Nervous Flyer here: Nam Air or Trigana? Private Service available?

Charter service from Jakarta to Pangkalanbun???
You must have a very nice budget!
And all that just to see tamed orangutans hanging around feeding stations...
You could fly on a better airline, say Garuda, to Medan, and see much the same at Bukit Lawang.

They both fly Boeing 737's on this route although Trigana flies a bigger version accomodating approx. 50 seats more and takes 10 minutes less than Nam Air.
So nothing in it really, you should pick the one with the most convenient timings for you.

I highly doubt you'd really notice much of a difference between the two honestly. Picking the most convenient, time-wise, between the two is how'd I'd decide. Every time I've flown in the region, basically all the carriers were blah. Focus on having fun once you land. :)

Thank you very much for that feedback, provides me with a little more confidence about the flight.

Since Laszlo mentioned it: Is the Orangutan visit (Our Tour Guide would be Orangutan Applause) not a recommendable experience? > Tamed Orangutans hanging around feeding stations> sounds like a soft washed version for tourists who want to feel the real jungle experience without the hassle that this would normally require...

I absolutely did like the whole jungle river boat tour in Tanjung Putting. The orangutans are definitely lured in by the feeding stations (which guarantees that you will see them) but they are free roaming and you can spot them from the boat on the side of the river as well. Besides the orangutans there is a lot of wildlife to spot from the boat or by short walks in the jungle that is completely wild: proboscis monkeys, tarsiers (if you are lucky), hornbills, gibbons, macaques, kingfishers etc. Overall I liked Tanjung Puting a lot better then Bukit Lawang, it felt 'wilder' and less touristy. (although off course a multi day overnight trek through gunung Leuser, away form Bukit Lawang, is much more of a real jungle experience).

Tamed Orangutans hanging around feeding stations> sounds like a soft washed version for tourists who want to feel the real jungle experience without the hassle

Exactly.
They may be free-roaming, but are certainly not wild ones.
Many walk on the ground, often standing up like humans, will come close to you, etc.
Most tourists love it, but it's very different from seeing wild orangutans.

Read the orangutan thread linked in my signo line for more on the various possibilities, and trip reports.

If you REALLY have to fly Garuda.. they do serve Semarang-Pangkalanbun sporadically 3-4x weekly by ATR72s (under their feeder/regional brand Garuda Explore). But then you have to fly Jakarta-Semarang first, which you can of course do by Garuda too,,,

But I don't think it's worth the hassle.. if you want more real jungle treks might be better off in Gn Leuser area (north Sumatra)

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