This morning, we began our expeditions to the remote community of Bukit Lawang to visit the Gunung Leuser National Park. We docked at Belawan port where we were greeted with an energetic dance performance.

We took a bus to the northern hills, and once we arrived, we enjoyed a traditional Indonesian lunch before making our way into the forest. The walk was challenging at times but well worth it when we saw our first great apes. These orangutans were large and relatively close. In total we saw six individuals including males, females, and youngsters.

The rain during our return didn’t dampen any spirits and once back, we enjoyed a swim in the river and another fantastic dinner before retiring in preparation for tomorrow’s adventure.