What is ‘jungling’ you ask? It’s a word created by a little boy called Finlay who grew up in England, far, far away from the jungle. His imagination, however, was rooted in the rainforests of faraway and tropical lands. Sumatra Cheeky Monkeys fell in love with this expressive word, so all of their trekking guests are now fondly known as ‘Junglers’.
Sumatra Cheeky Monkeys have hand-picked and designed five exceptional treks that suit all jungling-abilities. The Journey of a Primate is the most popular; guests can walk along the same path as some of the worlds rarest primates. This trek is designed for moderately active ‘junglers’ and will explore the forests, flora and fauna whilst being on high alert for monkeys, macaques and orangutans. There are opportunities for swimming at the foot of cooling waterfalls, tracking footprints and identifying local plants.
The Ultimate Kingdom trek is the unparalleled choice for adventurously buff ‘junglers’. Four or five days are spent exploring and traversing challenging terrains that take guests over the Bohorok and Jambur Batu rivers, past cooling waterfalls, through dense jungle and up and down undulating hills. The biodiversity of nature on this trek is peerless; Sumatra Cheeky Monkeys guides will share essential information on the animals and plants as guests walk through these seemingly untouched lands.
The Ultimate Kingdom crisscrosses through the deepest jungle and affords guests the opportunity of sighting monitor lizards, tortoises and brightly coloured river butterflies. The five day trek offers the opportunity of exploring deep into even denser and more challenging jungle giving the brave ‘jungler’ more chances of seeing rare wildlife, elephants, perhaps tigers and fascinating paw prints. This trek will hone tracking skills.
After each of the treks, guests will feel tired and in need of a ‘gentle’ taxi ride back to base. River tubing is exceptionally fun and sometimes exhilarating. Float down the Bohorok River in large inflated rubber tubes and see the rainforest and beautiful scenery; drift past pretty villages, wave at children swimming and bathing in the water; there is always plenty of wildlife to see too.
Whilst in Sumatra guests can take an extraordinary journey through the distinctive lands of the Karo Highlands, Lake Toba and Berastagi. Two active volcanoes stand proud and overlook waterfalls, alpine meadows and Samosir Island. Guests will explore seemingly undiscovered areas, bustling local markets, lunch in a traditional warung, refreshing waterfalls, towering Mounts’ Sibayak (2172 metres above sea level) and , nature in abundance and meet local, indigenous people.
A short boat ride leads to Samosir; a large volcanic island in Lake Toba which formed a spectacular caldera after an eruption of a supervolcano 75,000 years ago. The shores of the lake are lined with pine trees and mountains slope down to meet the refreshing waters. The King’s residence and traditional Batak dances are worth exploring.
A cheery ‘Horas’ welcomes guests to Berastagi; this means ‘welcome’ in Bahasa Indonesia, and its people love music and to sing. The town is encased by verdant fields that provide vast fruit and vegetable crops and flowers, and beautiful agricultural scenery and boasts a milder climate due to being 1400 metres above sea level.
All excursions can be booked directly with the Cheeky Monkey’s team.