Herping is the most common activity carried out by our team in Bukit Lawang. To be honest, everything is a game of chance when it’s about looking for snakes. In my 12 years of experience in Bukit Lawang, I’ve discovered many different species. Herping in Bukit Lawang could be done during the day and night. Although most species of snakes are nocturnal, our king cobra stays diurnal, and a spitting cobra is often spotted during the day based on our rescue call time.
Some most wanted species such king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), red-headed krait (Bungarus flaviceps), Sumatran spitting cobra (Naja sumatrana), blue Malayan coral snake (Calliophis bivirgatus) are hard to spot, but definitely, they are found in Bukit Lawang, and sometime around our accommodation. The most commonly found species in Bukit Lawang is Wagler’s pit viper (Tropidolaemus wagleri). Herping in Bukit Lawang requires our patience; our area is huge and connected to Gunung Leuser National Park, so there must be opportunities out there, but once again, it is about luck.