Magpie homestay & jungle trekking especially for guest trekking with us

Amazing hospitality from Asniar and her family. The traditional built house where we stayed is clean with comfortable beds and an en suite outdoor bathroom. The gardens are serene and peaceful. The pretty walk along the canal to town gives you the opportunity to see local life unfold and chat to the friendly children. We have really loved our stay here but our real highlight was the jungle tour they organized for us with Kiteng and Nasir. What an experience to see so many orangutans in the wild, 6 in total. Our guides were knowledgeable and fun to be with. They even taught us how to carve orangutan faces from clay stones they found in the river. The jungle food was wholesome and delicious, especially our evening meal prepared by the talented Putra. The water rafting back to town was a super addition to an already unforgettable experience. I highly recommend Magpie homestay. Their warm hearted spirit has touched our hearts.

What a wonderful time we had at Magpie Homestay! The bungalow is spacious, clean and had everything we needed, the garden is an amazing green oasis. My daughter loved feeding the fish every morning. Asniar is a fantastic host who took care of all our needs. The trekking with Nangnang, Nasir and Putra was definitive the highlight of our stay. They made sure we had the best time and spoilt us with amazing food. But we also loved visiting the village and talking to the friendly families at the canal, the bat cave (my daughter felt like a little explorer), the village tour, the eco print workshop with Sarah, visiting the Project Wings and having pizza at the Pizza ship - all of these activities are highly recommended. But most of all, we loved getting to know and speaking to the extremely friendly people of the Homestay and of Bukit Lawang. Thank you so much to Asniar, Nangnang, Nasir and Putra for everything! We will be back one day!

Make sure to not leave food somewhere in the house - after all it is in the middle of nature and if you do this same mistake as us, small animals will come. But this would happen anywhere so close to the jungle and is of course not the fault of the host.

We loved everything about this homestay. Asniar is so extremely accommodating and looked after everything from airport pickup to our jungle trek (at such a great price!). The guide Dolak was fantastic and Oleb and Emer who work at the property are so patient and kind always playing with our 4 year old and cooking us the most delicious food. The homestay is comfortable and spacious with two beds, a basic kitchen + utensils (no fridge but you could ask to use the communal fridge), many fans, WiFi, and delicious breakfast (with options) included. There is no hot water but this is welcomed as it can be hot during the day. Dinner and lunch options are also available for a great (additional) price. Some delicious options with plenty of vegetarian friendly dishes also. There is also access to washing machine so you can clean clothes post hike. This is so helpful for families! It's about a 25min walk to the main Bukit Lawang town but the walk is fabulous; straight up the canal and through the village where we got to meet many friendly families. You can also arrange a tuktuk, the driver Asniar uses (Harry) is such a gentleman, for a great price. The homestay is also close to warungs, Indomart and Alfamart, the bus station, and a local market (around 10mins walk) so you have the best of both worlds. The location is very peaceful, the pond was fun as our little one could fish, the garden is beautiful and we personally enjoy the roaming cats who pop by for a cuddle (if you're into that). Overall we cannot fault our week long stay here. Especially as a family with a little one! We would highly recommend and will absolutely come to stay here again when we return to Bukit. Thank you to everyone who made our stay unforgettable. It was hard to leave!

Nothing. Everything was perfect.

I spent 8 nights at Magpie homestay and had a very good time. The place is an excellent base from which many different excursions, shorter or multi days, can be organised. Ansiar linked me with three different guides, all very good and personable. She also helped with the transfers from Medan, to Batu Katak, and to Tangkahan. The wifi connection was good and so was breakfast and dinner. I explored a couple of nearby places but the homecooked evening meals were much nicer and I also got a little cooking lesson in the small kitchen. There is a washing machine one can use for a very small fee. I highly recommend Magpie.

Nothing

Our stay at Magpie Homestay was amazing. It was better than I had expected. Our host, Asnir, was so lovely, very accommodating and helpful. She even took us out for a BBQ picnic for my birthday. I highly recommend staying here. Thank you for looking after us and making our holiday so special.

Nothing, our stay was perfect

The bungalow is basic with fans, running water, a toilet, a shower and a sink. Even a cooking area, if required. This is simple but adequate and traditional. Most importantly, it’s clean. The kind lady and her brother are both very helpful in offering advice and directions. She also organised our jungle trekking to see orangutans and the total price was slightly cheaper than elsewhere. No need to worry about being ripped-off. The jungle trekking was really excellent, very professional and the guides took good care of my children and me. Here at Magpie homestay, the lady’s cooking is excellent and the price is not expensive. Do try her food! I hope to return again next year. There is also a washing machine for washing laundry.

What an amazing oasis it is ❤️. Asniar the owner is a great host too. Will definitely go back

Basic but clean and comfortable 2 bedroom bungalow with a small kitchen, set in a picturesque garden with its own fish ponds. The bungalow is on a dirt track on the outskirts of town, which in my opinion is a positive, especially if you have your own transport, as it gets you away from the traffic noise and the call to prayers from the mosques. Asnair, the friendly owner, is very knowledgeable about arranging local hikes into the jungle as well as cooking up a variety of tasty local dishes. A mention too for Asnairs brother, Nasir, who accompanied me and made sure I did not get into too much trouble when I went off to scout a couple of trails outside the national park.

There was nothing to dislike.

- Bungalow about 60 square meters. It is a small house with 2 rooms and 2 beds. - Quiet There is only one bungalow. Located outside and not near the noisy center or a noisy mosque. - Comfortable double bed -Friendly female manager organized the 5-day private jungle tour, advised me on it (group or private) and answered all my questions. I didn't have to do anything. - Small kitchen with tasty food in a beautiful location by a small pond. - Drinking water available - Female manager went on a short hike with me on the first day. - Female manager speaks good English and can organize a private taxi to Medan. - Breakfast at 5:30 a.m. is possible if you ordered a private taxi to Medan at 6 a.m. - Very good 5-day private jungle tour If you want to do something that will stay in your memory for the rest of your life, you should do the jungle tour. The longer the better, but it's exhausting. On the 2nd, 3rd and 4th day I didn't see any other tourists. If you are not a 25-year-old strong young man, I recommend the private jungle tour. Then you can go at your own pace and don't have to follow others about speed, route or breaks. - Good food on the jungle tour, I didn't get any stomach problems. - Friendly guide and 2 friendly guide assistants - Guide spoke good English. - You should bring: Waterproof shoes if you are doing it for more than 3 days. You can buy them up to size 42 in Bukit Lawang. I walked along the river for 2 days in my sturdy flip-flops. Most importantly: You should walk with 2 sticks. The guide gave me 2 bamboo sticks. Without these sticks I would have fallen in the river several times a day (very slippery stones, strong current). Sun hat and rain poncho Closed shoes: sneakers or hiking boots Thin long pants (no heavy, tight, and thick blue jeans) Any medication you might need (diarrhea, antibiotics for infected wounds, insect repellent, paracetamol, Micropur Forte for drinking water to be on the safe side, ...)

- Problem with a guide assistant on the first night One of the two guide assistants (smoker) had been coughing the whole first night so I couldn't sleep. The next morning, I was pretty upset. The following nights this guide assistant didn't sleep near me anymore and I could sleep well. If there hadn't been a problem with the coughing guide assistant on the first night I would have given a rating of 10. - No shop nearby where you can buy something. - One evening there was no WiFi, another day it was very slow. But luckily, I had an Indonesian SIM card for my tablet PC (hotspot) so this wasn't a problem for me.