How to Get to Bukit Lawang in 2024

Before you can think about trekking with orangutans or tubing down the Bahorok River, you need to know exactly how to get to Bukit Lawang.

There are several travel options to Bukit Lawang in north Sumatra, including the public bus, tourist bus and private transfers.

I will also explain how to get to Bukit Lawang from destinations across Sumatra, including Medan Airport, Medan, Berastagi, Lake Toba and Bukittinggi in west Sumatra.

Once you have safely arrived, you can get stuck into the best things to do in Bukit Lawang, whether it’s trekking with orangutans in the Gunung Leuser National Park or visiting local villages by becak (tuk-tuk).

For a complete itinerary for north and west Sumatra, consider checking out my Sumatra backpacking guide.

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. If you decide to click through and make a qualifying purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you – thanks for your support.

Where is Bukit Lawang?

Located in north Sumatra, Bukit Lawang is one of the most popular places to visit in Sumatra. It is 86 kilometres northwest of the city of Medan, which has the biggest airport in Sumatra.

Why is Bukit Lawang so popular? It’s directly alongside the Gunung Leuser National Park, a large area of rainforest which is home to tigers, rhinos, elephants and various other monkey species.

The town has an orangutan sanctuary which supports the rehabilitation of orangutans which have been displaced or captured by the logging and rubber industry in north Sumatra.

This makes it easy to spot semi-wild orangutans on a day or multi-night trek from the town.

How to get to Bukit Lawang from Medan Airport

As the island’s largest city, Medan has the best public transport connections to Bukit Lawang. It’s only 86 kilometres away by road.

Medan’s Kualanamu International Airport (KNO) is the main airport in Sumatra. 

There are direct flights from Medan to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Singapore and Bangkok.

AirAsia offers great low-cost flights to or from these cities.

If you want to reach Bukit Lawang directly from the airport, you can arrange a private car transfer from Medan airport to Bukit Lawang online. It costs under 20,000 IDR (£62). 

You can check the availability for private transfers on Viator.

The journey takes approximately three hours.

Bus or Train from Medan Airport to Bukit Lawang

You can also take a public bus from the airport to Bukit Lawang. The journey takes an additional two hours (five hours in total) because the bus avoids the toll roads, unlike private taxis or tourist buses.

Bus:

• The first option is to take the 40,000 IDR Damri bus from the airport to central Medan’s Amplas bus station. The buses stop after the final planes land for the day. The journey lasts over an hour. 
• The ALS bus also travels to Amplas bus station from the airport, costing 40,000 IDR. 
• Follow the instructions in the section below to reach Bukit Lawang from central Medan.

Train:

• Take the air-conditioned airport train (35 minutes) to Medan for 50,000 – 70,000 IDR. The last train leaves around 8:00 pm. You can order a taxi or Grab to your accommodation or to the bus stop to Bukit Lawang.
• Follow the instructions in the section below to reach Bukit Lawang from central Medan.

How to get to Bukit Lawang from Medan

1. Public bus

You can take the public bus from Medan to Bukit Lawang.

Cost: 30,000 IDR

Duration: 4 – 5 hours

• Take a Grab or taxi to the Pinang Baris bus station in Medan.
• Arrive early in the day because the bus will stop running in the late afternoon (between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm).
• Depart the bus in the village of Gotong Royong.
• Take a five-minute tuk-tuk (becak) to Bukit Lawang for around 10,000 IDR.

2. Tourist bus

Hostels and hotels can organise a tourist bus from Medan to Bukit Lawang upon request. A tourist bus carries a group of up to six tourists travelling the same route, but it is dependent upon other travellers taking the same journey on the same day.

Tourist buses typically depart from Medan around 8:00 am. They pick you up and drop you from hotel to hotel.

Cost: 150,000 IDR per person

Duration: 3 – 4 hours

3. Private taxi or transfer

A private taxi or transfer is the most expensive but most comfortable way to visit Bukit Lawang. A private taxi typically fits four people, plus luggage. 

Cost: 700,000 IDR

Duration: 3 – 4 hours

4. Tour

Taking an orangutan trekkign day tour to Bukit Lawang from Medan is also possible. I took this option due to time constraints.

A day tour to Bukit Lawang typically involves an early pick-up from your hotel in Medan, followed by a 2 – 3 hour drive to Bukit Lawang.

You can expect to trek for up to five hours before having some free time to relax or explore Bukit Lawang before being dropped back at your accommodation in Medan. Lunch and water is included on the trek.

Orangutan trekking tours from Medan:

• 1 Day: Responsible orangutan trek with a local guide and pick-up and drop-off from Medan.
• 1 Day: Ethical day tour from Medan by Orangutan Trekking Camp.
• 3 Days: 3 Days 2 Nights tour from Medan, featuring overnight camping and tubing. Numbers for the small group are capped at 6 people.

