Three days. A wooden boat. No wifi, no roads, just the Sekonyer River carrying you deeper into Tanjung Puting National Park.
This is Borneo's classic orangutan river tour: sleeping on deck under mosquito nets, drifting past proboscis monkeys and macaques, and watching wild orangutans come down to feeding platforms a few metres away. Here's exactly what three days on the water looks like, based on the itinerary our guide Edy put together.
The trip at a glance
Duration: 3 days, 2 nights
Starts / ends: Pangkalan Bun Airport
Boat: Traditional wooden Klotok, about 12m by 2m, with an open upper deck
Route: Kumai to Tanjung Puting National Park via the Sekonyer River
Cost: 10,200,000 IDR for 2 people
Sleeping: On the boat, mattress, pillow and mosquito net provided
Day 1: Pangkalan Bun to Kumai to the boat
Pick-up at Pangkalan Bun Airport, then a short transfer to the small town of Kumai. That's where you board your Klotok and meet the crew: a boatman, a cook and your guide.
The afternoon is slow on purpose. You cruise the quiet river, watching monkeys move along the banks, while the crew gets dinner going. Simple mattress, pillow, mosquito net, bottled water, and a basic western toilet and shower on board. Dinner and your first night sleeping on the water.
Meals: Dinner
Sleeping: On the boat
Day 2: Pondok Tanggui and Camp Leakey
Breakfast at 7am, then an hour upriver to Pondok Tanggui, the second orphan rehabilitation centre in the park. A 45-minute walk through the forest gets you to the feeding platform, where baby and semi-wild orangutans come in for extra food. Keep an eye out for other wildlife passing through too.
Back on the boat for a two-hour cruise to Camp Leakey, the oldest camp in Tanjung Puting. Explore the grounds, visit the information centre, and if you're lucky, meet Tom, the camp's resident dominant male. Orangutans sometimes wander down to the jetty looking for food while you're having lunch and resting on the boat.
Camp Leakey is named after Louis Leakey, the paleoanthropologist who set the template for modern great-ape fieldwork. Leakey picked three researchers, later nicknamed the Trimates, to each study one species in the wild: Jane Goodall with chimpanzees in Tanzania, Dian Fossey with gorillas in Rwanda, and Biruté Galdikas with orangutans right here in Tanjung Puting. Galdikas founded this camp in 1971 and named it after her mentor. She's still involved in orangutan conservation in the park today.
At 2:30pm you're back at the feeding station for the second round of the day. Then it's the cruise back downriver, with a good chance of spotting proboscis monkeys, macaques and birds heading home for the evening.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Sleeping: On the boat
Day 3: Back to Kumai and the airport
A slow morning on the boat before the final cruise back to Kumai. From there it's a taxi to Pangkalan Bun Airport, where the tour ends.
Meals: Breakfast
What's included
Included:
Airport transfers, both ways
Boat for the full tour
All national park permits
Guide and cook fees
All meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Mineral water, coffee, tea
Fresh fruit
Not included:
Flights
Flight cancellation costs
Tipping
Personal expenses
Good to know before you go
Pack light and pack for humidity. A dry bag, insect repellent and something to cover up in the evenings go a long way. The toilet and shower on board are simple but functional, so don't expect hot water or much privacy.
The price covers everything except flights, tips and personal spending. Bring extra cash for tipping the crew, it's expected and well earned by the end of three days.
Slow travel is the whole point here. There's no schedule to rush, just a river, a boat, and the patience to let the forest come to you.
Packing list
Lightweight, breathable clothing, plus something long-sleeved for evenings and bug protection
Insect repellent, the strong stuff
Sunscreen and a hat
A light rain jacket, this is rainforest after all
Binoculars, non-negotiable for the wildlife spotting
Camera plus spare batteries or a power bank, charging on the boat isn't reliable
A dry bag for electronics
Comfortable shoes for the forest walks, sandals for the boat
Quick-dry towel
Basic toiletries and any personal medication
Small denominations of cash, for tipping and anything extra
Headlamp or torch
A sarong or light blanket for the boat at night
How to reach Edy
[Add Edy's WhatsApp number and/or email here]
Photo tips
Bring the longest lens you have. Wild orangutans keep their distance even at the feeding platforms, and a 200mm or longer makes a real difference.
Feeding times line up nicely with good light, morning and mid-afternoon, so you're not fighting harsh midday sun. Shoot with a fast shutter speed anyway, you'll be handholding from a moving boat more than you'd think.
Charge everything the night before. There's no reliable power on board, so bring spare batteries and a power bank rather than counting on a charge.
Pack a rain cover or dry bag for the camera. Humidity is constant and sudden downpours happen fast.
Don't only shoot the wildlife close-ups. Some of the best shots are wide: the Klotok itself, the river at golden hour, the forest closing in on both banks.
