Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Borneo: Tanjung Puting orangutans by river boat
7 days from Pangkalan Bun: three nights on our own klotok on the Sekonyer River, the feeding stations at Tanjung Harapan, Pondok Tanggui and Camp Leakey, and a night in a riverside village.
7 days · Round trip from Pangkalan Bun · up to 12 guests
A klotok on a tributary in Tanjung Puting National Park Photo: Jorge Franganillo, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tanjung_Puting_National_Park_-_49813439933.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 7 days, 6 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Pangkalan Bun
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Easy
Mostly time on the deck of the boat. Each feeding station is a flat walk of about 10 to 30 minutes on boardwalks and forest paths, often muddy, then an hour or so standing or sitting at the platform. The optional morning forest walk at Camp Leakey is 2 to 3 hours on uneven, humid trails, and the night walk is about an hour. Any walk can be skipped and watched from the boat instead.
- Meals included
- 6 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 5 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 590 (estimated price)
- Season
- Best May to October (drier season)
Highlights
Why this trip
- Three nights on one klotok, or two travelling together, for our group only, sleeping on deck under mosquito nets with the forest a few metres away
- The feeding platforms at Tanjung Harapan, Pondok Tanggui and Camp Leakey, where rehabilitated and wild orangutans come in from the forest
- A ranger-led morning walk on the Camp Leakey trails before the day boats arrive
- Proboscis monkeys gathering in the riverside trees at dusk, three evenings running
- The black-water stretch of the Sekonyer, still enough to reflect the trees
- A night in Tanjung Harapan village, cooking and eating with the family that hosts you
- A night walk with a ranger, and the firefly trees along the river after dark
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 590 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Pangkalan Bun
Iskandar Airport (PKN) to your hotel in Pangkalan Bun
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Pangkalan Bun
- Drive about 15 min
Fly into Iskandar Airport in Pangkalan Bun, the small gateway town for Tanjung Puting, on a connection from Jakarta (about an hour and a half) or from Bali via Jakarta or Surabaya.
Afternoon
A driver meets every flight and takes you the few kilometres to your hotel in the centre of town, so it does not matter whether you land in the morning or late afternoon. If you arrive early, the afternoon is free: rest after the journey, or walk down to the Arut River, where wooden houses stand on stilts over the water.
Evening
In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a briefing on the days ahead: how life on the boat works, what to pack in a day bag, how to behave at the feeding platforms, and why we keep our voices low and our distance from the orangutans. Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner in town.
Included
- Pick-up at Iskandar Airport (PKN), Pangkalan Bun
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
Activity: Plan to land by about 4 pm to join the briefing; later arrivals are met and briefed by the guide.
Kumai, the Sekonyer River and Tanjung Harapan
Pangkalan Bun to Kumai port, then by klotok up the Sekonyer River to Tanjung Harapan
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Klotok on the Sekonyer River
- Drive about 45 min
Morning
After breakfast we drive about 40 minutes to Kumai, a busy fishing port on the Kumai River, where our klotok is waiting at the jetty. A klotok is a wooden river boat named after the sound of its engine; for the next three nights it is our home, with a crew of captain, cook and deckhand and the upper deck all to ourselves.
Afternoon
We cross the wide mouth of the river and turn into the Sekonyer, which marks the edge of Tanjung Puting National Park, and lunch is served on deck as the nipa palms give way to forest. In the afternoon we tie up at Tanjung Harapan, the first station, and walk in to the platform for the afternoon feeding, at about 3 pm, when rangers bring bananas and milk and orangutans come down through the trees.
Evening
At dusk watch the riverbank for proboscis monkeys settling for the night. After dinner on board, a ranger leads a short night walk to look for tarsiers, insects and sleeping birds.
Included
- Drive from Pangkalan Bun to Kumai port
- Klotok cruise up the Sekonyer River
- Tanjung Harapan feeding station, afternoon feeding
- Dusk on the river for proboscis monkeys
- Night walk with a ranger at Tanjung Harapan
- Lunch and dinner on board
Easier option: Skip the night walk and stay on deck with the crew.
Activity: Feeding times are set by the park and can change; the walk in is about 15 minutes on a flat path.
Pondok Tanggui and Camp Leakey
Tanjung Harapan up the Sekonyer River to Pondok Tanggui, then to Camp Leakey
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Klotok on the Sekonyer River
- By boat
Morning
Wake on deck to gibbons calling from across the water, with breakfast as the boat gets under way. About an hour upriver we stop at Pondok Tanggui for the morning feeding, at about 9 am, a quieter station where a large adult male often appears and mothers bring young ones down to the platform. Back on board, the river narrows and turns from brown to the dark, tea-coloured black water of the upper Sekonyer, still enough to hold the reflection of every tree; watch for kingfishers, hornbills and the occasional false gharial.
Afternoon
Lunch is on deck as we travel. In the afternoon we reach Camp Leakey, the research station founded in 1971 by Birute Galdikas, where the information centre tells the story of decades of orangutan study and rehabilitation. The feeding there, at about 2 pm, is the best known in the park.
