It started with a flight from Jakarta to Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan, taking only 1 hour 15 mins. We booked a 4 day/3 night trip on a Kelotok (River Boat) but as the flight came in late in the afternoon we stayed the night at a Hotel in Pangkalan Bun.
Day 1
The following morning, our tour company collected us from the hotel and drove us to the bustling Kumai harbour, arriving late morning. There we were met by our guide, the captain, a deckhand and the cook. They would be our travelling companions for the trip. The 4 of them shared the lower deck, and Ian and I had the top deck of the boat to ourselves.
We cruised down the Kumai River and after around 30 minutes we entered the Sekonyer River and the Tanjung Putting Nature Reserve.
We were extremely lucky and after only a short while we encountered our first wild orangutan which was feeding at the rivers edge.
Along the river we saw lots of Proboscis monkeys high up in the trees.
Our first stop of the day was a feeding station at Tanjung Harapan Camp. There is no guarantee the orangutans will turn up for the food provided. If there is plenty to eat in the forest they stay away.
The rangers feed the orangutans with bananas and cows milk. The cows milk is provided as they add a worming solution to it. As orangutans spend quite a lot of time on the forest floor they are prone to catching worms.
We saw a couple of mothers with their babies and some young males, which were most likely the older children of the mothers we saw. Orangutans tend to live until they are around 50 years old. The babies stay with their mothers until they are around 7 to 8 years old. Only once the first baby has left do they go on to have another.
After about an hour at the feeding station we returned to our Kelotok to cruise slowly down the river. Ian managed to spot a crocodile basking on the river bank and we also saw a very rare Storm's Stork returning to its night roost.
As evening drew in, our crew pulled the boat over to moor up for the night. They managed to find a spot opposite a large tree covered in fire flies. They moved our table and chairs up to the viewing deck so that we could see the fire flies whilst we ate our dinner. The food was fantastic, a really good sign of the meals to follow.
Whilst we ate our dinner, the crew prepared our sleeping quarters. This comprised of thick mattresses placed on the deck, a mosquito net, pillows and some thin blankets if it should get cooler by dawn. We fell asleep listening to the sounds of the rain forest, monkeys roosting in trees, cicadas and a chorus tree of frogs.
Day 2
We woke early the next morning with sunrise. After a hot night it was good to have a shower in the basic but clean bathroom onboard. Breakfast was served on deck, a frittata, fresh fruit juice and fruit, tea and coffee as we continued on our cruise.We saw more monkeys along the way. Long-tailed Macaques and Silvered Langurs. They were too quick for us to photograph well, as they swung between the trees and undergrowth.
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| Long-tailed Macque |
Later in the morning we took a trek through the rain forest. It was very hot and humid under the tree canopy. We did not see many animals but the insect life and plants were as diverse as they were fascinating.
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| Unusual funnel shaped bee nest at the bottom of a tree |
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| Carnivorous pitcher plant |
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| A tarantula nest |
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| Bleeding tree |
We also saw plenty of signs of wild pigs in the forest and a tree covered in scratches made by a sun bear.
At the end of our trek we returned to our boat by canoe, paddling through back waters.
Our crew welcomed us back with cold drinks, chilled hand towels and delicious food. This was to be a much appreciated regular occurrence during the course of our voyage.
In the afternoon we returned back to the feeding station we visited the day before.
We could have stayed for hours to watch them but after a long, hot day were grateful to return to the comfort of our boat and another night sleeping under the stars.
Day 3
Another early start, eating breakfast on deck whilst cruising down the river.
Along the route we saw birds such as the stork billed king fisher, little herons, and we even saw another 3 Storm's storks.
Soon it was time to return to the boat again to carry on up the river towards Camp Leakey.
Camp Leakey was established in 1971 by Dr. Biruté Galdikas and Rod Brindamour. It was named after the legendary paleo-anthropologist, Louis Leakey, who was both mentor and an inspiration to Dr. Galdikas as well as Drs. Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey.
Originally consisting of just two huts, Camp Leakey now has permanent wooden structures, designed to provide a base for scientists, staff, students and Park Rangers.
On arrival, we moored up, to discover that the Long-Tailed Macaques were very keen to get onboard to eat the leftovers from our lunch. They were not scared at all, so much so, the crew had to extend the mooring lines to keep us away from the river bank.
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| Not afraid to get wet to retrieve scraps |
In the early afternoon we took a trek through the rain forest to the feeding station. On route, we encountered monkeys and orangutans swinging through the trees beside our path.
On arrival at the feeding station, we waited patiently for the arrival of the orangutans. Wild pigs and gibbons took advantage of feeding on scraps before the orangutans arrived.
