Ecolodge Bukit Lawang

Beautiful location, nice rooms, and a lovely restaurant. It's a shame the food is quite bland, very bland—perhaps intended to please Western tourists, but a real shame. We've eaten well everywhere in Sumatra except here. Even sambal doesn't help. For breakfast, you have to choose. If you choose the pancake, you get one thin pancake with a small amount of sauce supposed to be chocolate spread. Far too little. If you want more, you have to pay extra. "Mixed vegetables" as part of a dish is what we would call a garnish. If you ask for anything more than that, you have to pay extra. You have to pay after every meal anyway—you can't have it charged to your room. Not very hospitable and doesn't fit with their overall image.

Don't stay here if you can avoid it! There is so much wrong with this place. First and foremost, two of us got food poisoning from their chicken satays. Our driver told us later that just a day earlier he had had to take another family to the hospital because they got food poisoning at this place as well.
Secondly, if you stay there during the weekend, expect loud thumping karaoke music from the other side of the river. It was like sleeping in the middle of a night club and it went on till 2am. I understand that this is not directly the fault of Eco Lodge but this is a warning that this is not a quiet peaceful place where you get a good night's sleep.
On top of the food poisoning, the restaurant in generel is a bit crap. The service is slow and the staff seem disinterested and stand-off-ish. The food is meh and the breakfast is a joke. For the complimentary breakfast you get to choose one of several different options, none of which are substantial enough. The pancake option is one (1) pancake.
The rooms vary in quality. None have AC and given that this place strives for sustainability that's okay, but the fans that replace the AC are old and worthless so nights are insanely hot.
Our first room only had a cold water shower. The second room, after we returned from our jungle trek, did have hot water and seemed newer or more recently renovated than the first room, but none of the windows had glass, only wooden slats, which means that there is no sound proofing at all and you can hear everything that goes on in the corridor and on the stairs outside.
The only reason I'm giving this place two stars is because they were kind at the reception when we were sick and let us stay an hour past check out time while we waited for our driver to pick us up. I'm never staying there again.

Très joli lodge, avec un bon restaurant, différents type de chambres, mais chaud sans la clim

We spent one night at the Exo Lodge before going jungle trecking. The place was super nice and very much in pact with nature. You can just tell these friendly people care about the place and take the stewardship of the areas heritage and richness seriously. The rooms were simple but clean and nice.

The jungle treck with Randy and Antor was an incredible experience - something we will never forgot. Saw 7 orangutangs and a bunch of other monkeys before reaching the camp site and getting a refreshing swim in the river surrounded by the breathtaking jungle. Everything was above and beyond, and the helpfulness of the guides truly amazing.

I could not recommend this place and the experience enough. You will not regret and never forget it.

Friendly staff, location and green environment

This lodge was really great! It’s right on the river and close to the jungle and bat cave.
They use the money they earn at the lodge to support Orangutan Haven, a rehabilitation center for injured and abused orangutans.

Staff was really nice and friendly, but stay was not enjoyable due to very loud, thumping bass music for the entirety of two of our nights and days there.
Room was sparse, but functional. No furniture on the balcony, maybe because of the monkeys? One seemed to contemplate going in our room.
Luckily not really any mozzies, as netting didn't close as all and room is open to outside.
Food was decent- we did have some stomach issues, but that could be from the river as well 😉

I stayed for a few nights whilst doing jungle treks and the staff were lovely and so helpful. The restaurant and breakfast area is beautiful and really great views of the river.

I think some of the rooms are newer but the room is was put in was quite outdated. The mesh netting round the windows to keep bugs out was broken, the mosquito net had so many holes in it did not do its job, the bathrooms are very very basic. There was one fan and no air con or outside clothes drying facilities so it is impossible to dry and clothes you get wet from being in the jungle/river.

You can also hear all the noise from the village clearly in the rooms. At the weekend there is a lot of karaoke which goes on until the early hours and can be heard very loudly in the rooms.