How to get to Bukit Lawang from Berastagi

The easiest (but not cheapest) way to reach Bukit Lawang from Berastagi is by tourist bus. This is because the tourist bus bypasses Medan and travels directly to Bukit Lawang.

Meanwhile, traveling by public bus means you need to take a 2 or 3-hour bus to Medan followed by a separate 4 or 5-hour bus to Bukit Lawang

1. Tourist bus

A tourist bus from Berastagi to Bukit Lawang is the most efficient way to reach Bukit Lawang. The tourist buses usually depart from Berastagi around 8am. You can arrange a tourist bus directly through your hostel or hotel.

Cost: 250,000 IDR per person

Duration: 3 – 4 hours

2. Public bus

If you want to save money, you can take public bus from Berastagi to Medan and from Medan to Bukit Lawang.

From Terminal Berastagi, the MURNI Express, Sinabung Jaya and Sutra buses can all take you to Medan for the same price: 20,000 IDR.

Then, follow the instructions in the section above to take a public bus from Pinang Baris bus station in Medan to Bukit Lawang. You may need to stay overnight in Medan if you arrive any later than 4pm because the bus departures also finish in the late afternoon.

Cost: 50,000 IDR (20,000 IDR for Berastagi – Medan; 30,000 IDR for Medan – Bukit Lawang)

Duration: 6 – 8 hours (an overnight stay may be required in Medan).

3. Private taxi or transfer

For the ultimate comfort and efficiency, you can take a private car from Berastagi to Bukit Lawang. Private cars can fit four to six people.

Cost: 800,000 – 900, 000 IDR

Duration: 5 – 6 hours

How to get from Lake Toba to Bukit Lawang

The only viable way to reach Bukit Lawang from Lake Toba is by tourist bus. 

Tourist buses can be arranged from Parapat harbour. Several companies arrange this service, departing around 8am and again later in the morning for any latecomers (provided there is enough demand). Arrive early to negotiate the best fare and ensure you get a seat on a tourist bus.

Remember, if you’re staying on Samosir Island, you will first need to take the earliest 7am ferry from Tuk Tuk to Parapat. This costs 70,000 IDR and arrives by approximately 7:30pm.

The Parapat/Tuk Tuk ferry

My tourist ‘bus’ from Lake Toba

Cost: 280,000 IDR

Duration: 8 – 9 hours

Your other alternative is to take a private car, which will cost around 1,500,000 IDR per car (for 4 – 6 people). This also takes 8 to 9 hours.

How to get to Bukit Lawang from Bukittinggi (West Sumatra)

Instead of going directly from Bukittinggi to Medan, I recommend stopping in Lake Toba or Berastagi for several days en route. If you don’t have time, you can follow these instructions.

To reach Bukit Lawang from Bukittinggi in west Sumatra, you will need to split your journey into two sections:

• Take the ALS overnight bus to Medan (21 – 22 hours).
• Take a bus from Medan to Bukit Lawang.

Cost: 250,000 IDR +

Duration: 25 hours +

1. Take the ALS bus to Medan

You will need to visit the ALS bus station in Bukittinggi twice. The first visit is to buy a ticket (at least one day in advance). The second time is to take the bus.

There a three types of ALS bus to Medan:

• Economy (air-conditioned): 225,000 IDR
• Patas (air-conditioning and a toilet): 260,000 IDR
• Super executive (air conditioning, a toilet and extra space/comfort): 365,000 IDR

The duration of the bus from Bukittinggi to Medan is 22 – 23 hours. It may last longer depending upon traffic.

When you arrive in Medan, you can then take either a public bus, tourist bus or taxi to Bukit Lawang as detailed in the second section of this post.

Can I Fly from West Sumatra to Bukit Lawang?

There are non-stop flights from Padang in west Sumatra to Medan in north Sumatra. They are operated by the airline Super Air Jet and take only one hour.

From Medan, you can then take a public bus, tourist bus or private taxi to Bukit Lawang. This journey takes 3 – 5 hours.

FAQ

Best Resources for Sumatra:

• Check hotel availability on Booking.com.
• Find a tour or experience on Get Your Guide or Viator (note: there’s less availability in west Sumatra)
• Check flight availability on AirAsia.

Suggested reading:

• Sumatra Backpacking Guide: Full North and West Sumatra Itinerary
• Best things to do in Bukit Lawang, Sumatra
• What to Wear in Sumatra + Packing List
• Lake Toba Travel Itinerary and Things to Do in Samosir Island
• 12 Best Hotels in Lake Toba and Samosir Island
• Harau Valley Travel Guide
• Things to Do in Bukittinggi Sumatra
• How to Visit Puncak Lawang Viewpoint
• Things to Do at Maninjau Lake in West Sumatra

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Katie Treharne

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