Borneo (Kalimantan)

Creature of the dark: Tanjung Puting is home to proboscis monkeys which are often seen during the dawn and dusk hours in the trees near the Sekonyer River. JP/ Todd Teetzel

While the jewel of Central Kalimantan, the Tanjung Puting National Park, may conjure up images of sawmills, plywood factories and palm oil plantations gobbling their way through precious chunks of forests, it is still possible to catch a glimpse there of a flying Stork-billed Kingfisher with its yellow stomach and cerulean blue wings, estuarine crocodiles and rust-colored orangutans. At least for now.

The 41,000-hectare Tanjung Puting is a protected home to many species including orangutans, which can only be seen in Borneo and Sumatra.

While you can visit the park in a day trip, many visitors opt to sleep aboard a klotok, a fully equipped boat that ushers them into the heart of the humming forest for an extended stay.

Speedboats and klotok leave from Kumai, a 20-minute drive from Pangkalan Bun airport. Most travel agents, taxi drivers and hotel personnel have a klotok contact. Or, you can head to Kumai and hire one of the klotoks directly there.

While the wild and semi-wild orangutans at Tanjung Puting may be the main attraction, the experience of navigating through forest brings visitors face-to-face with many species of plants and animals in need of protection.

Protection from what? From the rampant illegal logging and mining that have destroyed countless forests in Borneo, and which continue to reduce the natural habitat of the orangutans and other wildlife.

Sail with a view: Watch the sunset and sunrise from the deck of floating klotok on the Sekonyer River in Central Kalimantan’s Tanjung Puting National Park. JP/Melissa Umbro Teetzel

Day one: Departing from Kumai on the klotok, head to Tanjung Harapan, the first of three feeding sites in the park where you can see rehabilitated orangutans. A short hike away from the river and just after 3 p.m., the rangers holler “Eeeooo” to notify the orangutans that a pile of bananas awaits them. While they may not appear immediately, orangutans will likely be heard swinging closer from distant branches.

As the largest arboreal (tree dwelling) animals, orangutans are equipped to maneuver among branches with ease. They have opposable thumbs and big toes. For this reason, their “off stage” movements — reaching, swinging, scooting, dangling — may provide for more spectacular entertainment than their eating ritual on the platform.

Return to the boat and enjoy the late afternoon ride deeper into the park. Keep an eye on the branches overhead for proboscis monkeys with their white tails, auburn heads, round bellies and excessively large noses.

In late afternoons and early mornings they can be seen from the river. Dock for the night and enjoy dinner on deck. Fall asleep to the sound of crickets beneath a starry sky and under the protection of a mosquito net.

Day 2: After waking among the still mist on the Sekonyer River, enjoy coffee and an omelet before heading to the second camp. Orangutans are fed at 9 a.m. at Pondok Tanggui, the newest of the three rehabilitation camps that may be a less crowded setting to see orangutans before venturing on to Camp Leakey.

Be mesmerized by their banana-eating routine — peel it, chomp it, discard it and grab another. Come back to the boat for a ride down narrower waters. While you travel along the Sekonyer River toward Camp Leakey, watch out for moving water lilies, more often than not indicating the presence of lurking crocodiles.

Camp Leakey, widely known as the site of Biruté Galdikas’ research on orangutans, typically draws the greatest number of orangutans at the feeding session, which begins at 2 p.m.

Swaying around: As tree-dwelling animals, orangutans rarely need to descend to the forest floor. They build new nests daily and make keen use of opposable thumbs and opposable big toes to navigate tree branches. JP/Todd Teetzel

If you arrive around lunchtime, you can take a walk to the visitor’s center and the surrounding area before the rangers start feeding the orangutans. Look for Tut, an older female orangutan, lounging alone beneath a smaller dock.

Rangers will be eager to share stories about Princess and her two kids, Putri and Percy. They are known as the genius family. Princess can row a boat. And, when they ask her what she wants, she will tell them (with her hands) some water or food.

Tom, the alpha male and king of Camp Leakey, will likely surface in conversation as well. When males scurry away at the feeding, you can be sure Tom is on his way. While females may eat alongside Tom, all the males are scared off.

Your captain may suggest a location to dock for the night, whether it’s the dark waters near Camp Leakey or at Croc Lake.

Day 3: Return to Camp Leakey to spend the morning hiking through the forest accompanied by one of the guides, who will carry a large knife and slingshot in hand just in case there’s an unexpected encounter with a sun bear or wild orangutan. But, more than likely, you’ll enjoy a shady, peaceful walk under the canopy of trees.

One of the trails leads to the post where Galdikas lived during long stretches observing orangutans. Catch the afternoon feeding before journeying back down the river.

On the last night, you can sleep near the entrance of the park and closer to the Kumai River, where fireflies light up nira palm fronds by night. It’s an idyllic setting for a final candlelit dinner.

Day 4: While it’s a relatively short trip back to Kumai from the firefly post, you may want to ask your captain to return to the feeding post at Tanjung Harapan. Just be sure to let the crew know before leaving Kumai on the first day so they bring plenty of fuel.

Or, you can enjoy the ride out of the park and back to Kumai, with plenty of time to catch a flight out of Pangkalan Bun the same day. Either way, it’s a trip to remember.

Orange for Orangutan Day

In celebration of Orangutan Awareness Week, the Orangutan Foundation invites people to participate in this international event by wearing orange on Thursday, Nov. 12.
Help raise awareness of the need to protect orangutans and their habitat by wearing orange clothing, wigs, accessories or stickers. For the brave and committed, you may dye your hair orange.

If you would like to host an “Orange for Orangutan Day” event and need suggestions for ideas visit the Website for a fact sheet, event ideas and a downloadable poster (www.orangutan.org.uk/orange-for-orangutan-day). Be sure to share photos of your event with the Orangutan Foundation. Participants in “Orange for Orangutan Day” are encouraged to donate £1 [US1.68], which will go toward the campaign “Protect Me and My Tree Appeal”, an effort to release rehabilitated orangutans into the wild in the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve in Central Kalimantan.