Tanjung Puting: the orangutan forest on the river

Tanjung Puting National Park covers lowland rainforest, peat swamp and riverine forest on the south coast of Central Kalimantan, and it is the most accessible place in the world to see wild and semi-wild orangutans. The park is reached by klotok, the wooden river boats that carry visitors up the Sekonyer from Kumai, and the journey is part of the experience.

The park is not a zoo and the orangutans are not tame. Some are descendants of animals released from the rehabilitation programme at Camp Leakey, others are wild, and sightings depend on the season, the fruit and the animal's mood. What you are guaranteed is the river, the forest, the birds and the strange, beautiful light of a peat swamp at dawn.

The park and its forest

Tanjung Puting was protected in stages: first as a game reserve in the 1930s, then as a national park in 1982. It covers about 4,150 square kilometres of coastal forest, including mangrove, freshwater swamp, peat swamp and dryland forest. The peat is metres deep in places, storing carbon and tea-staining the rivers that drain it.

The park's importance is ecological as much as touristic. It is one of the last large blocks of lowland forest in Kalimantan, and it holds a full community of Bornean wildlife: orangutans, proboscis monkeys, gibbons, macaques, slow lorises, hornbills, kingfishers, false gharials and, rarely, clouded leopards. The forest is also home to several species of pitcher plant and orchid.

Camp Leakey and Birute Galdikas

Camp Leakey was established in 1971 by Birutė Galdikas, a Lithuanian-Canadian primatologist who came to Borneo as part of the research programme that also produced Dian Fossey's work with mountain gorillas and Jane Goodall's with chimpanzees. The camp is named after Louis Leakey, the palaeontologist who sponsored the three women.

For decades Camp Leakey was a rehabilitation and research station, taking in orphaned and captive orangutans and releasing them into the forest. The rehabilitation programme has wound down, and the camp is now primarily a research and education centre, but the surrounding forest still holds orangutans that trace their lineage to the released animals. The feeding platform is the place where visitors most often see them.

The three stations

Most itineraries visit three stations. Tanjung Harapan, the closest to Kumai, has a forest trail, a small information centre and a feeding platform. Pondok Tanggui, further upstream, is a former rehabilitation camp with a platform in secondary forest. Camp Leakey, the furthest, is the historic research station with the largest platform and the best chance of seeing a range of animals.

The routine is the same at each: the boat ties up, you walk a short distance to the platform, and you wait quietly while the rangers call the orangutans. Feeding times are fixed, but the animals are not obliged to appear. Between stations, the boat drifts downstream and you look for proboscis monkeys in the trees along the bank, especially in the late afternoon.

Wildlife beyond the orangutans

The proboscis monkey is the park's other signature animal, a large, pot-bellied primate with a long nose, found only in Borneo. They live in groups along the river and are easiest to see in the late afternoon, when they move to the treetops to sleep. Gibbons call in the morning, hornbills fly overhead, and kingfishers and bee-eaters line the banks.

The river also holds false gharials, a slender crocodilian that is rare across its range, and monitor lizards, turtles and otters. Birders come for the hornbills, the storm's stork and the numerous kingfishers. Night walks can turn up slow lorises, tarsiers and fireflies, though the peat swamp is not easy to walk in the dark.

Ethics and the tourism question

Orangutan tourism is controversial, and Tanjung Puting is no exception. The animals are vulnerable to human disease, and close contact, feeding and handling can harm them. The park rules are clear: keep at least ten metres away, do not eat or drink near the animals, never touch them, and stay quiet. Visitors with coughs or colds should not go to the platforms.

The choice of operator matters. Good guides keep their distance, limit the number of people at a sighting and explain the rules. Bad ones chase photographs. Ask about their policy before you book, and be prepared to miss a photo in order to protect the animal. The orangutans are the reason the park exists, and the tourism economy should not compromise them.

Practical and a plan

Tanjung Puting is reached from Pangkalan Bun, which has an airport with flights from Jakarta, Surabaya and Semarang. From the airport, drive 20 minutes to Kumai and board a klotok. The boat trip to Camp Leakey takes about four to five hours, with stops at the other stations.

The dry season, May to September, is the best time to visit, with lower water and better wildlife viewing. The wet season is quieter and greener, but the river is higher and some trails are flooded. Three days and two nights is the minimum; four or five days allows a slower pace and more time in the forest.

• Day 1: fly to Pangkalan Bun, board the klotok at Kumai, cruise to Tanjung Harapan.
• Day 2: Pondok Tanggui in the morning, Camp Leakey in the afternoon.
• Day 3: dawn wildlife watch on the river, then back to Kumai and the airport.
• Add a night for a village visit, night walk or more time at the platforms.

Questions people actually ask

How do I visit Tanjung Puting?

Fly to Pangkalan Bun, drive to Kumai, and take a klotok up the Sekonyer river. Almost all visits are organised as two- to four-day boat packages that include a guide, cook, permits and park fees.

Are the orangutans wild?

They are wild or semi-wild. Some descend from animals released by the old rehabilitation programme at Camp Leakey, but they live free in the forest and are not tame. Sightings are common at the feeding platforms but never guaranteed.

When is the best time to see orangutans?

The dry season, May to September, is generally best, because the water is lower and the animals are more predictable around the feeding platforms. Fruit availability also affects sightings, so no month is a certainty.

What should I bring?

A headlamp, insect repellent, long sleeves and trousers, a hat, sunscreen, a rain jacket, cash for tips and a power bank. Bring a mask if you have a cough, and postpone the visit if you are ill, because orangutans are vulnerable to human disease.