Jungle trek in Bukit Lawang: Day 1

There's one main reason to visit Bukit Lawang and that's trekking in the jungle to see orangutans. I opted for a two-day, one-night guided trek starting at 9am. I was joined by three couples (two British, one French-Canadian). Apparently they grouped us together as we were all a similar age and fitness level (young and athletic, obviously).

About an hour in, we spotted an orangutan. We were all relieved as there was no guarantee we'd see any during the entire trek! It was a mother carrying a baby. It passed through the trees around us, being chased away by a black gibbon which we also got to see up close.

There are lots of animals in the jungle here, including bears, tigers, various monkeys, gibbons and, most famously, our ginger cousins. Some of the orangutans are semi-wild, occasionally relying on food from local guides and rangers as this area used to be a rehabilitation centre for ex-captive orangutans. Because of this, I got to feed the mother and baby by handing them some bananas. The mother kept taking it from me but I made sure the baby got its fair share.

We got to see four different organutans, one black gibbon, lots of white-handed gibbons, some Thomas leaf monkeys and a massive lizard. It was all incredible. Less incredible was the humidity that meant we all sweated more than we thought possible.

We set up camp next to a river, had a much-needed swim/wash, played cards and had a nice meal together. We all slept under a plastic cover on literally rock-hard ground. I used my bag as a pillow and didn't get the best night's sleep but it was all totally worth it!