“Quick, come see, it’s a wild one and it’s a male,” exclaimed Nanang, our guide. “This is quite unusual to see. Wake up, wake up.” I struggled from my tented bed on the upper deck of the boat and fought my way through the mosquito netting. My eyes adjusted to the early morning light and I stood in awe of the sight before me. There he was, a huge longhaired red orangutan, perched in the top canopy of the rainforest. He stood before us, with arms outstretched to their full potential and claimed his view for the day. He was king and he knew it.

We were in the vicinity of Camp Leakey in the Tanjung Putting National Park, West Kalimantan. We had docked overnight in our traditional Indonesian wooden houseboat (klotok) before encountering this large human like beast. Orangutans are the largest tree dwelling animal in the world. They live a semi-solitary existence, unlike their cousins in Africa, the great African apes. The males are very territorial and claim about a 7km square area as their own. Within their domain lies their harem of females and their offspring. The males often fight for territorial dominance and, with their huge padded cheeks and 12-foot stature; they are beasts of great power and force.

Camp Leakey is a rehabilitation center for orangutans rescued from captivity and it is here that they are taught to live in their natural forest environment. Once resettled they join the wild population and fend for themselves in the jungle. Nowhere on earth can one see such a concentration of orangutans.

Borneo (Kalimantan) is one of the world’s last wild places. Much of the island is covered by tropical rainforest and the Tanjung Putting National Park protects not only the orangutan but also many other species of primates, crocodiles, snakes, sun bear, clouded leopard, bats and many wetland species of birds.

One can visit Camp Leakey and Pondok Tanggui early in the morning and late in the afternoon at feeding times, waiting for the orangutan to come voluntarily from the jungle to feed on bananas and seasonal fruit, which are placed on a feeding platform. Mothers arrive crashing through the trees with their babies straddled piggy-style on their backs. Some approach walking up the very trail you have used to get the “free food” and with the rangers and guides bellowing with their perfect impersonations of an orangutan call, you soon find yourself surrounded by these great but gentle creatures of nature.

The boat ride to enter Tanjung Putting Reserve is an adventure in itself. Travel is by slow moving klotok along the Sekonyer River and as you get closer the water turns jet-black in colour. This is caused by tannin in the river. As the river narrows you cruise past nipa palm fringed banks and it is not unusual to spot one or two estuarine swamp crocodiles. Along the way, in fact only 30 minutes into the trip, a family of proboscis monkeys treated us to a spectacle of acrobatics. With their 6-inch long noses and their love of the riverbank, they are a constant source of entertainment.

The proboscis monkeys appear to take flight momentarily as they propel themselves with great agility and leap across huge gaps in the trees and somehow cling to the next outstretched (flimsy) branch. It is also common to see a mother with her baby tucked away under one arm.

With crocodiles lurking in the waters there is definitely no swimming on this river trip, however the crew of our boat managed to rig up a temporary outdoor shower and, with the aid of a generator, this provided all the relief we needed from the very humid conditions. Showering is one human activity orangutans like to imitate and one particular female “Princess”, met us on the jetty. She had already lathered up with shampoo and was ready to join in. Apparently, in previous times it was possible to shower with Princess but nowadays she is a little aggressive and we were advised to keep a safe distance.

The return trip from Jakarta to Camp Leaky, Kalimantan takes only 3 days. Within 20 minutes of arrival at Pangkalan Bun airport you are transported to your awaiting klotok and enter a world of rainforest delights. For any nature lover, this trip offers something totally unique as orangutans can only be seen in their natural environment in two places in the world – the other being Sumatra.

As you journey on the tranquil waters of the Sekonyer River travel at an easy pace and slide into the rhythms of the rainforest. Accompanied by the sounds of nature, bird life and animals of the jungle you will find the journey holds just as much intrigue as the destination.

Story by Stephanie Brookes
Photos by David Metcalf.




How to Get There

Direct flights from Jakarta, Semarang or Surabaya to Pangkalan Bun, Kalimantan with Trigana Air Service.
Connecting services from Bali, Yogyakarta and other starting points can be organised with Trigana Air Service or Kalstar Aviation.

More About Orangutans

- Orangutans are an endangered species. It is estimated that they will face extinction in 2020.

- There are two species of orangutan: Pongo Abelii (Sumatra) and Pongo Pygmaeus (Kalimantan). The total number of orangutans in Tanjung Putting, Kalimantan is estimated at around 5,000 and in Sumatra 7,000.

- Adult male orangutans weigh 100 kg or more. Adult females are much smaller (average 35-50kg).

- Orangutans spend approximately 60% of their time eating. They consume around 400 types of food including fruits, leaves, flowers, bark and insects.

- Threats to the orangutan include deforestation due to clearing land for cultivation, illegal logging, forest fires, flash floods and poachers.

- Female orangutans care for their infants for six years and are extremely protective of their babies. Poachers must kill the mother to take the baby. Baby orangutans are then sold illegally as pets.

- Female orangutans do not become sexually mature until the age of 15 and usually only reproduce once every seven years. This is the longest birth interval of any mammal. The female will usually have no more than three offspring during her lifetime.

- Menstruating women should be careful around ex-captive orangutans especially adult males. It is wise for women to avoid Camp Leakey at this time.

- Orangutans and the other great apes are the most intelligent beings to have evolved on land.