Primates & Dragons of Indonesia — Self-Launched

Fly into Kualanamu International Airport (Medan). Take a Grab/Gojek or airport bus into Medan if you need to overnight, otherwise head straight to Bukit Lawang. Local buses and shared minivans (angkot) run from Medan's Pinang Baris terminal to Bukit Lawang in about 4-5 hours for around £4-6; a private car transfer booked via your guesthouse costs roughly £25-35 and is far more comfortable. Bukit Lawang is a one-street village along the Bahorok river, the most accessible gateway to wild orangutans. Settle in, swim in the river and relax — wild orangutans sometimes come to the water's edge. Meet other travellers over dinner at one of the riverside warungs.

🚌Airport bus / angkot to Medan + shared minivan to Bukit Lawang (~£5) or private car (~£30)

🛏Riverside eco lodge / guesthouse in Bukit Lawang (£8-15 per night)

• →Arrive Medan (KNO airport)
• →Transfer to Bukit Lawang by bus or private car
• →River swim and village orientation

Book a licensed local guide through your lodge (guides are mandatory inside the park and cost around £25-40 per day per group, so pair up with other travellers to split it). Start early to beat the heat and hike the trails on the eastern edge of Gunung Leuser, one of only two remaining habitats for Sumatran orangutans. It's a leisurely couple of hours through dense rainforest with good chances of Thomas's leaf monkeys, long-tailed macaques and gibbons. The hike ends near the old feeding platform, where sightings of semi-wild orangutans are most likely. Bring plenty of water, sturdy shoes and long sleeves.

🚌On foot; park permit/guide fees paid locally

🛏Riverside eco lodge / guesthouse in Bukit Lawang (£8-15 per night)

• →Licensed guide-led jungle trek
• →Orangutan and primate spotting
• →Birdwatching

Return with your guide for a longer, more demanding day — the optional deeper jungle hike lasts around six hours over steep, muddy terrain in hot, humid conditions. The park supports roughly 700 animal species including Sumatran elephants, macaques, gibbons and rich birdlife. If you'd rather take it easy, stay at the lodge, swim in the river and watch for orangutans from the terrace. Negotiate the extended trek directly with your guide the night before.

🚌On foot

🛏Riverside eco lodge / guesthouse in Bukit Lawang (£8-15 per night)

• →Optional 6-hour jungle trek
• →Wildlife watching
• →River swimming

Spend the morning on a guided village walk to learn about local life and the history of the orangutan rehabilitation programme that has operated here since the 1970s. Many guesthouses and local families offer an Indonesian cooking demonstration followed by a homemade lunch of Sumatran dishes for around £5-8. Afterwards, head back to Medan (about 4 hours) by shared minivan. Stay overnight near the airport or city centre to catch tomorrow's flight.

🚌Shared minivan Bukit Lawang to Medan (~£5)

🛏Budget hotel in Medan (£12-20 per night)

• →Village walk
• →Indonesian cooking demonstration & lunch
• →Return transfer to Medan

Take a morning flight from Medan (KNO) to Jakarta (CGK) — book early on Citilink, Lion Air or Batik Air and fares typically run £35-60 one-way. Check into a budget hotel near the city centre or airport line, then explore Kota Tua (the old town) on foot or by TransJakarta bus (journeys cost pennies). See Fatahillah Square, the Wayang and Maritime museums, wander the street-food hub of Glodok (Chinatown), and finish at Sunda Kelapa, Jakarta's historic old port with its traditional wooden pinisi schooners.

🚌Domestic flight (~£45) + TransJakarta bus (~£0.50/trip)

🛏Budget hotel in central Jakarta (£15-25 per night)

• →Domestic flight Medan–Jakarta
• →Kota Tua old town walk
• →Glodok Chinatown street food
• →Sunda Kelapa harbour

Fly Jakarta (CGK) to Labuan Bajo (LBJ) — expect roughly £60-90 one-way depending on how early you book; these flights are limited so book well ahead. Labuan Bajo is the main gateway to Komodo National Park and has grown fast into a lively harbour town. Check into a guesthouse, walk the waterfront, and shop around the dive/tour operators on the main street to book your Komodo boat trip for the next three days. Sunset at the hilltop Sylvia Hill viewpoint is free and spectacular.

