Every day the guides wake from their slumber, squint with one eye at the early hour of the morning and put an end to the screech of the deafening alarm call. With a light step, the guides hastily drink tar-like coffee and run through their definitive check-list before meeting their guests for the day.
Sumatra Cheeky Monkeys keep their trekking groups to a small size to ensure that each guest can be taken care of, experience and learn about as much of the landscape, flora and fauna as possible. For many visitors, trekking with the hope of seeing orangutans is an extraordinary and lifechanging experience. The guide aims to try a inject a little fun and a whole lot of magic into creating once in a lifetime memories.
Cheeky’s guides have painstakingly researched each of the treks, ensuring that they are safe, there is a reasonable likelihood of spotting the endangered orangutan and other rare animals and ultimately enjoyable.
Each of the tour guides has undergone scrutinous training from Agus; he is extraordinarily environmentally aware and has a keen sense of protecting his surroundings. When you chat to him; he is amazingly knowledgeable about all of the nature that surrounds Sumatra Cheeky Monkey’s base camp: from the little bugs and tiny plants to the sometimes eerie sounds of the jungle; orangutans to the largest flower in the world. It is so easy to listen to Agus regale his exciting tales. He takes his knowledge home and grows much local produce in his garden for guests to enjoy from his ‘fresh-from-the-garden’ menu.
Guests will carry their personal belongings and water; the guides take the rest of the day’s necessities. Cheeky’s only promotes the use of reusable bottles, not a scrap of single-use plastic is in sight; native leaves are washed in natural streams and used as plates for healthy lunches and snacks throughout the day.
As guests walk through ancient jungles, the guides will offer a stream of information about orangutans, many other species of wild animals, trees, flowers and other plants. As with many ancient cultures, tinctures are still made from rare herbs to cure many ills, the recipes of which are passed down through many generations. Guides identify many reptiles, birds and mammals throughout the trek, guests will learn the basics of ‘tracking’ and hopefully identifying sometimes tiny footprints and clues that another life has walked these mysterious paths before them.
For more information about the various treks or to create something unique, please visit www.sumatracheekymonkeys.com.