4-day klotok trip in Borneo: meeting orangutans in the wild

Organize your klotok trip in the jungle of Borneo in Indonesia and experience an unforgettable encounter with orangutans in the wild in Tangjung Puting Park.

Below you will find out how to organize your klotok trip, how many days it is worth booking to enjoy the park and what it really means to spend several nights under the stars on a river boat in the middle of the Indonesian jungle.

Are you in the mood for adventure 😉.

Tangjung Puting: orangutan nature reserve in Borneo

Although all the orangutans you will see in this national park are free to come and go as they please, they actually live in a state of semi-freedom.

Why? Everything is related to the creation of the park.

Due to deforestation and indiscriminate hunting, the orangutan population in Borneo and their natural habitat have long been endangered.

In 1971, Dr. Galdikas began an orangutan conservation and research program in Tangjung Puting. She was able to convince people who kept pet orangutan hatchlings in captivity to turn them over to her for rehabilitation and release.

His project was a success and led to the protection not only of the orangutans but also of all the fauna and flora collected in the natural park. From 1971 to the present day, more than 450 orangutans have been released at Camp Leakey.

However, these animals are very territorial, so, despite living in the wild, they remain in the area close to where they were raised. In addition, they are accustomed to receiving food once a day at each camp to ensure their survival.

Specifically, the feeding time is:

• Camp Leakey - 14:00.
• Pondok Tanggui - 9:00.
• Tanjung Harapan - 15:00.

Therefore, it is very common that mothers with babies who need more energy intake are the ones who most frequent the feeding platforms(to the delight of tourists, because babies are cute, never better said) 😉.

Therefore, although they are free, they will always remain in the park and return to eat when they need to. Hence it is called a state of semi-freedom.

Their fate is linked to the work of man to ensure their survival and protect their habitat.

How to organize your trip

How many days to reserve

We were really looking forward to enjoying our encounter with the orangutans, so we booked a 4 day/3 night klotok tour along Tangjung Puting. And I was so glad we made this decision.

Maybe today I would book even a little more, 5 days/4 nights.

The minimum? Although I know that some people spend only one night, I recommend spending at least 3 days and 2 nights in the park. Keep in mind that the last day (without the night) is your return.

Buy domestic flights in Indonesia

Ideally, you should arrive at Pangkalan Bun airport as early as possible so that you can start your klotok itinerary the same day.

At that time it was a bit complicated to buy internal flights in Indonesia, but through a website we were able to do it without problems (I leave the link at the end of the article).

In our case, we opted to make a round trip from Jakarta the day after our international flight landed.

To facilitate the process we stayed during the previous layover night at the FM7 hotel, with shuttle service to the Jakarta airport included in the price.

2 warnings about this hotel:
- Choose smoking room even if you don't smoke. The room does not smell of smoke at all and the hallways in this area are very quiet. In the areas with non-smoking rooms people come out into the hallway to smoke during the night, making a lot of noise and disturbing those who want to sleep.
- Although it is very close to the airport, the shuttle bus has to make a long detour to get there which will also take quite a long time during rush hour.

Getting a klotok ride

The most authentic way to visit the Tangjung Puting natural park and see orangutans in the wild in southern Borneo is to book an organized tour by klotok, a small river boat typical of Indonesia.

The most common is to contact them before arriving at the destination. However, it is also possible to hire them when you arrive in Borneo.

In my case, after an online search, I contacted several agencies and klotok owners who had received good reviews in the forums.

The agencies did not convince me at all. In addition to being more expensive, many of them ignored my explicit desire to sleep the 3 nights of the trip on the ship, and offered me stays in 'ecolodges'.

There are several of these eco-friendly hotels in the area and I'm sure they are great for anyone looking for more comfort. But I wanted adventure...

And among all the offers I received, I opted for the most economical one, that of Noval.

Their offer of Rp 6 million for 2 persons for 3 nights and 4 days included:

• Transportation to and from Pangkalan Bun airport.
• Private Klotok for 2 people (we did not share with other tourists).
• English speaking guide.
• All meals included (after tasting them, I must say delicious).
• Entrance to the park.
• Fees for the use of cameras (we had read that we had to pay separately for them).
• Payment in person, no need to transfer anything in advance.

