Heart Behind the Escape to Sumatra
Ethical Sumatra Tours, Created With Local People
Escape to Sumatra is a local travel project based in Bukit Lawang, North Sumatra, founded by Kacka and Rama together with trusted local guides and communities.
We create ethical Sumatra tours, orangutan jungle treks, wildlife experiences, and private itineraries for travelers who want to experience the real Sumatra with respect — supporting local people, protecting nature, and avoiding staged tourism.
OUR STORY
From the Rainforest to Responsible Travel
Escape to Sumatra was born from two different worlds coming together: Kacka’s international travel experience and Rama’s deep local knowledge of Bukit Lawang, the jungle, and life around Gunung Leuser National Park.
For Kacka, Sumatra became a place of healing, reconnection, and purpose after leaving the fast pace of corporate life. For Rama, the rainforest has always been home. Born and raised in Bukit Lawang, he has been guiding travelers since 2017 and shares the jungle through lived experience, not just information.
Together, we created Escape to Sumatra to offer ethical orangutan trekking, honest travel advice, and locally guided Sumatra tours that support communities instead of mass tourism.
Our goal is not to show travelers a perfect version of Sumatra. Our goal is to show the real one; wild, human, beautiful, unpredictable, and worth protecting.
“We believe travel should protect the places it depends on.”
OUR VALUES
Travel That Gives Back
Tourism should protect the places it depends on. Our tours support local guides, respect wildlife, and help travelers understand the real Sumatra.
Our Mission
To create meaningful and ethical Sumatra tours that support local communities, respect wildlife, and help travelers reconnect with nature in an honest and responsible way.
Our Vision
To become one of Sumatra’s most trusted ethical travel operators, known for responsible orangutan trekking, locally guided adventures, cultural respect, and real community impact.
Our Promise
No feeding wildlife. No touching orangutans. No fake guarantees. No rushed mass tourism. Just real nature, local guides, honest communication, and travel that gives back.
Travel That Supports Real People
Escape to Sumatra is not built around mass tourism. It is built around local guides, families, small guesthouses, drivers, cooks, and communities who make these journeys possible.
When guests travel with us, their trip supports more than just an itinerary. It supports local livelihoods, fair work, ethical wildlife tourism, and a more respectful way of exploring Sumatra.
We believe the best travel experiences are not only memorable for travelers, but also meaningful for the places and people they touch.
- Locally guided and community-based
- Ethical wildlife encounters with no feeding or touching
- Travel that gives back to people and nature
MEET THE TEAM
People Behind Escape to Sumatra
Escape to Sumatra is built by local guides, community partners, drivers, cooks, and people who know this island because they live here. Meet some of the faces behind our tours.
Kacka
Co-Founder & Travel Coordinator
Kacka is from the Czech Republic and has been traveling solo since 2017. After falling in love with Sumatra’s wildlife, jungles, and local culture, she now helps travelers plan meaningful trips with care, honesty, and attention to detail.
Rama
Founder & Local Jungle Guide
Rama was born and raised in Bukit Lawang and has been guiding travelers since 2017. He knows the jungle, rivers, wildlife, and local community through real-life experience, and shares North Sumatra with guests in an honest and responsible way.
Fabio
Jungle Guide Bukit Lawang
Rey
Jungle Guide Batu Katak
Aldy
Jungle Assistant Batu Katak
Sedar
Jungle Guide Batu Katak
Kiki
Jungle Assistant Bukit Lawang
Diky
Jungle Guide Bukit Lawang
Pele
Jungle Guide Bukit Lawang – Long Treks
Angga
Jungle Assistant Bukit Lawang
Rendy
Jungle Guide Bukit Lawang
Elia
Cooking Class Chef
Rusdi
Jungle Headchef Batu Katak
Rob
Mentawai Tribe Guide
Farid
Driver
Dedek
Driver
Yudi
Jungle Headchef Bukit Lawang
Dika
Jungle Assistant Batu Katak
Nature doesn’t need us, but we absolutely need nature.
This belief is at the heart of everything we do.
Escape to Sumatra was created to help travelers experience the beauty of Sumatra in a way that respects the rainforest, wildlife, local communities, and traditional ways of life.
Whether you join us for orangutan trekking in Bukit Lawang, a wild jungle experience in Batu Katak, a Mentawai cultural journey, or a private North Sumatra itinerary, our goal is always the same: to travel with respect, honesty, and care.
Start your journey with local guides who know this island because they call it home.