Kalimantan Voyage: Orangutan Quest
- Fionaferd
- Oct 13, 2019
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 18, 2021
Orangutan literally means the man of the forest, and yes, this is the endangered ape you can only find in Indonesia. What if I tell you that you can safely cruise into the Kalimantan forest and visit them in their home?
Where are you, Orangutans?
The best place to visit them is the Tanjung Puting National Park. It is a popular tourist destination that consists of 3,040 km2 of low laying swampy forest and dry rain forest located in South Kalimantan, Indonesia. There are three feeding stations to see: Tanjung Harapan, Pondok Tangui, and the farthest and most famous one, Camp Leakey.
How to get there
The nearest town with an airport is Pangkalan Bun. There are direct flights from Jakarta, Semarang, and Surabaya. From Pangkalan Bun, you will have to ride less than 20 minutes to Kumai, where all the boats depart to Sekonyer River. If you haven't booked any transportation, there is a taxi online application like Grab (similar to Uber) you can use in Pangkalan Bun. However, I'd suggest you contact a local travel agent to arrange all of the transportation and tour before arriving at Pangkalan Bun.
What to expect
You will cruise the Sekonyer River with a Klotok, a wooden riverboat, but don't turn off just yet. Though it is pretty basic, the boat is usually equipped with multistory floors, a dining table, toilet, chairs, and beds. Have I told you that the toilet is foreigner-friendly because they got a clean toilet seat and not the local one where you have to squat? You don't need to worry about the meals and drinks, because they got a cook onboard and cover delicious Indonesian home-cooked meals three times a day plus fried snacks.
The cruising time depends on the tour you choose, if you don't choose the overnight package then you will only go to the first feeding station and it's only two hours to go and two hours back. They got an English speaking tour guide who will tell you stories and answer your questions about the place and animals during those hours.
Alongside the river, you will see Proboscis Monkeys (Bekantan in Indonesian), Macaque, and many birds. If you get to visit Camp Leakey, you will meet Orangutans up close and get to spend the night in the Klotok boat. If you don't get an overnight package, you will still get to have candlelight dinner on the boat while anchored on the riverside. You can expect to see not only countless stars but also the milky way's white line among them. You'll not only hear wild noises of the forest but also see fireflies light up the forest like Christmas trees.
Tips
Typical tropical forest, the heat, and humidity will hit you hard. Do wear a breezy top, running shoes, and legging/long pants, just in case of leeches. Do not wear a shirt dress (I saw someone did and the struggle was real)
Also bring a cardigan or jacket for a windy night, mosquito repellent (especially if your blood type is O), tissues or a fan if you sweat easily, and wet tissues if you want to wet wipe the stickiness away.
You may bring a camera, but remember, not every moment can be captured with it. Do not bring electronic devices for work. You will most likely not getting any phone or internet signal reception, also what's the point of visiting nature if you're just going to resume work?
Author's Story
I spent my birthday this year joining a charity marathon called oRUNgutan in Pangkalan Bun, Kalimantan. At a glance, it may not seem extraordinary, but if you know me, you'd know that this was special because I wasn't originally a big fan of running and I have never been to Kalimantan before. I had two reasons for doing it: first, because the price includes a donation to help Orangutan conservation, and second because I'd get to see them not in the zoo, but their home, after tracking the forest and cruising a huge river, of course. It sounded like a great adventure to my ears. I knew if I wanted to do something different on my birthday, this was gonna be it. An adventurous soul can't be contained in an office for too long, you know.
The event was originally planned by an Indonesian airline called Sriwijaya Air to donate to Orangutan conservation. There are reasons why the Orangutan is one of the Indonesian most endangered animals. An Orangutan mother can only have one baby who will stay with the mother for 7 to 8 years. Many hunters killed Orangutan mothers so they can take the babies and sell them. Many have been brought back to Tanjung Puting and fortunately, hunting them is now illegal.
Back to the event, the highlight was to run in Pangkalan Bun and visit Tanjung Puting National Park, the habitat of Orangutans. We arrived the day before and stayed the night in Swiss-Bellinn Hotel before the marathon. The marathon was only for 5 kilometers, but for someone like me who hates running, finishing the marathon was something new and rewarding. I accomplished something that I might not do again in the near future (unless to save animals).
As you see it wasn't a fancy birthday, but I was super thankful for this dear friend of mine who joined the trip with me. The pictures were taken after the marathon. The medal was not made of gold, but we cherished it like one after we got ourselves hydrated. We then took a rest back at the hotel and prepared for Tanjung Puting.
We arrived in Kumai and got onboard on one of the Klotok boats. The journey started with a delicious meal in the open fresh air. It rained a bit, but the boat captain swiftly pulled down all of the hoods and pulled them up again when the shower stopped. We didn't mind the rain because the day we arrived was exactly three days after thick smoke hit Pangkalan Bun. There was a forest fire in other parts of Kalimantan and the smoke was pretty bad that they had to close Tanjung Puting for few days, and the rain was good to break the smoke.
The moment our Klotok turned to the Sekonyer river, it was the beginning scene of the Anaconda. Don't worry, I was just messing with you. Snakes and crocodiles rarely showed themselves near tourists, the guide said. The only thing left was the exciting thrills!
Unfortunately, it was just a one-day trip so we only got to the first feeding station. After 20-minute trekking the forest, we found Dr. Birute Galdikas sitting near the feeding place taking pictures of the Orangutans. She then gave some speech about the situation of Orangutans that needs our attention and that she appreciated the donation Sriwijaya Air extended to the conservation.
If you haven't heard of Dr. Birute Galdikas yet, she is the founder of the Camp Leakey and Orangutan Foundation International (OFI). She received numerous prestigious awards on the environment, produced 4 books, and was featured in various television documentaries. I was very impressed to learn that she dedicated most of her life to preserving Orangutan. Not to mention that she spoke fluent Indonesian. It made me wonder even more if I was the only one who felt ashamed of not trying harder to do something for our environment..
On the way back, we saw a remarkable sunset and the kind of night we will never forget. It was the kind of moment you can't record with any device, but your mind. Sitting on the deck, I chose to enjoy the cold wind blowing my face and bare arms while listening to the sound of crickets and other noises of the forest. I was stargazing until I had to lay down because my neck hurt from looking up too long. It was cold, but I didn't want to miss a moment when it was hard to choose to look between the night sky and the glittery trees. There was no lamp except the boats, but the stars and fireflies that lighted up the night were not something I can see every day.
This was indeed a birthday well-spent.
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