Noval even offered to buy flights from Jakarta to Pangkalan Bun for us, but the price from there was higher than what I was able to get online.

Budget

The conversions correspond to the value of the currency at the end of September 2012 (today it would be considerably cheaper).

• Travel by klotok (all inclusive): 6,000,000 rupees, about 480 €.
• Round-trip flights to Jakarta: 2,277,200, 192.5€.
• Total airport taxes: 102,000 rupees, 8.5 euros.
• 1 night stopover in Jakarta: 650,000 rupiah, about 54 euros.

In total, we spent 735€ in 5 days, 73,5€ per person per day.

3 days and 4 nights klotoc tour through Tangjung Puting

How day-to-day life in a klotok works

I am going to summarize the features of the klotok we traveled with. However, please note that some details may change depending on the boat:

• The boat: it was very similar in size to the rest of the 2-person boats we saw during our stay and was in good condition, although we also saw some larger and more luxurious ones (the fewest).
• The bathroom: it consisted of a small room at the back of the ship with a toilet that drained into the river and a huge basin of black water from the same river we were in (its color was due to dissolved minerals, but it was transparent, it had no mud). With the help of a small bucket, we used the water from that container to 'flush', wash our hands and take showers.
• The living area: the deck of the klotok was for our exclusive use and, to keep it clean, we always walked around without shoes. There we ate, admired the views as we sailed and slept on a double mattress protected by a mosquito net(wonderful to hear the sound of the jungle as you fall asleep and see the sunrise the next morning).
• The crew: Noval did not travel with us, but we went in the boat of some of his collaborators. Ponco was the guide, who spoke English, yes, but he only understood Nahuai (and sometimes a bit half-heartedly). It was obvious that my southern accent was hard for him... In addition, a cook (wonderful), the captain of the boat and his assistant were traveling with us.
• The food: AMAZING. After this trip I fell in love with Indonesian dishes. And not only was it delicious, but there was always leftovers, no matter how much we begged them to make less. I was never sure if it was a rule of the house, because they used it and that was it, or because they didn't understand us when we asked for it. Ouch!

And now that you know the technical details of day-to-day life in a klotok, I'll tell you about our 3-night, 4-day route through Tajung Puting.

Day 1: Camp Leakey Camp

We arrived at Pangkalan Bun airport at around 11:30 am (our flight had been delayed by an hour).

Noval's wife met us and took us by cab to Kumai, where she dropped us off at the turquoise Ponco klotok after payment. And so we began the journey upriver to our destination, the farthest camp in the park, Camp Leakey.

We had a delicious lunch and really enjoyed the ride through the vegetation, spotting snub-nosed monkeys, crocodiles, colorful birds and our first orangutan! fishing on the shore.

At a certain point, the river water went from being muddy-brown to a dark color, almost black, but 100% transparent. This would be the water we would use those days to take a shower.

Although we arrived 30 minutes late ( feeding at Camp Leakey takes place at 14.00), that did not detract from the grandeur of the moment. There were several mother orangutans with their young on a wooden platform where the park caretakers had left kilos of sweet potatoes, cassava and bananas.

There was so much food that even several families of wild boars were around trying to steal something to put in their mouths.

It was fantastic. They are so used to tourists that it even looked like they were posing for the picture.

After the crowd bath, we returned to the jetty, where we would spend the night in our klotok. We were lucky that the rest of the boats left for the previous camp (this happens if you only book 2 nights, as I understand), and we were left with the place to ourselves. We even witnessed a 'party' of macaques and orangutans on the other shore while having dinner.

And so, in the middle of the jungle and in the open air, protected only by a mosquito net, we spent our first night under the stars in Tangjung Puting.

Nahuai swears he saw rats on deck in the middle of the night. We would like to think that they were from the field (jungle in that case) and not that they were traveling with us. Although that's something we won't know either....

That night I was a bit cold, but for the following nights I managed to keep much warmer (polar fleece and thick socks, for example) 😉.

Day 2: Camp Leakey Camp

After breakfast in the middle of nature and in absolute solitude, we went for a 3-hour walk through the park. We saw the visitor's center where we better understood the work of the park and its volunteers, we met more orangutans who liked to frequent the park's cabins and we went into a beautiful forest.

