied in the first days, as Reuters reported on 5 November 2003. The commonly cited final toll, summarised on Wikipedia from a WALHI case study, is 239 people killed, including five tourists, with around 400 houses and 35 hotels and guesthouses destroyed and about 1,400 residents left homeless.

Environmental groups and the environment minister at the time blamed illegal logging and deforestation upstream (Down to Earth, Nov 2003). The village was rebuilt and reopened to visitors in July 2004 (The Jakarta Post, cited by Wikipedia), and residents still hold commemorations, such as prayers and a cultural event on the 19th anniversary (Liputan6, Nov 2022). For visitors, the lesson is simple: take river-level warnings seriously, especially after heavy rain.

How many days do you need?

Our suggestion, based on hotel check-in from 14:00 and check-out by 12:00:

Two nights: arrive on day one, trek on the morning of day two, leave after a slow morning on day three.
Three nights: adds a buffer day for rain or a second activity such as the Bat Cave or tubing.
Four nights or more: time for an overnight trek plus a rest day before travelling on.

Avoid a long trek on arrival day; most treks start in the morning.

Where to stay in Bukit Lawang

Our guide to choosing accommodation in Bukit Lawang explains what to compare. Rindu Alam Hotel, our own hotel in Bukit Lawang, has 71 rooms in four types for two to four guests; official rates as of September 2026 start at IDR 500,000 per room per night, room only. See room types and live availability or the Rindu Alam Hotel profile.

Room terrace with bamboo chairs facing the garden

Planning a trip? Choose your dates, then ask our team anything about your route or room using the WhatsApp button on this page.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Can I see orangutans without going on a trek?

Sometimes. Kompas reporters saw an orangutan in village gardens before reaching the park in 2022, but sightings are never guaranteed, and entering the park to look for them requires a registered guide.

Is Bukit Lawang suitable for young children?

Yes, with the right activities. Trails are steep and slippery, so a short trek, a village walk or time by the river usually suits children better than a full-day or overnight trek. Tell your guide who is in your group.