The climate here is hot and humid so it’s best to wear loose fitting, cotton clothing. Jeans are sometimes nice to wear on an evening but a big no no for walking/trekking. (see ‘cultural awareness’ section below for further guidance). If you’re going trekking you don’t really need special clothing or equipment but there are a few useful things to have especially if you’re camping in the jungle overnight such as a headtorch and sleeping bag liner etc
We will send you a detailed ‘kit list’ which includes advice on what medications to bring.
MONEY: there are no cash points in Bukit Lawang but it is possible to get money changed. There are plenty of cash points in Medan or Binjai (2 hours).

It is a simple process to get a visa for Indonesia. You can get a 30 day visa on arrival at Medan airport and it costs $25. You can pay in Indonesian Rupiah also. It was possible to get shorter visas on arrival, for 7 days, and this may still be the case.
If you want to spend longer than 30 days (and most people do) exploring Sumatra and other parts of Indonesia you can get a 60 tourist visa at Indonesian Embassy. The exact process and documents required will vary depending on your nationality and the country you apply in, check out websites for exact information, it is a good idea to be prepared.
If you are already travelling in Asia a good Indonesian Embassy to go to is in Penang, Malaysia. You can take your application in on a morning (get forms at Embassy) and usually pick it up the following morning. At the last count you needed 2 passport photos, copy of passport, copy of flight/travel ticket out of Indonesia. Things that have been asked for randomly have been a copy of credit/bank card and a copy of ticket into Indonesia. The cost was 170 malaysian ringgit (£35) as of February 2009.
INSURANCE: as with any trip it is advisable to get comprehensive insurance which has good medical cover.

With it being so hot and humid it is important to make sure you drink plenty of water. Bottled water is readily available and some guest houses in Bukit Lawang do refills.
You should always wear a high factor sun cream and wear a hat. Don’t forget the back of your neck especially if you’re tubing on the river.
Malaria and bite prevention: There are mosquitoes around but it’s not totally horrendous. You should use a repellent and maybe wear long sleeves/trousers at dawn and dusk which is when mosquitoes are most active. Apparently the sweat of people who have diets high in B12 can deter mosquitoes! (eat alot of marmite). Many people use Tiger Balm on bites but you can easily buy a very similar balsam here for less than £1 which does the same job.
You should check with your Doctor or a travel clinic what vaccinations are recommended and also for advice on malaria prophylaxis.
It is a good idea to bring a personal medical kit containing things such as painkillers, plasters, anti-diarrhoeal tablets etc. We can email you a detailed list.
WEATHER: It is usually hot (30oc) and humid. It tends to rain every few days but not usually for very long. The rainy season (sort of November to March) is not anything that should prevent you from travelling to Bukit Lawang. It just rains a bit more and for a bit longer and you sometimes get spectacular storms! It is a good idea to carry a little umbrella which can also be used as a sun shade.

When you travel anywhere in the world your trip will be enhanced if you are aware of the customs and culture of the place you are visiting. Indonesian people are very welcoming and friendly and tend to be very non-confrontational. If you ask directions they will still try and help you even if they don’t actually know. You will also find that you are often asked where are you from, where are you going and kids will usually shout ‘hello mister’ whether you are male or female.
Sumatra is a predominantly Muslim country and you will often hear the call to prayer from the mosques (5 times a day). It is nice to show your respect by not playing loud music etc when people are praying. It is also nice generally if ladies can refrain from wearing skimpy/revealing clothing such as strappy vest tops, short shorts or bikinis. Guys should wear a t-shirt when eating. Don’t worry about this sort of thing though, or think that its restrictive, it’s just nice if you show respect for the culture by adjusting to what happens here.

We are not yet claiming to be an ecotour operator as there is so much misuse of the term and we don't currently meet all the criteria but we are getting there. At the moment a better description would be 'nature and culture based tourism'. The IUCN and Nature Conservancy use the following definition for ecotourism:
"Environmentally responsible travel to natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and accompanying cultural features, both past and present) that promote conservation, have a low visitor impact and provide for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local peoples."
·  Conscientious, low-impact visitor behavior
·  Sensitivity towards, and appreciation of, local cultures and biodiversity
·  Support for local conservation efforts
·  Sustainable benefits to local communities
·  Local participation in decision-making
·  Educational components for both the traveller and local communities  (Nature Conservancy www.nature.org) (IUCN www.iucn.org)
 There is a recycling system up river in Bukit Lawang so please use the bins provided along the way. If it’s not clear ask us. Try and refill your water bottles rather than buying new ones, there are a few guest houses that offer this service. We encourage our guests to bring environmentally friendly products but this is an area we need to work on. We hope to be able to source all the ingredients for making our own soaps and cleaning products so perhaps in the future you could learn how to make soap too!
(If you're UK based check out the courses here www.rubyredcosmetics.co.uk).

Green Hill is managed by all Indonesian staff and it is more like an extended family than your traditional working environment. Occasionally we get additional 'skilled' guests who stay for a while and help out. We have 'school' on Sundays at 2pm where the local kids come to learn English, so why not come along and help out! We will be getting more involved with village communities in the future so watch this space.