Published on Dec, 2024

Wonderful experience in the north of Sumatra, thanks to the careful organisation of Discover Sumatra and to the enthusiasm and competence of the local guides. Great experience in the jungle, despite the rainy season (was raining only at night), exciting excursion to the volcano at sunrise, rest and discover of local culture at Samosir island. Good hotels and perfect transfers. Syaipul, Imran and Windy have been really great in helping us to discover this nice region.

Published on Nov, 2024

We visited Sumatra late October/beginning of November. It turned out that it was perfect time for us - less tourists on the trails - it was more private experience in the jungle. We were lucky to see Orangutans, Gibbons, Thomas Leaf Monkeys, Macaques- big thanks to our great guides Pele and Fabio :) The whole trip was very diverse super interesting and well organized. The volcano trekking was one the best experience and the Lake Toba - the stay at the Tabo Cottages was wonderful rest after very intense time. We higli recommend the trip if you would like to discover real Sumatra Kaja & Tomek

Published on Nov, 2024

My husband and I can't thank Christine and her team enough for the incredible experience we had in Sumatra. From my initial email with questions about Sumatra Christine always replied to me promptly. When we arrived in Sumatra our driver was waiting for us. All throughout the week our guides and drivers were incredible. They all looked after us so well and made sure we were okay especially the jungle trek which can be quite challenging but very rewarding. Thank you Discover Sumatra. We will be back to see more of this beautiful island. Special thank you to our guides Syaipul, Imam and Imran who were an absolute delight to travel with.

Published on Sep, 2024

After looking back at our month in Indonesia, this one week tour of Northern Sumatra was definitely the highlight for my Wife and I. Christine was so easy to deal with and everything came seamlessly together after the very first email. She was so helpful in ensuring we made all the correct decisions for our trip. Tip, even if you think you know best, listen to Christines advice, it is gold dust. The jungle trekking in Bukit Lawang was outstanding. We paired up with a very lovely, much younger and fitter German couple for the trek but we held our own on the physical aspects of the trip. At 64 years years old, I don't get too excited about much but this was simply amazing. We thought we would be lucky to see one Orangutan but we must have seen at least 16 up close and personal. We were so lucky to see a large (100kg) adult male and he came to within a few metres of us to take a better look at the ugly primates venturing onto his territory. We were not the only trekkers in the jungle and all the guides communicate with one another if an Orangutan is spotted. It seemed like we were always the first to arrive onsite whenever an ape was spotted, this was purely down to our guides Fabio and Iman knowing their craft. Fabio was a superstar, so informative and helpful, he is constantly studying to improve his knowledge. Iman was so friendly and helpful always smiling, we were so lucky to have these guys looking after us. I was not really looking forward to a jungle dinner given my background of baked beans, Heinz tomato soup and charred potatoes from old Scout treks. This however, was on a different level. Our chef and guides cooked us up a veritable feast of various tasty currys, sambals and fruit so we all went off to bed with full bellies, tired but very happy. The overnight stay in the jungle was brilliant with the night air filled with the sounds of a billion insects and animals. With hindsight, I would have brought my Thermarest (superlight inflatable camping mat) with me for a more comfortable sleep for my old bones but for one night it was manageable. Even the toilet in the jungle was a pleasant surprise! The second days trekking was superb seeing more Orangutans, Thomas Leaf monkeys, white handed gibbons and long tailed Macaques. We even saw a spectacularly beautiful Hornbill. In order to get back to civilization our group had to brave the many rapids whilst being swept back down the river to Bukit Lawang, what a hoot with our two German friends and my wife Fiona howling with laughter for the full 30 mins it took for the journey. The night was spent in Bukit Lawang when Discover Sumatra very kindly took our party of 4 out for dinner to celebrate our new friends 1st wedding anniversary and our 40th! Next day our Driver/ Guide took us to our next stop Berastagi. There was no rigid agenda for the drive so we could stop on our suggestion or on our guides recommendation. The scenery was mostly agricultural with a diverse variety of every fruits and vegetable you could think of being grown. The drives in Indonesia are long and it takes much much longer to travel similar distances in Indonesia than it ever does in Europe. Being quite tired after the trekking, a days driving was a relief. The following day was spent climbing Sibayak with Nicola our guide, then a long drive and ferry ride to the Island of Samosir in Lake Toba. We spent 2 nights on the Island with a days touring with our own Driver/ Guide. This Island was really beautiful and it would have been nice to spend another couple of nights here. Zoe's Waterfront hotel was the best hotel we stayed in on this tour, we even upgraded the room for about £10 per night to a lake view room to treat ourselves. The staff were excellent, friendly and could not do enough for us. Meals were excellent and value for money this was probably the best we had after 30 days in Indonesia. The hotel rooms on this tour are comfortable, clean and perfectly adequate but they are not 5 star. For this type of trip, I actually believe they are perfect. Our last day was a road trip back to Medan. The trip that Christine and Discover Sumatra have put together has been planned meticulously using their extensive knowledge of the area and it really shines through in every aspect of the tour. Be prepared for some long unavoidable car journeys as Sumatra is huge. This was definitely one of the best and most exciting trips we have ever done, a truly magical experience.

Published on Jul, 2024

Excellent 1-week bespoke tour of Northern Sumatra four our group of 4 friends. I would highly recommend Discover Sumatra. Communications with Christine were super quick and friendly from booking and throughout our trip. The price was very reasonable. Our trip was Medan - Bukit Lawang (incl. overnight in Gunung Leuser National Park) - Lake Toba - Medan. The overnight trek in GL was a particular highlight - the 2 guides (brothers Fabio & Pele) were very knowledgeable and friendly, speaking very fluent English. The tour was pieced together very smoothly. Although we didn't have a guide with us at all time, this suited our group well as we were free to explore and relax by ourselves in between the organised trips. Sumatra is a wonderful place to visit - the people all seemed friendly and happy to welcome tourists, even though there is far less European tourism than other parts of South East Asia.