Booked 2 nights through Agoda - 2 rooms family of 4. Received messages insisting I transfer the full amount in advance to confirm booking. Also insisted activities had to be booked in advance. We had to sent transfer receipt. Charged Euro 70 per person (Euro 280 for family) for a 1 day trek to see orang utan. Insisted this is as per Indonesian Regulation for foreigners. We live in Indonesia. Regulation is IDR 150,000 per person to enter the forest. Also found the Agoda booking was cancelled!

I stayed here with my son for an opportunity to visit the jungle and see the wildlife. Amazing hotel, beautiful architecture, lovely rooms, incredible location. Very friendly and helpful staff. Fantastic nature tours with knowledgeable and chatty guides.A great experience.

We have just spent the most amazing few days in Bukit Lawang. Everyone associated with the ecolodge - from staff to guides to drivers - has been amazing. The two-day trek to see orang-utans was a wonderful experience that we will all (including our daughters aged 13 and 11) remember for the rest of our lives. We would highly recommend the ecolodge and associated tours - for the service, the experience and the fact that we have been able to support the amazing work the team is doing to protect the wildlife and local environment.

Very cool retreat located directly on the south side of the river with awesome views of Bukit Lawang. The rooms are cozy and blend in well with the surrounding environment and the food at the restaurant is yummy. Sometimes there can be a bit of noise from adjacent hotels.

Aan de rand van het ecoforest met voldoende mogelijkheden tot het maken van trekking met gods

Great staff and great food. The Gunung Leuser nationalpark litteraly starts at the back of the hotel. They can arrange tours from 3 hours to several days.
Rooms are clean and well maintained. Close to the town for shopping, but not much to be found.
Saw 15 Orang Utans in 3 days.

The accommodation itself is great! Clean, comfy, spacious and perfect location (directly next to the entrance of the Nationalpark). Food in the restaurant was great too.
Unfortunately, most of staff isn’t that friendly, we didn’t feel very welcome. They barely smile and therefore make every question seem as too much. That also counts for the waiters at the restaurant, especially the cashier(s) who differ the prices from day to day - without reasoning.
Not sure if i would come back:(

Very pleasant, nice, lovely, quit stay. In nature bit remote but still in neighbourhood of small village, possible to "swim" in low river. Nice forest for Jungle Trekking and Oerang Oetangs. Rooms clean, nice, with balcony. Lovely bridge over the river to arrive there. Friendly personeel, good food, included breakfast also nice and good. And also lots of things to do.

This deserves 4.5 to be honest! Stayed 2 nights for our hike into the rain forest. Perfect location - very warm welcome from Heru - prepping us for our excursions. Monkeys around the grounds were great fun to watch, even if the staff were frustrated by them. The room is very simple, but then it is an eco lodge. We had hot water and electricity and ate well in the restaurant on site. There were other places to eat nearby but the staff provided everything we needed at the Lodge. The cold drinks after our hike were so welcome! My only niggle was that the room could have done with somewhere to unpack and sort/dry some of our kit, but this and the lack of air-conditioning didn't stop us getting a great night's sleep.

Just spent 6 days in Bukit Lawang at the Eco Lodge, on a yoga retreat. The rooms at the Eco Lodge were excellent, with a view of the river, and groups of monkeys visiting in the trees nearby. The staff at the lodge were fantastic, very friendly and helpful. We trekked into the jungle after yoga on most days and our guides Idriss and Jampo were amazing. They were thoughtful, friendly and dedicated to ensuring that we had the best experience. The experience was so fantastic, that we will be returning next year!

This place is amazing - stayed here before and after jungle trek. Very beautiful view of river and food was so good and affordable, we never wanted to go off site to eat anywhere else. Wish we couldve stayed longer. Power goes out time to time but never more than 2 mins, all part of the area. So beautiful and relaxing and lots of monkeys around. Wifi only in lounge/restaurant

sUper endroit tout est parfait, sauf pas de wifi dans la chambre