Transport on Sumatra is sometimes rather difficult. The island is huge, the roads are bad and full of lorries and motorbikes. Public transport is limited and an adventure in itself. Be prepared for endless hours on crowded buses with drivers driving like crazy.
Local minibuses are the cheapest way to get to Bukit Lawang, but this is anything but a comfortable journey. The minibuses have no air conditioning and can be very cramped. You sit very close to other passengers. There is no real legroom. Many people don’t speak English, but are always friendly and may want to take a selfie with you. The road is bumpy and the bus stops frequently to pick up and drop off passengers on the way. The driver will usually put your luggage on the roof, but if there is room, you can take it on the bus.
The current governor of North Sumatra is from Bukit Lawang. One of his promises was to improve the road in order to get to Bukit Lawang from Medan. The work has already started and the road has improved a lot compared to previous years. However, the work is not yet finished. There are still some bumpy spots, but in general the road is getting better.
Read here our lists on how to get to Bukit Lawang from various directions:
From Banda Aceh/Pulau Weh to Bukit Lawang
Local bus
If you are on Pulau Weh, first take the ferry to Banda Aceh.
From Banda Aceh, you can take a night bus (approx. eight hours) to Medan. You can book this on the spot or online at redbus.co.id.
From here, take a becak (tuk-tuk) or taxi to Pinang Baris bus station. You’ll find information on the onward journey to Bukit Lawang further down.
Plane
From Banda Aceh, you can fly to Medan Kuala Namu Airport. There is currently one flight a day. Read on below to find out how to get from the airport to Bukit Lawang.
From Berastagi to Bukit Lawang
Local bus
If you wish to travel by local bus, you must first travel from the bus station in Berastagi to Binjai or Medan, and then change there to the bus to Bukit Lawang. The journey takes around 7 hours.
Tourist bus
These shared cars and vans run daily to Bukit Lawang. The price is 230,000 IDR per person. The journey takes approximately 5 hours.
Private driver
You can arrange a private driver through your accommodation in Berastagi. The price is around €80.
From Bukittinggi to Bukit Lawang
Local buses
There are night buses, such as those operated by ALS, which run from Bukittinggi to Medan. They depart from this bus station at around 5 pm. It is best to check the current timetables locally.
Private driver
Hiring a private driver for this route is too far. The journey would take around 3 days.
Plane
The most convenient option is to fly from Padang to Medan. There is currently one flight a day. See below for details on how to get from the airport to Bukit Lawang.
From Dumai to Bukit Lawang
Local bus
There are several night buses running from Dumai to Medan, including those operated by the Halmahera bus company. The journey takes 10 hours. The buses are comfortable, but be prepared for freezing temperatures, loud music all night long, reckless driving and even smokers on board.
You can find the timetables at https://www.redbus.id.
Read on below to find out how to get from Medan to Bukit Lawang.
From Ketambe to Bukit Lawang
Local Bus
Here you have to change three times.
- From Ketambe first take the local bus to Kutacane.
- From here several buses leaving to Padang Bulan in Medan daily. The ride takes about 6-9 hours.
- Take a becak to Pinag Baris bus station.
- From here take one of the local orange mini busses to Bukit Lawang.
Note: The last bus leaves around 5pm. The fare is something between 15,000IDR – 30,000IDR payable on arrival in Bukit Lawang, not before! There are usually men hanging around at Medan bus station waiting for tourists going to Bukit Lawang. They tend to demand high fares up to 100,000 IDR to Bukit Lawang, where it is actually something between 15,000 – 30,000IDR payable on arrival. It depends on your negotiation skills, but sometimes tourists also get kicked out of the busses if they refuse to pay the high price. It can help if you pretend that you have already been to Bukit Lawang and know the prices.
Tourist bus/shared taxi
There are daily schedules for the shared taxis from Ketambe to Bukit Lawang. The price is 450,000 IDR/person. Duration ca. 10 hours.
Private car
You can ask your accommodation in Ketambe to arrange a private driver for you.
From Lake Toba to Bukit Lawang
Local Bus
This can be a long ride, because you have to go via Medan.
- Take the ferry to Parapat.
- From the ferry catch a local bus to Pematang Siantar (ca. 20,000 IDR, 1 hour).
- From there take an air-conditioned bus named “Intra” to Amplas Bus Station in Medan (ca. 25,000 IDR, 3,5 hours)
- Here you need to change the bus stations. Take a becak to go to Pinang Baris Bus Station.
- From here you can catch one of the orange local busses to Bukit Lawang (ca. 30,000 IDR, 3,5 hours). Note: The last bus leaves around 5pm.
Tourist Bus
A more comfortable option is to take the tourist bus to Bukit Lawang. These shared minibuses run daily to Bukit Lawang. The price is 270,000 IDR per person, including the cost of the ferry. Journey time: approx. 8 hours. You can book this through your accommodation.
Private driver
Your accommodation or trekking agency can arrange a private driver for you. If you book the trek with us, we’ll be happy to arrange a private driver for you. The journey takes 8 hours and costs €110.
From Medan airport to Bukit Lawang
Medan Kuala Namu airport is located around 30km outside Medan. The drive to Bukit Lawang takes about 4 hours.
