We flew by plane via Semarang to Pangkalabun, where a driver took us to our houseboat. The roads were initially asphalted, but then became smaller and when we wondered where it would end, we reached the pier of our houseboat from Borneo eco tours.
We then walked on rickety bridges to the boat, which we were surprised to find we only shared with four crew members (guide, captain, sailor, and cook).
Many boats on the river don't have cabins, only a mattress on the deck for sleeping. We were quite happy with our air-conditioned cabin...
In the afternoon, we sailed along the Sekonyer River while our guide told us about the surroundings and Tanjung Puting National Park. We saw long-tailed macaques and proboscis monkeys endemic to Kalimantan.
In the evening, we had a candlelight dinner on deck - which we had to defend against various insects. But we were compensated with a clear starry sky.
On the second day, in the morning, we went to a reforestation station where trees are cultivated for deforested rainforest areas. There we were able to plant a tree ourselves. We planted a nyatuh tree, whose fruits and leaves are also eaten by orangutans.
In the afternoon, we continued to Camp Leakey, founded in 1971 by a Canadian researcher, which informs about the work and behavioral research of orangutans. If sick or orphaned orangutans are found, they are nursed back to health and released into this nature reserve.
To ensure their survival, feedings take place daily at various platforms. Tourists are also allowed to watch at four of the platforms.
Our houseboat couldn't navigate the last part of the river due to its shallow depth, so we had to switch to a motor canoe. Yes, it is what it sounds like: a small canoe occupied by 8 people, with an engine that survived the round trip despite all the strange noises. The multitasking ability of the boat driver was also impressive: he steered the boat with one hand and scooped out the incoming water with the other. Nevertheless, we made it to the camp and back safely.
During the feeding, we were able to admire two mothers with their young. The young are carried and cared for by the mother until the age of six or seven.
Later, a fully grown male also joined and helped himself to the bananas laid out by the rangers. Two younger females followed, with one of them respectfully keeping her distance from the older one.
Back on board, we were first greeted with a snack of fried bananas to bridge the time until dinner. Overall, we were extremely well taken care of and could sample the variety of Indonesian cuisine.
On the last day of the houseboat tour, there were two feedings in the morning and afternoon. Nine orangutans came at 9 o'clock to help themselves to the bananas and potatoes.
As guests, we saw a squirrel stealing some bananas when there were no orangutans nearby...
Before the second feeding, we took a walk through Sekonyer Village, a village that was relocated to the other side of the river for the establishment of the national park. When the itinerary announced that we would see a typical village, we feared that we would have to walk through streets full of souvenir stands. However, it was indeed a small village where nobody wanted to sell us anything.
During the 3 PM feeding, we saw the youngest offspring of the orangutan population: a three-month-old baby that didn't let go of its mother and didn't eat bananas yet, but was still being breastfed.
Before and during the feeding, the rainforest lived up to its name: it rained heavily, which only slightly cooled down the air. Our things would have been dry again by the time we reached the boat if our tour guide hadn't shaken the trees and created "local rain" that made us wet again. Since the sky was cloudy, we couldn't see a dreamy starry sky, but we could admire a sparkly spectacle in the palms - hundreds of fireflies were flying around there.
On our last morning, we had breakfast visitors - macaques jumping through the palm trees beside our boat.
Just before we reached the harbor, we saw some dolphins swimming in the water.
