Hugo and I went our separate ways for a few days as he wasn't up for the 16 hour bus trip across the country. Exhausted after the journey, (which had kept me awake all night as the driver enjoyed blaring music at full volume with all the windows open) I arrived in Bukit Lawang. I stayed at a hotel by the river called “Rainforest Guest House” for a mere €1.50 for the night! The town lined the river on either side and had an appealing mysterious charm from the beginning. Small wooden shops and restaurants lay on either side of the narrow mud/cobbled pathway and locals greeted us with a friendly “Welcome” was we passed by on the back of motorbikes. I spent the first evening relaxing by the river at the guesthouse restaurant and organised a three day jungle trek for the next morning.

Our first day trekking we weaved around the jungle paths, closely following our guide who would stop occasionally to tell us about trees we were seeing or to point out jungle plants that are used as natural remedies to a range of symptoms. Within a couple of minutes of arriving into the national park we came across the 'gangster' orangutan of the park - who was readapted to the wild after being rescued but who cleverly has figured out that she can still get food off the guides. She blocked the entire path with her body and threatens to bite if not handed a banana. Our guides have been bitten three times each from trying to avoid feeding her. They've created a huge problem for themselves and she's managed to squeeze herself a great deal! We stopped for lunch, which our guides Feri and Blimba provided from their backpack – fried rice with vegetables and delicious fruit.

After lunch our guides heard the creak of branches moving not far off and we excitedly followed the guides down the path and soon found the majestic mammals swinging playfully from tree to tree in the high jungle canopy. They were gorgeous to watch gracefully gliding from tree to tree. After watching this first group for a little while we headed back the way we had come to trek in another direction. Soon we found another group of Orang-utans and this time we were even closer to the action. A large male and a playful female with her baby were suddenly just a couple of feet before us. No one made a sound but watched as they moved slowly through the thicket of leaves and trees, acknowledging us, but not scared.

After another short hike we arrived at our camp for the night. The base camp area by the river featured a number of small sleeping shelters and make shift kitchen area. It was situated right by the river which furrows in cooling pools among the rocks making for an excellent post-trek refresher. We chilled in the river for the evening and then sat on the bank playing cards and chatting. That night the heavens opened and didn't stop until early in the morning, the river which was once a mere stream had risen to almost 1m in depth!

The next morning we headed off trekking again and once again were upon wild animals in only a couple of minutes. Gibbons howled and swang around and short tailed macaque monkeys cheekly gathered close by interested in us. An hour or so in, we stopped for a refreshing morning swim at an inviting pool before a small gushing waterfall. That evening we stayed at a second camp further upstream and spent the evening swimming in the fast rapids and chatting around a fire. Thomas leaf monkeys, endemic to Sumatra came down beside our camp and fished in the river for some leftover food washed away from the bowls.

The next moning we woke to find another orangutan sitting by the riverside observing us. Funny it seems we're just as interesting to them as they are to us! We walked up stream and found a small waterfall to swim in. After our swim, our guide Feri decorated our faces with rock paint he had created from the river bed. Now we were true jungle princesses. Just as we started to head back we heard a rustle above our heads - a toucan perched above us! After a few minutes it flew off across the river, incredible sight to see!

The end of our jungle experience was going to be one of the most exhilarating parts as we would be tubing in rubber rings down the river rapids and into Bukit Lawang village. It took some time to organise all of our bags and belongings into “waterproof” plastic bags but pretty soon all 10 of us were tubing down the river at full speed. Not only was it fun but the views were something else. Both sides of the river were alive with wonderful landscape and ahead of us the pretty town crept into view. As we approached the village we could see children out for their evening swim and lots of people washing both themselves and their clothes. They greeted us with waves and smiles as we trundled with joy down the river. When the tour inevitably came to an end as we pulled into the bank it was sad to say goodbye to our new found jungle friends and excellent guides. It had been a one off experience to be in the jungle among the animals and the trees, something I won't forget any time soon.