🚌Domestic flight (~£75)

🛏Guesthouse in Labuan Bajo (£15-25 per night)

• →Domestic flight Jakarta–Labuan Bajo
• →Waterfront stroll
• →Book Komodo boat trip
• →Sylvia Hill sunset viewpoint

Join a 2-night/3-day liveaboard boat tour (widely bookable locally or via GetYourGuide/Klook; shared boats start around £180-250 per person including meals, park fees and snorkelling gear). Sail first to Rinca, the lesser-visited of the two main dragon islands, where you join an official ranger on a guided trek to look for Komodo dragons plus wild pigs, buffalo and birds. Return to the boat and sail to Padar for snorkelling in pristine water, then walk to a hilltop for sunset over the national park.

🚌Liveaboard sailing boat

🛏Liveaboard boat (included in boat tour)

• →Rinca Island ranger trek (Komodo dragons)
• →Padar Island snorkelling
• →Hilltop sunset viewpoint

Morning trek on Komodo Island to the Banunggulung riverbed, once a goat-feeding site and still a great place to see dragons up close alongside wild boar, deer and buffalo plus cockatoos and other birdlife. Then it's on to Pink Beach for snorkelling among parrotfish, clownfish and — with luck — turtles. Finish at Manta Point, where giant manta rays with wingspans up to 4m cruise regularly; strong swimmers can snorkel alongside them. Anchor overnight near Gili Laba.

🚌Liveaboard sailing boat

🛏Liveaboard boat (included in boat tour)

• →Komodo Island ranger trek
• →Pink Beach snorkelling
• →Manta Point snorkelling

Optionally rise before dawn for the short hike to the Gili Laba viewpoint — one of the classic Komodo panoramas. Snorkel again around the island before sailing back; time permitting, stop at Kanawa Island on the way. Return to Labuan Bajo, check back into a guesthouse and enjoy fresh seafood at the night market (cheap and excellent).

🚌Liveaboard boat then on foot

🛏Guesthouse in Labuan Bajo (£15-25 per night)

• →Gili Laba sunrise hike
• →Snorkelling
• →Kanawa Island stop
• →Labuan Bajo night market

Fly Labuan Bajo (LBJ) to Denpasar (DPS) — around £40-70 one-way; if direct flights are full or pricey, routing via Jakarta or Surabaya can be cheaper. From the airport, take a Grab or Blue Bird taxi to Ubud (roughly 2 hours, £12-18) or a Perama shuttle bus (£6-8). Ubud, ringed by rice terraces and temples, is Bali's artistic heart and takes its name from the word for medicine. Settle in, then wander the cafes, galleries and temples.

🚌Domestic flight (~£55) + Grab/taxi or Perama shuttle to Ubud (~£15)

🛏Guesthouse or homestay in Ubud (£12-22 per night)

• →Domestic flight Labuan Bajo–Denpasar
• →Transfer to Ubud
• →Evening Ubud wander

Book a local guide or a small-group Kintamani day tour (roughly £20-30 via GetYourGuide, or arrange directly with a Ubud operator). Start around 7.30am for a gentle, mostly flat trek across the black lava fields and savanna of the Mount Batur caldera — far less strenuous than the pre-dawn summit climb. Continue to Tampaksiring to visit the 11th-century Gunung Kawi temple with its 7m cliff-carved candi shrines amid rice terraces (note: many stairs). Then Tirta Empul, whose holy spring waters are believed to cleanse bad spirits, and finally Tegallalang for sweeping views over the paddy fields. Hire a scooter (~£5/day) or book a private driver (~£30-35/day) if you prefer flexibility.

🚌Shared small-group tour or private driver (~£25)

🛏Guesthouse or homestay in Ubud (£12-22 per night)

• →Mount Batur caldera walk
• →Gunung Kawi Temple
• →Tirta Empul Temple
• →Tegallalang rice terraces

Use the day as you please: explore Ubud's shops, cafes, temples and theatres, or book one of the area's optional activities — white-water rafting on the Ayung River (about £25-30), the Campuhan Ridge Walk (free), a silver/jewellery or batik workshop, or a sunrise Batur summit trek if you want more. The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary costs around £4 to enter.

🚌On foot / scooter / local taxi (£3-8)

🛏Guesthouse or homestay in Ubud (£12-22 per night)

• →Optional Ayung River rafting
• →Campuhan Ridge Walk
• →Sacred Monkey Forest
• →Art & craft workshops

You've tracked orangutans in the Sumatran jungle, seen real-life dragons in Komodo and explored Indonesia's rich culture from Jakarta to Ubud. Make your way to Denpasar (DPS) airport for your onward or international flight — Grab and pre-booked airport transfers from Ubud run around £12-18. If you have time to spare, Bali's beaches at Sanur, Canggu or Uluwatu make an easy add-on.

🚌Grab/taxi Ubud to Denpasar airport (~£15)

🛏—

• →Transfer to Denpasar airport
• →Optional beach extension