Borneo Orangutans, Toraja Lands & Komodo Dragons (11D/10N)

Have your luggage ready, because today is the day to get to know one of the most important centers of biodiversity in the world and the third largest island on the planet. Borneo! After breakfast and at the indicated time you will have the transfer to the airport to take the direct flight to Pangkalan Bun, on the island of Borneo, or better known by Indonesians as Kalimantan. Upon arrival at the airport, your guide will be waiting for you to transfer you to the port of Kumai, about 15-20 minutes away by car, where we will embark on a great adventure! Check-in time will be at 11am or earlier if the boat is already available. Once you arrive at our traditional wooden boat called Klotok, our guide will reconfirm with the crew that everything is ready and we will start the cruise on the famous Sekonyer River aboard a Klotok.

If your flight arrives early (before 11.30am), you will be able to arrive on time at the Tanjung Harapan rehabilitation centre, where at 3 pm, the National Park Rangers feed the Orangutans and you will be able to have the first close encounters with them. The translation of Tanjung Harapan is Cape of Hope. This first campsite is one of the ones with the most wetlands and in the afternoon it has more mosquitoes, so make sure you put on plenty of mosquito repellent.

After the visit to this Ranger Camp, you will continue upstream, resting on the boat while you look for animals in the vicinity of the Sekonyer River. In the afternoons it is very common to see groups of proboscis monkeys and macaques in the treetops, jumping from one branch to another, or even see monitor lizards or crocodiles in the shallow waters of the river sides. Get ready to enjoy the sunset and taste the exquisite food prepared by our crew. The boat is moored on the side of the river for the night. After dinner, you can take a walk through the jungle to look for nocturnal animals such as; snakes, tarantulas or even if you are lucky, you will be able to see luminescent mushrooms or tarsier monkeys.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner

Accommodation: Standard Klotok Boat

Today you will wake up to the sounds and colors of the jungle. Surely, you will never forget how you woke up on the river surrounded by this overflowing nature. After an extraordinary breakfast on board the Klotok, we will leave in time to visit the Tanggui camp at the time of feeding of the orangutans (9am). Little by little, you will see how the branches of the treetops begin to move, and then you will see the silhouettes of the orangutans slowly reaching the feeding platform. In the past, Tanggui was a release camp for young orangutans that were rehabilitated. Today, they continue to feed them every day to prevent the orangutans from having to go to other risk areas due to lack of food. There are many dangers that orangutans would face if they left the National Park, such as falling into the traps of villagers, poachers or palm oil plantations. When the orangutans start to leave, we’ll head back to the Klotok again to head even further upstream.

You will see how the coloration of the river changes and you will have the opportunity to see crocodiles and large monitor lizards, along with Gibbons and proboscis monkeys. And of course, enjoy lunch in the middle of this natural setting. You will arrive at Camp Leakey, a former orangutan research and rehabilitation center since 1971. Its origins are due to the visit of a student from the University of UCLA Los Angeles, Birutte Galdikas, who began studying orangutans in this place. The name Camp Leaky comes from Birutte’s own teacher, paleoanthropologist Luis Leakey.

More than 200 orangutans had already been cured and returned to the jungles thanks to this center. However, since 1995, the Indonesian government has banned the introduction of more orangutans into this camp, so the orangutans are becoming more and more adapted to the wild. To this day, this camp is used as a center for research on the behavior and feeding of orangutans. At 2:00 p.m., you’ll be able to witness the feeding time of the orangutans. You can also visit the small museum made by the scientist Dr. Birute Galdikas.

When you are finished observing the orangutans at this camp, and weather and conditions permitting, you will take a short hike through the jungle on our way back to the boat to look for orangutans in the wild and other animals. You will have the opportunity to learn from our local guides, some of them were born in the jungle, you will learn how to look for animals or plants, or just listen to their experience of life in the jungle. The jungles of Borneo, which have given life and home to the settlers for millions of years, are jungles that under the eyes of the grandparents are capable of giving everything one needs; food, water, medicine, etc. But be careful! Never put anything in your mouth without the recommendation of our guide. In the afternoon, if it doesn’t rain, the boat will dock near a congregation of fireflies and you’ll be able to enjoy the spectacle of their luminescence during dinner and where you’ll spend the second night of this tour that you’ll never forget.

*Note: We would like to inform you that the Birate Galdikas Museum at Camp Leaky is currently closed due to maintenance. Unfortunately, visits to this site will not be possible until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and will keep you informed about the reopening of the museum.

*If your return flight leaves early in the morning (around 7 a.m.), tonight the klotok will sleep closer to the port in order to get you to the airport in time.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner  

Accommodation: Standard Klotok Boat

Your stay at the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center ends today. Early in the morning, you will enjoy the last moments of the sounds of the jungle, before heading to the port, to be transferred to the airport. We continue the adventure with the direction to Makassar. You will take the flight to Makassar via Surabaya.

Welcome to the island of Celebes, an exotic and wild island with a very particular shape. Sulawesi boasts an impressive variety of animal species, tropical plants, and ethnic groups. The airport of the capital of the Celebes Islands (Makasar) is the transit centre for all planes that move from the East to the West of Indonesia (and vice versa). Upon your arrival, a hotel representative will be waiting for you to transfer and check in. The rest of the day will be for you.

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Hotel in Makassar 

After enjoying your breakfast at the hotel, your Sulawesi guide will pick you up to start exploring this famous island of Sulawesi. Sulawesi boasts an impressive variety of animal species, tropical plants, and two quirky ethnic groups; the mountainous Toraja, and the sailors Bugis. And here begins the adventure of the island of Celebes, heading by car towards Tierras Toraja. The journey, about 310 km, is full of rice fields, Bugis villages, who are the owners of the famous and traditional Phinisi Boats and that is why they are better known as “sailors”. It will be 9 hours by car, so we will make a stop halfway to have lunch or dinner. Arrival at the hotel, deserved rest after the long journey.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Toraja 

You will have two days of adventure in the Toraja Lands. It will be two days to explore not only its incredible landscapes but also its remarkable culture. And it is time to discover it during our stay in this magical land. The local people, mostly Christians, still practice animism according to their original religion called Aluk Todolo. Are you ready to soak up the Toraja culture? You will visit Lemo with the cemetery on the rock walls and all the wooden statues called Tau-Tau that represent their deceased. The town of Ke’te Kesu, one of the oldest in Toraja where you will see the typical houses called “Tongkonan”. You will also see other hanging tombs in one of its caves. And in the towns of Bori, Nanggala, Suaya, are the baby graves in the trees. You may find it strange, but it is something that is part of this millenary culture. During your stay in this land of spirits, with “luck”, you can see their funeral rites up close. These picturesque funerals are frequent, but not every day, so we can’t assure you will see them. When we attend them, as an offering to the family, tourists are asked to donate about 100,000 Rupiah.

In addition to these visits, you will visit its attractive markets where the local people carry out their daily transactions. Every week there is a bigger market, so if you are here as it takes place, you can also take the opportunity to visit it.

Afterwards you will return to the hotel to rest.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch

Accommodation: Hotel in Toraja 

Today is your last day in this very special area of ​​Indonesia. The land of the spirits. Once again, you prepare your suitcases to leave, after breakfast you will have a transfer to the Palopo airport (2 hours). Here you will take the flight to Denpasar (via Makassar). Upon your arrival at Denpasar airport, we will be waiting for you with a sign with your name to take you to your transit hotel in the Kuta area. Welcome to the Island of the Gods.

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Hotel in Kuta  

Have your suitcase ready, because your adventure continues. You will enjoy your well-deserved breakfast at the hotel. At the right time, depending on the time of your flight, you will have the transfer to Bali airport, and then you will fly to the City of Labuan Bajo, the very interesting point for its proximity to the Komodo National Park.

Arrival at Komodo Airport in Labuan Bajo of West Flores, meeting service with our tour guide and transfer to the pier of Labuan Bajo to board your boat. We will be heading for Rinca Island. It’s about 2 hours sail to the island of Komodo Dragon. We will stop at Menjarite Island for snorkeling then continue to Rinca. You will not just find the dragons but also many wild animals like, deer, wild buffalo, long-tailed macaque and wild pig also numerous of birds. Keep your eyes look up as sometimes you will find the young Komodo dragons on the trees. A local ranger will lead you through this natural preservation. In the late afternoon, we continue sailing directly to Kalong Island to see the hundreds of fling foxes set out from the mangrove tree at around 6-7 pm, the lovely sunset from the boat trip is really enjoyable here. Lunch and dinner are provided on boat.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner

Accommodation: Traditional Boat: Three options across different categories

After having breakfast in your boat, we will be heading to Padar Island. Enjoy the 30-minute trek to the summit to get breathtaking scenery of three bays around, one of the most amazing trekking views in Indonesia. Trek downhill and go back to the boat to continue sailing to Loh Liang – the ranger station in Komodo Island. By passing through many small islands, you will arrive to the station, do registration and start the trekking to look for the Komodo dragons and other wild animals as Timor deer, wild pig, wild chicken and many variously of tropical bird. Please keep your look at any directions as sometimes you will also find young Komodo dragon hanging over the trees. A local ranger will lead you during the trek. Return to the boat on to Pink Beach for snorkeling, swimming and relaxing. It is really spectacular with unspoiled coral reef and many colorful fish. This is one of best side for snorkeling diving. Sail toward Manta Point to discover Huge Mantas by snorkeling, or you can even watch from your boat trip (can’t be guaranteed if weather is not good, like wave and current are strongly). Visit also Taka Makassar, a really tiny island with white sand beach, really enjoyable for relaxing or beach walking. Afterwards, head back to Labuan bajo for overnight and dinner.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel in Labuan Bajo: Three options across different categories

Today is the last day of your trip in Indonesia. After having breakfast at the hotel, we will transfer you to Labuan Bajo airport to take a direct flight to Bali. This is the end of our service. Thank you for having this adventure with us. Sampai Jumpa!

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: –