Tanjung Puting National Park

Home of Borneo's orangutans. Ride a traditional klotok boat up the Sekonyer River and watch wild orangutans up close at feeding stations such as Camp Leakey.

Tanjung Puting National Park lies in the southwest of Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, covering about 4,150 square kilometers. It is made up of peat swamp forest, lowland dipterocarp rainforest, mangroves, and coastal sand. It is one of the places where wild Bornean orangutans are most concentrated, and it is also home to proboscis monkeys, gibbons, hornbills, sun bears, and saltwater crocodiles. Since 1971, primatologist Birutė Galdikas has run Camp Leakey here for orangutan research and rescue, which made the park world famous. There is essentially one way to visit: charter a two-deck wooden klotok boat from Kumai Port and travel upriver along the Sekonyer River. During the day, watch monkey groups from the boat, stopping at three feeding stations: Tanjung Harapan, Pondok Tanggui, and Camp Leakey. At set times, rangers put out bananas and milk, and orangutans swing in from the forest. At night, the boat moors on the riverbank, and you sleep under a mosquito net on deck, where fireflies light up the riverside trees.

A typical trip is 3 days and 2 nights, with a minimum of 2 days and 1 night.

Getting there: Fly from Jakarta, Surabaya, or Semarang to Pangkalan Bun's Iskandar Airport, then drive about 20 minutes to Kumai Port to board the boat. On the way back, you can stop in Pangkalan Bun to see the Yellow Palace, or visit Tanjung Keluang Beach near Kumai.

Notes: You need a national park entry permit. Boat operators usually arrange it, charged per person per day. The boat fee includes the crew, cook, and meals, so book through a reputable operator or guide. Do not feed or touch the orangutans, keep at least several meters away, and do not carry bright plastic bags. Bring mosquito repellent, long sleeves, rain gear, a headlamp, and cash. There is no mobile signal in the forest.

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