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| Funky gibbon |
What came next was to be the highlight of our orangutan adventure.
We had the privilege to see one of the big males. Tom the alpha male has not been seen for a few months, neither at the feeding station nor by the rangers in the forest. So this is Carlos, who is currently showing signs of becoming the next alpha male.
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| Carlos |
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| Not many dared to come close to Carlos |
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| Sometimes they passed within a meter or 2 from where we were sitting |
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Young female running straight at us
after being scared off the platform by Carlos
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For those of us that waited until the crowds of day-trippers left, we were rewarded with a very close up and personal view of these wonderful creatures.
It was with great reluctance we left the orangutans to their forest and returned to our boat.
We cruised down the river until dusk fell and then before dinner we took our torches and together with our guide and a local ranger we made a trek through the darkness of the rain forest at Pondok Ambung Research Station.
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| Look at me, over here |
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| Mr Ranger, you must have some bananas left |
It was with great reluctance we left the orangutans to their forest and returned to our boat.
We cruised down the river until dusk fell and then before dinner we took our torches and together with our guide and a local ranger we made a trek through the darkness of the rain forest at Pondok Ambung Research Station.
We saw plenty of spiders, fire flies, red ants and tracks of the wild pigs.
We also heard the calls of nocturnal birds, frogs, flying squirrels, monkeys and the occasional rustling of the orangutans in their nests high above us in the canopy.
We returned hot and hungry to the comfort of our boat for our final night on the river.
Diane planted an Ulin (Bornean ironwood) and Ian a Nyatuh.
We then continued our journey along the river and went to a local village. This was established in the 1970's when the local people were moved from the national park to the other side of the river.
They have a very basic level of living but they have schools, shops.
We returned hot and hungry to the comfort of our boat for our final night on the river.
Day 4
We woke with the sunrise.
Whilst Ian was showering, Diane and our deckhand, had the delight of watching an orangutan step out of the trees on to the single plank that made up part of jetty beside our boat. The female orangutan slowly walked passed peering into the windows of the deck below. Silently she walked up to the only other boat moored behind us and stepped on board. A fellow tourist was on deck but with his back towards her. He was rather shocked when he turned round to see her snatching up an apple from their breakfast table and hop back onto the jetty to then sit down to eat it.
She was not alone. We continued to watch her and the other orangutans swing through the trees near to our boat as we ate breakfast.
Slowly we cruised back along the river the way we came only 3 days ago.
We saw lots of birds, monkeys and even a baby crocodile.
Here we stepped off the boat onto a very dodgy looking jetty to take a walk into the forest.
Here we made our small contribution to this project by each planting a tree.
Whilst Ian was showering, Diane and our deckhand, had the delight of watching an orangutan step out of the trees on to the single plank that made up part of jetty beside our boat. The female orangutan slowly walked passed peering into the windows of the deck below. Silently she walked up to the only other boat moored behind us and stepped on board. A fellow tourist was on deck but with his back towards her. He was rather shocked when he turned round to see her snatching up an apple from their breakfast table and hop back onto the jetty to then sit down to eat it.
She was not alone. We continued to watch her and the other orangutans swing through the trees near to our boat as we ate breakfast.
Slowly we cruised back along the river the way we came only 3 days ago.
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| Arif our guide, keeping an watchful eye open |
We saw lots of birds, monkeys and even a baby crocodile.
On route, we stopped off at Pesalat Reforestation.
On the way we saw more of the wildlife.
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| Tree snake |
It is one man's job to run this project to grow and plant trees in this part of the national park. Where logging and fires have destroyed the forest. The trees are selected as important as food sources for orangutans and other wildlife
The man lives here alone and gets 2 days off every 2 weeks.
He does not even have a boat to leave the station and relies on locals and visitors to bring him supplies or transport him to the nearest village.
He must like it as he has been doing it for about 16 years now.
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| Trees ready for planting |
Diane planted an Ulin (Bornean ironwood) and Ian a Nyatuh.
They have a very basic level of living but they have schools, shops.
Of course, some of the elders would still prefer to live in their original village in the forest.
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| Washing and bathing in the river |
Finally it was time to make the final voyage out of the Sekonyer River and the Tanjung Putting Nature Reserve to return to the busy harbour of Pangkalan Bun.
This was to be a trip of a life time and we were not disappointed at all.
Arif and Dessy, together with our Kelotok crew from Orangutanapplause, made this adventure fun and informative from the moment we made first contact to the day we returned to the airport.
We will remember this adventure for the rest of our lives.
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