Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries:
The jungle of Bukit Lawang's Gunung Leuser National Park in Northern Sumatra is teeming with wildlife. While the tide of unchecked palm oil now stretches from Medan to the national park boundary, the park itself is a real sanctuary in the sea of monoculture.
Animals thrive inside the park with at least seven primate species, including the critically endangered Sumatran orangutan, Siamang and Larr gibbons, Thomas Leaf monkey and silvered leaf monkey, long-tailed macaques and pig-tailed macaques.
Accessing the labyrinth of trails inside the park is managed by a knowledgeable group of rangers. Ren Tony was my guide – he came highly recommended by my mate Scuzz from Sumatran Surfariis, and was an absolute legend. He clearly loves the jungle and the wild orangutans who make their home there. You're never guaranteed to see orangutans, but with Ren's knowledge, we encountered two small groups during our seven-hour trek.
The encounters are at the pace and direction of the orangutans – each time we had a mum and her young offspring, and it felt a lot like they were coming to check us out as much as we were them. They're just as curious about us, and we had an hour or more just hanging with them at times.
The Thomas Leaf monkeys were a favourite of mine. They're super casual characters with beautiful little faces and come complete with a mohawk. We had a group visit us for lunch, and they're very cool – they leap right around you and are so entertaining. I suspect they would have liked to have joined us for the tropical fruit platter Ren unveiled. My guide and fellow photographer, Yudha, of Medan, prided himself on having coffee ready to go at any moment. So we'd eat fruit salad, Ren's wife's beef curry, and sip on coffee as we soaked in the jungle vibes.
My mum always wanted to visit the orangutans, but passed before being able to make that happen. I felt her presence often in the jungle ... I know she would have loved every second of that adventure.
A huge thanks to Ren and Yudha for making my time in the jungle so cruisy, relaxing and filled with encounters with incredible primates.
See you at the beach, Derek
PS Do you want to join us on our Northern Sumatra photo expedition in 2027? We have spaces available for our August 22 trip next year. Register your interest here: https://insidertravelco.com/tour/photo-expedition-north-sumatra-indonesia/
Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries: