Borneo Orangutan Tour & Dayak Tribe (5D/4N)

Today you will wake up with the sounds and the colours of the jungle. Without a doubt, you will never forget how you woke up on the river, surrounded by the overflowing nature. After an extraordinary breakfast on board, we will arrive on time to visit the Tanggui Camp at the feeding time for animals (9 AM). Little by little, you will see how the treetops begin to move and then you will see the silhouettes of the orangutans gradually reaching the feeding platform.

Tanggui was a release camp for young orangutans that we rehabilitated- preventing the orangutans from moving away due to a lack of food and ending up outside the National Park, with the following risks of falling into traps of settlers or palm oil plantation fields. After the orangutans begin to leave, you will return to the klotok to continue further upstream.

You will witness how the colour of the river changes and you will have the opportunity to see crocodiles and large monitor lizards, along with Gibbons and proboscis monkeys. Of course, you will enjoy your lunch in this lovely setting.

You will arrive at Camp Leakey, the old orangutan rehabilitation centre. It was founded in 1971, when a student at UCLA University in Los Angeles, called Birutte Galdikas, began studying the orangutans there. The name Camp Leakey comes from Birutte’s own professor, paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey.

At least 200 orangutans have already been cured and returned to the jungle thanks to this centre. However, since 1995 the Indonesian government has banned the introduction of more orangutans in this camp, so the orangutans are increasingly adapting to freedom. Today, this camp is used for behavioural and feeding research for orangutans.

You can also visit the small museum founded by the scientist Dr. Birutte Galdikas. After finishing the observing of orangutans in this camp, we will do a gentle trekking through the jungle back to the boat to search for free orangutans and other animals, if the weather conditions permit.

We will have the opportunity to learn a lot about the jungle from our local guides, of whom some of them were born in the jungle. They’ll explain how to look for animals or plants, and you can listen to their experience of life in the jungle. The jungles of Borneo, that have given life and shelter to its inhabitants for millions of years, are jungles that under the watch of their ancestors, are still capable of fulfilling every single individual’s needs.

Food, water, medicines, etc… But never throw anything in your mouth without your guide’s recommendation. In the afternoon, if it does not rain, the boat will be docked near a congregation of fireflies and you can enjoy the show of its luminescence. Also if you want you can do some hiking at night, to see the nocturnal fauna with your guide.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner 

Accommodation: Klotok boat

In the early morning, we will enjoy the last moments in the jungle before heading to the Dayak Tribe village. We will arrive at the Port of Kumai from where we will leave by car to the town on a journey of about 4 hours. Upon arrival, we will be greeted by locals with their traditional dance. After this ceremony they will prepare the food that we will share at home and you will have the opportunity to taste their traditional sugar cane coffee in the Dayak tribe culture.

After lunch we can explore the town where you will see the authentic Dayak tribe long houses where they live (Long House / Rumah Betang / Rumah Panjang) and the tombs of the tribe and their masks (Topeng: Some people dance wearing this mask in respect to their ancestors). Then we will enjoy the beautiful sunset on the Kilat hill and if you want, you can bathe in the river.

We will finish the day at the local house with dinner and attending the Bono and Bonaki rituals, one of the tribe’s favorites when it comes to celebrating visits. You can join their dance and try their local drink called tuak (rice wine). This will be a day that you will certainly never forget.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner

Accommodation: Local House

We will wake up in this Dayak Tribe village and join the activities of his daily life after breakfast. Among the activities are agriculture and livestock and hunting where they use Dayak equipment called “menyumpit” with bamboo weaving.

Later we can also visit the house where they produce cane sugar coffee. And we will attend a traditional cooking course after having collected the vegetables first. After lunch, we return to Pangkalan Bun where you will have dinner and spend the night.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner 

Accommodation: Arsela Hotel or simillar