After lunch we returned to the feeding area, this time with plenty of time to spare.

And... surprise! A gibbon appears, doing acrobatics among the trees to ask us for bananas.

Following our guide's instructions, we offered him small pieces for him to take them himself from our hand. What a soft touch! And he really liked us, because he stayed with us for a long time and even let himself be petted.

When the orangutan show was over we traveled downstream to a jetty where we spent the night.

Day 3: Pondok Tanggui and Tanjung Harapan Campsites

After breakfast we set off to the second camp Pondok Tanggui, located in a turbid water area, while enjoying the views along the way: big-nosed monkeys, squirrels, orangutans... What a luxury!

At 9 o'clock, feeding time at Tanjung Harapan, we were already seated waiting for the orangutans to arrive. They made us wait but oh!

A huge alpha male showed up (you'll recognize him because he has a tambourine-shaped face and is huge) and even demanded a second helping of milk. Impressive!

We then continued the tour, visited a village near Tanjung Harapan and saw the 15:00 feeding at this last camp, where only young adults without offspring arrived. This was certainly the smallest and most picturesque platform, surrounded by lianas that invited the orangutans to do acrobatics to eat.

After the show we followed the course of the river until it got dark and the trees were lit up with fireflies (literally, as I tell you). We spent our last night in Tangjung Puting next to one of these natural 'Christmas trees'.

Day 4: Return

The return trip to Kumai was very short and a bit sad, to be honest. We would have done it all over again. At 9.30 we were already at the airport, so we had to wait to check in and pay the 22,000 rupiah airport taxes (80,000 in Jakarta).

In Jakarta we returned to spend the night at the FM7 hotel, because the next day a very different adventure awaited us... But I'll leave that for future installments 😉.

Precautions

Luggage in the klotok:

If you have to store your backpack or luggage on deck, remember to always leave it closed. Avoid leaving shiny objects or food outside. Macaques are very naughty.

My recommendation? The less loaded you go, the better. In our case, with a backpack of less than 15 kg per head we had plenty 🙂

Vaccination and malaria prevention:

To travel to Indonesia you do not need to be vaccinated against yellow fever (mandatory in other countries), unless your region of origin is a risk area.

However, there is a possibility of contracting malaria or malaria through mosquito bites, so it is recommended to take preventive medication. I tried to take Malarone, as I had done during our route through Costa Rica, but it felt terrible (or so I thought) and I stopped taking it on the second day of the klotok route.

I have to say that the 'upset' stomach was with me the whole trip, so it must not have been just that....

Mosquitoes and sun:

Remember to bring sunscreen and mosquito lotion (especially if you do not take prophylactic medication). You are in the middle of the jungle, don't forget. Nahuai has a natural mosquito repellent... me! Ouch! That's why I always go well prepared.

Travel insurance:

Don't gamble. Nowadays traveling insured with IATI, one of the best insurance companies for travelers, is super cheap.

3weeks traveling calm and relaxed in Indonesia for 110€? Knowing that we will not even have to advance anything if we have an emergency? Delayed luggage, civil liability and a lot of money in medical expenses if necessary... I don't travel without them anymore.

And if you want to save even more, book through this link and get a 5% discount on the final price.

Useful Links

• International flights to Indonesia: Trabber, eDreams and Momondo.
• Web to buy internal flights in Indonesia.
• Noval's email (klotok trip): noval.boat (put an at sign) yahoo.com (I insert it this way to prevent robots from misusing your email address).
• Reservation of a klotok on Booking.
• FM7 Resort Hotel next to Jakarta airport.
• 5% discount when you purchase your travel insurance at IATI from here.

On the road in Indonesia? Then this is of interest to you:

• 3 weeks tour in Indonesia: Java and Borneo.
• Prambanan, the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia.
• Meditate with Buddhist monks at the Mendut temple.
• Experience a sunrise from the temple of Borobudur.
• Selogriyo: a Hindu temple among rice plantations.
• How to organize your visit to Bromo and Ijen: 4 options.
• Route 3 days and 2 nights by Bromo and Ijen.
• Pulau Derawan: how to arrive and stay 7 days on the island.

Tell me, have you been to Tangjung Puting, how was your experience, were you as shocked as I was to see these orangutans so closely?

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