Did you know that orangutans share 97 percent of their DNA with humans? The word Orangutan is derived from the Indonesian words: Orang, meaning human and Utan, meaning forest. I wanted to meet our tree-dwelling cousins in the wild and the best place to do this is on the island of Borneo. Borneo consists of three nations: Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. The Malaysian side has better infrastructure and nicer hotels, but I was most interested in visiting Camp Leakey. This is where Dr. Birute Galdikas, the well-known primatologist, pioneered her studies of orangutans in the wild and has worked tirelessly for their conservation for over 40 years.
So, off to Kalimantan, Indonesia we went for our adventure in the rainforest.
We flew from Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, to Pangkalan Bun, a small city in central Kalimantan, in the southern part of Borneo. We transferred to a wooden boat, called a klotok, which would be our means of transport for the next three days. Some travelers opt to actually stay on the boats, where they set up mattresses for sleeping on the open air deck. We chose to stay in the jungle at the Rimba Lodge. Accommodations are very basic, but provided a comfortable respite after long days on the river. We were very happy with our little cabin that provided a hot shower, air conditioning and the staff tried very hard to be helpful.
Each morning we woke up early, had breakfast, and were on the boat by 7:33am. Our guide, Erwin, was a former ranger so he knew the forest and all of its inhabitants very well. Indeed, he identified my first glimpse of wildlife when I almost sat on a bronzeback snake.
There are three different feeding stations you can visit in the Tanjung Puting National Park. Many of the orangutans living here were former orphans, their mothers having been killed by loggers or poachers. They have been rehabilitated and returned to the wild, to live on their own in the forest. As their habitat has been diminished by logging and other human activities, food can sometimes be scarce. This is why the National Park Service provides supplemental fruit and milk for the animals in case they are in need.
It was a magical experience encountering our first orangutan in the wild! We could spot young males hanging from trees, moving effortlessly from branch to branch. Their flexibility and strength is amazing - they can do yoga poses I can only dream of! We saw mothers with babies, and we got to see the King. He was one big fellow! He can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. If he is at the feeding platform, the other females can approach, but the younger males wouldn't dare to.
We could stay and watch them for as long as we liked. In order to reach the various feeding stations, we usually had a short walk on a wooden-plank boardwalk and down the trails in the forest. It wasn't too strenuous and the longest walk was no further than 2 kilometers.
Along the way, we also saw monkeys, gibbons and wild boar.
While leisurely cruising on the river, we were able to see lots of other wildlife: many species of birds, crocodiles, monitor lizards, and the very odd-looking proboscis monkey. These monkeys only live in the rainforests of Borneo. Not only are they funny to look at, but they make a very funny honking sound as well. We felt very fortunate to see these unusual and endangered creatures in the wild.
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| Our expert guide, Erwin |
If you would like to plan your own adventure in the rainforest, contact the Travel Specialists at Bee Kalt Travel!
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We flew from Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, to Pangkalan Bun, a small city in central Kalimantan, in the southern part of Borneo. We transferred to a wooden boat, called a klotok, which would be our means of transport for the next three days. Some travelers opt to actually stay on the boats, where they set up mattresses for sleeping on the open air deck. We chose to stay in the jungle at the Rimba Lodge. Accommodations are very basic, but provided a comfortable respite after long days on the river. We were very happy with our little cabin that provided a hot shower, air conditioning and the staff tried very hard to be helpful.
We could stay and watch them for as long as we liked. In order to reach the various feeding stations, we usually had a short walk on a wooden-plank boardwalk and down the trails in the forest. It wasn't too strenuous and the longest walk was no further than 2 kilometers.
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