Komodo Dragons

December 18, 2019

shutterstock_562419604 Sri Lanka landscapes nature background. Ella

Sri Lankan Journey – 11 days From $2,766 AUD

December 19, 2019

Camp Leakey Borneo Orangutans by Houseboat – 3 days From $1,294 AUD

Camp Leakey Borneo Orangutans by Houseboat

Pangkalan Bun, Borneo Orangutan

From $1,294 AUD pp (2 pax)

Borneo is the third largest island in the world after Greenland and New Guinea. Borneo covers 746,309 sq km. Indonesian Borneo is known as Kalimantan “River of Diamonds”. It is occupying two-thirds of Borneo land mass, Kalimantan is divided into four provinces : East Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan. There are over 30 ethnic groups living in this particular island making it as an island with the highest human social group in the world. The native inhabitants of it is island is the “Dayak” who live in the interior of its island.

Visit Kalimantan to see the beautiful balance between the wildlife, the landscapes and cultures. Experience Dayak cultures, Orangutan and their habitat with us. Orangutans are our closest living relatives sharing 97% of our DNA, Intelligent, puckish and tricky. Come and see the only great red apes found in Asia. They can be found only in the two islands of Sumatra and Borneo. Tanjung Puting National Park is located in the Central West of Kalimantan. It is the last home for Ex-captive and wild orangutans in Borneo. We would be glad to share our knowledge to make your visit with Borneo Eco Tour will be unforgettable memory.

All our tours are based on the principle of responsible travel; protect the environment, respect local cultures, benefit local communities, help and protect borneo orangutans, wildlife and Local Cultures. We are dedicated in helping you to plan your perfect trip as you dream on going. We also can offer you a recommended tour to other island in Indonesia. such as Sumatra, Java, Lombok, Komodo, Sulawesi and of course Bali; the world famous hideout place of Indonesia.

Camp Leakey is situated within the Tanjung Puting National Park in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo. At Camp Leakey the animals are free to come and go as they like – there are no fences here. The food is offered in case the animals need it. Camp Leakey is truly a unique place to see orangutans. It has a vast space for rehabilitated orangutans to wander around alongside wild orangutans in their natural habitat, as they prepare for their integration back into the wild.

Camp Leakey is at a branch of the Sekonyer river in Tanjung Puting National Park and was founded in 1971 by Canadian researcher Biruté M. Galdikas. She named it after the Kenyan anthropologist Louis Leakey, who supported her in her efforts to study orangutans.

In Borneo there are about 54,000 orangutans. The majority of these, about 32,000, belong to the subspecies Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii. The Sumatran orangutan is highly endangered. It is estimated that there are around 13,000 remaining The Tapanuli orangutan with only about 800 individuals is close to extinction. Scientific studies suggest that the strong population decline must have happened recently, because the genetic diversity detected in the Sumatran orangutan is much higher than in the Bornean orangutan.

There are estimates that in about 30 year’s time all rainforests worldwide will be destroyed. As rainforest inhabitants, orangutans are directly affected by this. In Indonesia there are several reasons for deforestation. One of them is the export of tropical timber, as a much sought after material for the production of furniture or wooden floors. A far greater danger comes from the palm oil industry. Over 85% of the palm oil traded worldwide comes from Indonesia. Palm oil is an important raw material for the production of food (margarine, peanut butter, etc.), cosmetics, candles, laundry detergents, and bio fuels. Palm oil is extracted from the fruit of oil palms.

What you could expect to see on your Orangutan Tour

ex-captive orangutans now living in the wild, social behaviour, making daily nests and feeding
wild orangutans
bornean bearded pigs / wild boar
black handed gibbons
long and short tailed macaques
silvered langur
maroon langur / red leaf mongkeys
hornbills- asian pied, rhinoceros hornbill
king fishers
monitor lizards, flying lizard
green tree frogs
honey bears
plus many different tropical insects
crocodiles (estuarine crocodiles & malayan false gharial)
amazing plant diversity
there are approximately 600 types of tree and almost 250 species of bird and is home to a globally significant population of orangutans, reptile, mammals, and amphibians that live in the newly classified world heritage tanjung puting national park.

Recommended for those that

have a medium to high degree of fitness
are comfortable being in nature and love the sounds of Nature
who are concerned about the plight of the Bornean Orangutan, Proboscis Monkey and Hornbills
are culturally and environmentally aware
like an adventure!