Local Bus
From the airport, take the ALS bus to the town of Binjai, just past Medan on the road to Bukit Lawang, leaving the airport building and going straight into the railway station building. Exit the building on the right before the Indomaret. All buses leave from there. Large signs indicate the direction of travel.
The cost from the airport is fixed 60,000 IDR. This bus takes ca. 2 hours depending on traffic and runs roughly every 45 minutes between around 3am and 10pm.
It’s best to try to get off the bus at Medan Supermall. Here you should catch one of the orange minibusses. They’re marked with Bukit Lawang on the front window. Just hail at them as they pass by. The fare is something between 30,000IDR – 50,000IDR payable on arrival in Bukit Lawang, not before!
Sometimes the ALS busses also drop passengers at Binjai’s main bus station. From here you need to take a becak (tuktuk) to Tanah Lapang, which is a junction 2km away, where buses to Bukit Lawang stop to pickup passengers. The becak costs around 10,000-15,000/person depending on your negotiating skills.
From Tanah Lapang you wait for a minibus to Bukit Lawang. There are usually men hanging around waiting for tourists going to Bukit Lawang. They tend to demand high fares up to 100,000 IDR to Bukit Lawang, where it is actually something between 30,000 – 50,000IDR payable on arrival.
There have been red direct buses from Medan airport to Bukit Lawang for some time. These are somewhat more modern and larger than the usual minibuses. BUT: If you travel from Bukit Lawang and not enough travellers want to go to the airport, you may have to get off at Binjai or at the Pinang Baris bus station in Medan and continue before there.
Tourist bus/shared taxi
Before Corona, there was a counter for tourist buses (shared cars). This service was no longer available when we last checked.
However, if you book the jungle trek with us and land before 12 noon, we can organise a tourist bus for you. The cost is 210,000IDR/person. Just contact us
Private car
Your accommodation or trekking agency can arrange a private driver for you. If you book the trek with us, we’ll be happy to arrange a private driver for you. The journey takes 4 hours and costs €50.
Grab App
Grab is not a reliable option for this route. It is available within Medan city and it will also show you availability for getting to Bukit Lawang, but since the price in the app is too low for the 4h drive, nobody will accept the ride. Especially if you arrive in the afternoon, becausse the driver has to go back for 4h.
New scam: Sometimes drivers accept the ride in the Grab app, but drop the tourists off in Binjai (2.5 hours from Bukit Lawang). The only option then is to take the local bus.
From Medan city to Bukit Lawang
How to get to Bukit Lawang from Medan city.
Local Bus
From Medan city take a grab or becak to Pinang Baris Bus Station. From here you can catch one of the orange minibusses. The last bus leaves around 5pm. The fare is something between 30,000IDR – 50,000IDR payable on arrival in Bukit Lawang, not before!
Note: There are usually men hanging around waiting for tourists going to Bukit Lawang. They tend to demand high fares up to 100,000 IDR to Bukit Lawang, where it is actually something between 30,000 – 50,000IDR payable on arrival. It depends on your negotiation skills, but sometimes tourists also get kicked out of the busses if they refuse to pay the high price. It can help if you pretend that you have already been to Bukit Lawang and know the prices.
Tourist bus/shared taxi
Your accommodation can also organise a shared taxi to Bukit Lawang. They usually leave in the morning. The costs are 150,000IDR/person.
If you book the jungle trek with us and land before 12 noon, we can organise a tourist bus for you. Just contact us
Private car
Your accommodation or trekking agency can arrange a private driver for you. If you book the trek with us, we’ll be happy to arrange a private driver for you. The journey takes 4 hours and costs €50.
Grab App
Grab is not a reliable option for this route. It is available within Medan city and it will also show you availability for getting to Bukit Lawang, but since the price in the app is too low for the 4h drive, nobody will accept the ride. Especially if you arrive in the afternoon, becausse the driver has to go back for 4h.
New scam: Sometimes drivers accept the ride in the Grab app, but drop the tourists off in Binjai (2.5 hours from Bukit Lawang). The only option then is to take the local bus.
From Padang to Bukit Lawang
Local bus
There are night buses, such as those operated by ALS, which run from Padang to Medan. It is best to check the current timetables locally. The journey takes around 18 hours and the buses usually arrive at Amplas Bus Station.
From there, take a becak (tuk-tuk) to Pinang Baris Bus Station and board the bus to Bukit Lawang.
Plane
The most convenient option is to fly from Padang to Medan. There is currently one flight a day. See below for details on how to get from the airport to Bukit Lawang.
From Singkil to Bukit Lawang
Local bus
As far as we know, there are no local buses connecting Singkil with, for example, Medan.
Private driver
Your accommodation on the Banyaks or in Bukit Lawang may be able to arrange a private driver. The journey takes around 14 hours.
Plane
Every Friday, there is a flight from Singkil to Medan with Susi Air. Please note that flights may be cancelled without notice. Furthermore, flight schedules usually change every year. See above for information on how to get from the airport to Bukit Lawang.
From Tanjung Balai to Bukit Lawang
Local bus/train
This is a long day’s journey. Allow 8 to 12 hours.
- First, take a bus or train from Tanjung Balai to Medan. You can find train timetables on tiket.com.
- Take a taxi or a Grab to Pinang Baris bus station.
- From here, you can take the local minibus to Bukit Lawang,
How to get to Bukit Lawang
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