Medan, Indonesia

It's common to seee visitors trekking through the jungles atop gentle, trained elephants

executive summary by darmansjah

Take advantage of the sunny season in March and April to visit Medan, and go ‘wild’ at the orangutans reserve at Bukit Lawang or try elephant trekking at Tangkahan. Located at the edge of Gunung Leuser National Park and about a three-hour ride away from Medan city, Bukit Lawang allows you to get up close and personal with gorgeous wildlife such as orang-utans, white handed gibbons, clouded leopard, sun bears and more in their natural habitats.

Hop on next on a two-hour jeep ride towards Tangkahan, also fondly called the “Hidden Paradise in North Sumatra”. A perfect destination for those who adore the adventurous outdoors, the small village is where you can take a leisurely trek exploring the forested area’s flora and fauna, atop an elephant. For a more interactive adventure, go river tubing on inflated rubber tube tires down the jungle’s rivers and explore caves and mangroves when you’re not tied up negotiating rapids.

SilkAir (silkair.com), Singapore Airlines (siangaoreair.com), Garuda Indonesia (garudaindonesia.com.sg), Valuair (valuair.com.sg) and Malaysia Airlines (malaysiaairlines.com) all have direct flights from Singapore Changi Airport to Medan Polonia International Airport.

JW Marriot Medan is just 15 minutes away from Polonia International Airport and near Medan’s major cultural attractions. All 287 rooms and suites are generously spacious and fully equipped with amenities for the urbane traveler (from US$119; marriot.com).