How this Tour benefits Borneo Orangutans, Proboscis Monkey and the National Park

By taking this tour you are:

Supporting local trekking guides, who also act as Government forest rangers, living on simple wages
You will come away knowing more about the plight of the orangutan maybe you will be inspired to help, or at least pass on your new knowledge to others
Supporting local alternative income and helps them to place value on their natural resources and help to safe guard their future
A donation from your trek fee is given to the Park Ranger
Supporting us to protect the lowland rain forest

Overview

Day 1 – Pangkalanbun

Orangutan Deluxe Houseboating Accommodation

Day 2 – Pangkalanbun

Orangutan Deluxe Houseboating Accommodation

Day 3 – Pangkalanbun

Orangutan Deluxe Houseboating Accommodation

Itinerary

Day 1 Pangkalanbun – cabin (Dinner:)

Orangutan Deluxe Houseboating Accommodation

Upon your arrival in Pangkalan Bun Airport, meeting service with guide then direct transfer to Kumai and the houseboat (it will take about 20 minutes).

Lunch will provided On board. Afterward boating down Kumai River to the Seikonyer River, the main river in Tanjung Puting National Park.

Cruise up the Seikonyer river where you will see nice vegetation around the river bank, Nipa Palm, Pandanus, and some kind of trees that growing up around the river. See some wildlife such as birds, Macaque, Proboscis Monkey and Orangutan, if the time still permitted you will visit Orangutan feeding in Tanjung Harapan at 15.00 PM.

Then At 16.00 return back to the boat and continue boating up to observe, learning more about Proboscis monkeys along the river banks. Proboscis monkeys are endemic animals seen only in Borneo.

Dinner and Overnight on the houseboat.

Day 2 Pangkalanbun – cabin (Breakfast: Lunch: Dinner:)

After breakfast on board you continue cruising upstream the Sekonyer river towards one of the feeding stations where you can see several orangutans. After a while the boat will turn off the main Sekonyer River and enter a small narrow branch of the river where suddenly the water changes from its brown colour to a natural black colour.

Along the way your guide will point out the various birds that live in the jungles around the river: kingfishers, broadbill, hornbills. Continue the cruising until we reach Camp Leakey the most famous place for orangutan research in the world.

Since the camp was founded in 1971 as many as 200 orangutans have been reintroduced to the wild . Today the camp only operates as a feeding platform but orangutans are still fed and medically monitored by the local rangers.

There are no more reinsertion’s nowadays in Tanjung Puting National park as the overall population of Orangutans has reached a sustainable number of between 5,000 to 6,000 individuals spread across the 4,000 km2 of the park.

There are only 3 feeding platforms in Tanjung Puting providing supplementary food to the orangutans so that they do not remain wholly dependent on the feeding sites and are instead encouraged to get their own food in the jungle.

Most of the orangutans in the park are born in the wild and the ones that do come to the feeding sites are generally mothers with young offspring and animals that have been recently released

Lunch is served on board just before arriving at Camp Leakey.

Around 13:30, disembark at Camp Leakey for a 30 minute walk along a wooden pontoon and then following a jungle path with a chance to observe more wild animals along the way: gibbons, long tail macaque as well as wild pigs.

Feeding at Camp Leakey takes place daily at 1400 when rangers bring bananas or other fruits to wooden platforms inside the jungle. Slowly many Orangutans start coming down.

Watching them going from branch to branch sometimes high up in the trees with agility and grace really is an unforgettable experience. You will sit on fallen trunks only about 10 meters away from the platform and will have rangers with you.

The orangutans may come to the platform from anywhere in the jungle with the dominant male usually always coming first and followed by females coming one after the other with their offspring.

Return to the boat and around 16:00 start cruising again. At this time of the day many proboscis monkeys (easily recognizable by their long red nose) comeg close to the river banks to spend the night in large groups hanging in the trees.

You also have a good chance to watch wild Orangutans coming down to the riverside to pick up the fruit of the pandan trees, one of their favourite foods.

Dinner is served onboard the boat. – Overnight in cabin

Day 3 Pangkalanbun – cabin (Breakfast:)

After breakfast on board, cruise back to Kumai and a transfer by private vehicle to Pangkalanbun airport for your onward flight to your next destination