Round trip 16 days Adventurous Sumatra and Pulau Weh

Garuda Indonesia flies non-stop from Amsterdam to Jakarta with its new Boeing 777-300 ER. Experience the hospitality of Indonesian culture on board at Garuda Indonesia, the national airline of Indonesia. With more than 65 domestic destinations Garuda takes you to Jakarta, Bali, Lombok, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Ambon and many remote destinations. The direct connection will take you from Amsterdam to Jakarta in just 13.5 hours. Departure from Amsterdam around midday, arrival in Jakarta early in the morning. Your connecting flight departs about 2 hours later and takes about 2.5 hours.

Selamat datang, welcome to Medan! Upon arrival in Medan you walk straight to the immigration booth to get your visa free stamp in your passport. It is valid for 30 days maximum, calculated from the first day you arrive in Indonesia regardless of the time of arrival or departure. In Medan your driver is waiting for you with a piece of board with your name on it. He will drive you to Hotel Deli River, a little family hotel just outside the big city Medan. The hotel is surrounded by a beautiful tropical garden and has a swimming-pool. Depending on the time of your arrival you can make a short city tour or acclimatise at your hotel.

After breakfast we leave for a long ride of about 4 hour to lake Toba. On our way we drive past endless rubber, cacao and palm oil plantations. We stop for lunch in Pematang Siantar. After lunch the landscape becomes more varied and we drive slowly up into the mountains. In the afternoon arrival in Prapat on the edge of Lake Toba from where you cross the lake to the island Samosir, in the centre of Lake Toba.

We visit several authentic Batak villages with their typical saddle back roof houses. The Batak people were among the first people that settled in Indonesia. They came by boat from Indo China. The houses are still built in the shape of a boat – saddle back roof. The population here is Christian and the Batak people are known for their beautiful voices and music. Today you can visit the characteristic Toba Batak villages Tomok, with the King’s Tomb, Ambarita with its execution tables and Simanindo for traditional Toba dances. Dinner in the cosy restaurant Marysca's with Rony’s vocalgroup.

Another full day on the island of Samosir. You can (optionally) take a boat trip on the lake, cycling, hiking or just swimming at the hotel. It is special to take a day trip to Tatea Bulan with your driver and Rony. High in the mountains there is a pilgrimage site of the Batak kings and the ancestors are honored. A very devout visit, with beautiful panoramas. Along the way you will also visit the sacred sources of AEK Sipitu Dai. During our visit, the washing place was quickly emptied in order to show something of the sacred.

Today a long way of at least 8 hours via the plantation route to the jungle near Bukit Lawang. Arrival in Bukit Lawang in the afternoon. Bukit Lawang is situated on the beautiful Bohorok rivier. It is really an impressive natural area with an impenetrable jungle above a noisy wild water river. In this nature reserve you can see the orangutans in their natural environment. To get there you have to make a tough climb through the jungle. Overnight stay in Bukit Lawang, directly on the banks of the Bohorok river.

Bukit Lawang hosted an Orang Utan rehabilitation center until a few years ago. Captive orangutans were re-educated in the rehabilitation camp to regain life in the National Leuser Park. At regular intervals (and sometimes still) they were fed by the rangers on the 'Piedingtime': a corruption of feeding time, which includes not only a time, but also a specific feeding place. In the morning you will make an approximately 3 hour trekking accompanied by a local ranger. A brisk walk through the jungle to see the Orangutans, Siamang (long arm monkeys), Thomas Leave Monkeys, Long Tailed Macaque and Gibbons and other jungle animals. Good condition and shoes with a good profile are required.

After breakfast you leave the orang utans behind and drive in about 4.5 hours to the even rougher jungle of Tangkahan. This afternoon (or the next morning) you will make a jungle trek of approximately 3 hours, accompanied by a local ranger. Close to the hotels, upstream on the Kualsa Buluh river, is the elephant sanctuary. The elephants are mainly used to patrol the jungle. In the morning and late afternoon they are washed in the river and you are welcome to help.

In the morning we can wash the elephants in the river, see program Tangkahan. The elephants are not available on Friday. At the end of the morning we cross the river with the raft and then drive through endless palm oil plantations to the capital city Sumatra: Medan.

After breakfast we leave the jungle and drive in about 4 hours to the aiport of Medan, for your 16:10 Citilink flight to Banda Aceh. Over night in Banda Aceh.

Citilink flight Medan-Banda Aceh. Departure 16:10, arrival 17:45

These days are all yours. You can organise your own programme. Pulau Weh has beautiful beaches and is known for its beautiful underwater world. You can get your PADI diving license on Pulau Weh in about 4 days (cost approx. € 300). You can also do a trial dive first to see if diving is really something for you. Of course, you can also go snorkelling or just relax on the beach. Pulau Weh is a quiet island, there’s not much traffic. When you rent a moped you can make very nice trips.

In the morning you will leave Pulau Weh and sail back to Banda Aceh. There is a driver waiting for you to drive you around in Banda Aceh where you will visit the Tsunami museum and make a city tour. In the afternoon you fly back to Amsterdam via Jakarta. End of a beautiful round trip through Indonesia.

Flight with Garuda Indonesia Banda Aceh - Amsterdam with transfer in Jakarta. Departure from Banda Aceh in the evening, the connecting flight leaves Jakarta after midnight. Arrival Amsterdam in the morning.

In the morning arrival at Schiphol. The end of a beautiful trip...