About Jos
Your local guide in the jungle of Bukit Lawang
Meet Jos
Jos is 54 years old and was born and raised right here in Bukit Lawang. He is the youngest of eight siblings, and his whole family calls this village home. He is also a proud father of two.
For Jos, the jungle isn't just his workplace, it is where he grew up. He has been guiding travelers through the rainforest for a long time, and he loves being in the jungle and showing people his home. Along the way he is always happy to share stories about the forest, its animals and village life.
Jos speaks Indonesian and English.
A licensed guide
Jos is a licensed guide and a member of the Indonesian tour guide association HPI. He is happy to show you his guide ID card. His tours follow the standard trekking prices set by the guide association, and the national park permit is always included.
Learn more about the national park, licensed guides and fair prices.
The team
Jos leads his treks himself. On treks with overnight stays, his cook prepares fresh, traditional Indonesian food at the camp, and there is always plenty of it.
When needed, Jos brings in other local guides from Bukit Lawang as partners. If you would like a porter to carry your things, he can arrange one too. Just ask when you book.
How Jos guides
- Respect for nature: keeping a distance from the animals, never feeding them, and taking all trash back out of the jungle. See the rules in the jungle.
- At your pace: Jos adjusts the tempo and difficulty of the trek to your group.
- Local and personal: you book directly with Jos, and your money stays with local people in Bukit Lawang.
- Honest: the animals are wild, so no sighting can ever be promised. But Jos knows the forest well and does his best to show you as much of it as possible.
- More than trekking: Jos is also happy to help you arrange onward travel, by bus or private car, to Medan, Berastagi or Lake Toba.