Evening
We moor nearby for the night, so the evening on the black water is ours.
Included
- Pondok Tanggui feeding station, morning feeding
- Cruise up the black-water stretch of the Sekonyer River
- Camp Leakey, its information centre and the afternoon feeding
- All meals on board
Easier option: Watch the afternoon from the deck instead of walking in to Camp Leakey's platform.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening on the boat
Activity: The walk to each platform is about 10 to 30 minutes on boardwalk and forest path; wear closed shoes and repellent.
A morning at Camp Leakey, a slow day downriver
Camp Leakey and back down the Sekonyer River towards Tanjung Harapan
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Klotok on the Sekonyer River
- By boat
This is the day most short trips do not have.
Evening
At about 7 am, before the day boats come up from Kumai, a ranger leads an optional walk on the forest trails behind Camp Leakey: listen for gibbons, look for wild orangutans in their night nests, and learn which trees they feed from. Back on board for a late breakfast, then we drift slowly downriver with no fixed timetable, stopping wherever the crew spots something in the trees. In the early afternoon we visit the Pesalat reforestation area, where land burned in past fires is being replanted, and each guest plants a seedling. Late in the day the light drops low across the water and the proboscis monkeys gather in the riverside trees to sleep, a long dusk worth watching from the deck. We moor near Tanjung Harapan, and after dinner the crew cuts the engine near the trees where fireflies blink in the dark.
Included
- Slow cruise down the Sekonyer River with wildlife stops
- Pesalat reforestation area, with a seedling to plant
- Dusk with the proboscis monkeys
- An after-dark lookout for the firefly trees, where the park allows
- All meals on board
Optional experiences
- Ranger-led morning forest walk at Camp Leakey, about 7 am (included, optional to join)
Easier option: Skip the optional morning walk, sleep in and join the group for breakfast on deck.
More active option: Join the optional morning walk: 2 to 3 hours on uneven, humid forest trails with a ranger.
Free time: Late morning and midday on deck
Ashore in Tanjung Harapan village
Klotok to Tanjung Harapan village, across the river from the park
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Tanjung Harapan village
- By boat
Morning
A last breakfast on the boat, then the klotok takes us across the river to Tanjung Harapan village, a small community of wooden houses on the bank opposite the park station. The crew stays with the boat, and we spend the day ashore with our hosts. A village guide walks us through the gardens and along the river, explaining how families here fish, tap rubber and grow fruit, and how the village has changed since the park brought visitors.
Afternoon
Lunch is in the village. In the afternoon, for anyone who would like a second look, we cross back to the Tanjung Harapan station for the 3 pm feeding; by now you will recognise some of the orangutans.
Evening
In the evening we cook dinner with the family that hosts us, learning a Dayak or Banjar dish, and eat together. The night is simple: mattresses, mosquito nets and the sound of the forest across the water.
Included
- Village walk with a local guide in Tanjung Harapan
- Lunch in the village
- Second visit to the Tanjung Harapan feeding station
- Cooking session and dinner with your host family
Easier option: Skip the second feeding and spend the afternoon resting in the village.
Free time: Free time in the village in the afternoon
Activity: Bathrooms in the village may be shared; bring a head torch.
Back to Kumai and Pangkalan Bun
Tanjung Harapan village by boat to Kumai, then by road to Pangkalan Bun
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Pangkalan Bun
- Drive about 45 min
Afternoon
After breakfast with our hosts, the klotok picks us up for the last run down the Sekonyer and across the river mouth to Kumai, about two hours, with lunch on board and a last chance to scan the trees for hornbills and macaques. At Kumai we say goodbye to the crew and drive about 40 minutes back to Pangkalan Bun, arriving in the early afternoon. The rest of the afternoon is free for a hot shower, air-conditioning and a nap.
Evening
Late in the day your guide takes anyone who would like to come to Istana Kuning, the yellow palace of the old Kotawaringin sultanate, a large wooden building rebuilt after a fire in 1986, and along the Arut River as the evening traffic of small boats comes home. We end the trip with a farewell dinner together in town.
Included
- Klotok back to Kumai, with lunch on board
- Drive from Kumai to Pangkalan Bun
- Istana Kuning and the Arut riverfront with your guide
- Farewell dinner
Easier option: Stay at the hotel in the afternoon and meet the group for dinner.
Free time: Afternoon free in Pangkalan Bun
Fly out of Pangkalan Bun
Pangkalan Bun to Iskandar Airport (PKN)
- Breakfast
- Drive about 15 min
Morning
The trip ends after breakfast. There is nothing planned this morning, so take a slow breakfast, walk once more along the Arut River or pick up local snacks for the journey.
