The orangutan is a fascinating but increasingly rare creature. The only species of great ape native to Asia, its numbers have declined drastically over the past few decades, mainly due to habitat loss and hunting. There were only about 61,234 left in the wild as of 2007; a disturbing decline from the population of 76,300 that scientists estimated were left between 2000 and 2003 (via Wikipedia). However, if you’re tough enough to handle the Indonesian jungle, you can still see these “men of the forest” up close in their natural habitat… for now.

Mark Wiens of GoBackpacking recently went on an orangutan trek in Sumatra. He writes:

“It was a truly magnificent site. The bulkiness of the Orangutans miraculously swung through the branches of the trees with effortless ease. The weight of their heavy bodies were supported by rubbery limbs that seemed to just bounce from tree to tree and then spring back as the ape released grip.”

Heat, sweat and insects aside, it sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. To experience it yourself, you’ll need a passport and an Indonesian visa. When it comes to getting the visa, you have two options: apply before you leave the US or apply when you arrive in Indonesia. If you’d prefer to beat a hasty retreat from the airport to your hotel after the long flight, applying in advance will give you an edge. Either way, here’s a handy list of the required documents:

• Your passport, which must be valid for 6 months and have a complete, pristinely blank page in the back for the visa.
• 2 completed Indonesian visa application forms
• 2 passport photos
• A copy of your most recent bank statement
• A letter from your boss verifying that you are employed or on a leave of absence. If you don’t have a job, you’ll need to include a detailed letter explaining that fact.
• An itinerary letter that explains why you are going to Indonesia.

RushMyTravelVisa can help you with the paperwork and expedite your visa for the fastest possible processing. Our service makes applying for a visa easy, quick and painless.

Apply for your Indonesian visa today!

Tags: Indonesia, Indonesia visa, Indonesian visa

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 30th, 2011 at 11:55 pm and is filed under Destinations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.