The sun was still low on the horizon when we disembarked National Geographic Orion heading towards Tanjung Puting National Park. The air was filled with smoke from fires in the nearby forest and some of the palm oil plantations. Fortunately, the smoke cleared shortly after we had entered the Sekonyer River and we were able to fully enjoy our two-hour Zodiac ride upstream. We cruised along lush jungle and were very fortunate to catch a first glimpse of the funny looking proboscis monkeys with their long noses. These primates are endemic to Borneo and absolutely fascinating.
However, the main reason why we were here today were of course the mighty orangutans. At our first stop we followed a short path leading from the river into the jungle to the first feeding platform. A young male orangutan named Corporal happily anticipated our arrival. Corporal was hovering in the trees above us and kept an eye out for the rangers with their baskets. As soon as the food had arrived he was down the tree in no time and heartily dug in. Only minutes later more orangutans appeared, attracted by the rangers’ calls. Not far from the platform an orangutan mother carefully made her way down from the canopy, a baby clinging on to her. Slowly they approached the feeding platform and didn’t seem to be too worried by the big male and shortly after all of them were feeding in unison. A few others showed up as well and it was fascinating to observe the interactions between the individuals. In many gestures and certainly their facial expressions the close relationship to us is so apparent. On the way back to the dock we had another encounter with an orangutan lady. She was watching us from a safe distance and was probably wondering what these “strange apes” were doing in her forest.
Split up in eight groups, we embarked local wooden boats, so called ‘klotoks’, and made our way up the river a little bit further. Everyone enjoyed the shade these boats provided and we even had a bit of a breeze cooling us down while we enjoyed our lunches.
The second stop for the day was Camp Leakey. A quick visit to the information center was followed by a lovely walk through the lush rainforest to the second feeding platform. We briefly stopped at Dr. Galdikas’s house and had the honor of meeting “the queen” Siswi. In the forest behind the house a Bornean wild boar was rummaging through the bushes in search of food.
At the feeding platform a white bearded gibbon, the master of brachiation, made the first appearance. With his long arms he was swinging from tree to tree. In no time he was down at the platform, grabbed some bananas, and just as quickly was he gone again. When the first orangutans showed up he watched the spectacle from a fair distance and only briefly came back down to grab some more food. Two female orangutans came down with their babies and all four of them immensely enjoyed the supplied treats.
While traveling downstream back towards Kumai, we had more time to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere on the river and observe more of the jungle’s wildlife. Some people got to see a false gharial, others saw many proboscis monkeys and long tailed macaques; we saw a stork billed kingfisher, hornbills, broad bills, and much more. Then, all of a sudden the interest for wildlife living along the river’s edge vanished. What or who could be blamed for this? As usual, no other than our amazing galley team! They came all the way out to supply us with delicious snacks and drinks. Could an absolutely amazing day end any better than this?!
