One of the wildest places we’ve visited in our 7+ years living on a sailboat is Kalimantan Indonesia. With jungles and rivers and lots of wild animals, Indonesian Borneo is an incredible part of the world! We spent a few days anchored, and a few days on a riverboat tour to the Tanjung Puting National Park, one of the few places to see orangutans in the wild.
About Kalimantan Indonesia
Indonesia shares the island of Borneo with Brunei and Malaysia, and Indonesia’s portion, 73% of the area, is called Kalimantan. We visited Central Kalimantan, sailing up the Kumai River 25nm from the Java Sea to the town of Kumai. We anchored there for its proximity to the Tanjung Puting National Park, one of the best places to see Indonesian orangutans.
Getting to Kalimantan
Most people fly in to Indonesian Borneo, it’s probably a lot easier than our mode of transport. We motored, because there was no wind, heading north and west from Banyuwangi on the northeast coast of Java, with stops on the way.
Riverboat Cruise Kalimantan
Riverboat cruises are the only way to visit Tanjung Puting National Park from Kumai. You can go for just 1 day up to 4 days. We opted for the 2 night riverboat tour, and it was the right amount of time for us. We visited three different feeding stations, did some night walks, and got to see a lot of wildlife from the boat and on land.
Klotoks
The riverboats are called klotoks, and are traditional Indonesian wooden boats. They have shallow drafts and open air upper decks perfect for wildlife viewing. Ours had one kitchen and toilet room with a shower on the main floor, and our living and dining space upstairs. Shades are drawn at night for privacy on the sides, and mosquito nets to surround the beds. Aside from one minor annoyance, it was a great place to watch the jungle while we moved up and down river.
Unfortunately, the tour operator added us to a single person’s boat. She was very nice, and I think we got a discount, but usually you get your own boat as a couple so it was disappointing. There’s not a lot of space to begin with, and we had limited privacy with this other person’s bed next to ours.
Aside from the added guest, everything about the tour was excellent. Our guide had extensive knowledge about the wildlife and always tried to get us extra walks or tours that weren’t part of the itinerary. The food was delicious and plentiful. We spent several hours a day watching the wildlife, from morning to dusk, including the feeding stations and night walks.
Visiting Tanjung Puting
Tanjun Puting National Park covers over 4,000 sq kilometers of forest, swamp, mangroves and coastal beaches. It is protected and has multiple research centers for the conservation of orangutans and other native animals. Unfortunately, we learned that much of the forest is degrading due to deforestation. Fortunately, the conservation work which has been ongoing since 1971 has kept a strong population of orangutans alive.
Getting to the feeding stations requires walking on paths, which we didn’t find difficult or strenuous. From the boat docks at the park entrances to the feeding stations, we walked over creeks and through the jungle, looking for wildlife along the way. The walks were only a couple km, on pretty smooth paths, but people with disabilities or out of shape may have trouble, especially in the heat.
Orangutans
Borneo is home to the only Asian orangutan, the Bornean orangutan. So in Kalimantan, we can see these great apes in the wild. And, over the course of our 2 night and 3 day tour, we did! Tanjung Puting is primarily a place for orangutan conservation, including rehabilitation centres to help sick and injured apes and return them to the wild.
This tour was one of our travel highlights, like the safari in Botswana or campervanning around New Zealand. It’s remote but not expensive, and it is unforgettable. During the course of our 3 day, 2 night cruise, we visited 3 different feeding stations in the national park. This included Camp Leakey, the original base camp founded in 1971. While you are not guaranteed to see orangutans at the feed stations, they were heading there like clockwork every day we visited. And it was a great show!
Be prepared before you go: Kalimantan, like the rest of Indonesia, is hot and humid. The sun is strong and insects are abundant, so be forearmed with sunscreen and bug repellent.
Other Wildlife in Kalimantan
Orangutans are not all you’ll see in Kalimantan Indonesia. We were so lucky to spend three days on a boat up the river and in the jungle focused on wild animals. We saw several types of monkeys, plus some tropical birds in our 3 days on the river.
Gibbons
We only saw one Bornean gibbon, at a feeding station, and we were mesmerized. Gibbons are a class of ape, not monkey. One of the differences is that apes don’t have tails, but monkeys do.
What fascinated me was watching the gibbon move. It was so graceful, like a dancer. As I said, we only saw one, and the gibbon was trying to stay clear of the bigger orangutans so wasn’t there for long. What an experience to watch!
monkeys in kalimantan
Another animal that is indigenous to Borneo is the proboscis monkey, notable for its long nose. As they live near the river, we had ample opportunity to see these interesting looking primates from our boat.
Monkeys were abundant along the river, including macaques. Troops of them were everywhere, especially the 2nd night, when we got to watch them find their roosts for the night.
We watched the monkeys for hours from the riverboat. It was so entertaining seeing them jostle for position in the branches, knock each other into the water, and do it all over again. It was quite a contrast to the orangutans, who, except for the mothers and children, are solitary animals.
Other kalimantan wildlife
The Kalimantan jungle is home to various wildlife. We saw some in the trees, and others in the waters. This is a brightly colored kingfisher.
Another animal that lurks in the rivers here is the crocodile. We saw one, but after Darwin, this thing looked like a lizard! Still, another reason besides the very dirty water, to stay on board the boat.
Thanks for reading about our adventures in Kalimantan Indonesia! It was truly a highlight, hiking through the jungle and watching the orangutans and monkeys and more. Have you been anywhere to see wild apes or other amazing animals? Share your recommendations in the comments.
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