Evening
A driver takes you from the hotel to Iskandar Airport, a few minutes away, in time for your flight, and your guide checks your flight time with you the evening before so nobody waits at the airport longer than they need to. Most guests fly back to Jakarta, about an hour and a half, to connect home or to carry on to Java and Bali; flights to Surabaya are the other common route, and from there it is a short hop to Bali. Domestic flights from Pangkalan Bun are few and can change their schedule, so we suggest booking an onward international flight from Jakarta no earlier than the evening, or staying a night in Jakarta or Bali before flying home.
Included
- Drop-off at Iskandar Airport (PKN)
Free time: Morning free until your transfer
Activity: Book an international departure from Jakarta for the evening or the next day.
- Pangkalan Bun1 night
- Klotok on the Sekonyer River3 nights
- Tanjung Harapan village1 night
- Pangkalan Bun1 night
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: May to October is the drier season: the river is lower, paths are less muddy and rain usually comes in short showers. Orangutans are wild or semi-wild, so how many come to each platform depends on the fruit in the forest; in a heavy fruiting season fewer come to feed, and no sighting is guaranteed. In some dry seasons smoke haze from land fires drifts over Kalimantan; we watch the outlook and tell you before you fly.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want to see orangutans in their own forest, with time to watch rather than a quick stop
- Anyone happy to sleep on an open deck under a mosquito net for three nights
- Guests adding a short wildlife trip to a Java or Bali holiday
- People who like slow days, with long stretches on the water and few fixed times
Not for you if you want
- Travellers who need air-conditioning, a private bathroom or a hotel every night
- Anyone who wants guaranteed close sightings: the orangutans are wild or semi-wild
- Step-free access: boarding the boat and the forest paths need steady feet
- A packed sightseeing schedule
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
6 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Pangkalan Bun1 night
- Klotok on the Sekonyer River3 nights
- Tanjung Harapan village1 night
- Pangkalan Bun1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 6 nights: 1 in Pangkalan Bun, 3 on a klotok on the Sekonyer River, 1 in Tanjung Harapan village, 1 in Pangkalan Bun
- A central hotel in Pangkalan Bun, 3-star-plus where the town offers one, with air-conditioning and private bathrooms where available; we name the hotel when we confirm your dates
- One klotok, or two travelling together, for our group only: sleeping on the upper deck on mattresses under mosquito nets, with shared on-board toilets and showers
- A simple village guesthouse or homestay with mosquito nets; bathrooms may be shared
- Rooms shared in Pangkalan Bun and the village, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up and drop-off at Iskandar Airport (PKN), Pangkalan Bun
- A private air-conditioned vehicle and driver between Pangkalan Bun and Kumai
- One klotok, or two travelling together, with captain, cook and deckhand, for our group only, for all river travel
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from day 1 to day 7
- National park rangers at the feeding stations, on the night walk and on the Camp Leakey morning walk, and a local guide in Tanjung Harapan village
Activities
- Tanjung Puting National Park entry permits, ranger and camera fees
- Tanjung Harapan feeding station, twice
- Pondok Tanggui feeding station
- Camp Leakey, its information centre and feeding
- Ranger-led morning forest walk at Camp Leakey
- Night walk at Tanjung Harapan
- Pesalat reforestation area, with a seedling to plant
- Dusk cruises for proboscis monkeys
- Tanjung Harapan village walk and a cooking session with your hosts
- Pangkalan Bun: Istana Kuning and the Arut riverfront
- Tips for the boat crew
Meals
- 6 breakfasts
- 5 lunches
- 6 dinners: the welcome dinner in Pangkalan Bun, three on the boat, one with your village hosts and a farewell dinner
- Drinking water, tea and coffee on the boat
Not included
- International flights
- Domestic flights to and from Pangkalan Bun (we help you book them)
- Visa on arrival or e-VOA
- Travel insurance
- Meals not listed
- Drinks other than water, tea and coffee on the boat
- Tips for your guide and drivers
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 590 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Six nights (two in a Pangkalan Bun hotel, three on our own klotok and one in a village), 17 meals, airport transfers in Pangkalan Bun, the boat and crew for our group only, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, park permits, ranger and camera fees, the night walk, the reforestation visit, the village cooking session and the boat crew's tips.
How big is the group, and do we share the boat?
The small group runs with 7 to 12 guests, and the boat (one klotok, or two travelling together for a larger group) and its crew are for our group only, never shared with another party. Everyone has their own mattress space on deck, and the boat stops when our group wants to watch something.
What is it like to sleep on a klotok?
You sleep on the open upper deck on a mattress under a mosquito net, with screens between sleeping spaces. The boat has shared toilets and showers, the cook makes all meals on board, and the deck is the dining room by day. There is no air-conditioning, but the river is cooler at night.
Will I definitely see orangutans?
Orangutans come to the feeding platforms on most days, but they are wild or semi-wild and no sighting is guaranteed. In a heavy fruiting season fewer come to the platforms because there is food in the forest. That is why we visit each station at least once and Tanjung Harapan twice.
How fit do I need to be?
Not very. Most of the trip is on the boat. Walks to the platforms are 10 to 30 minutes on flat, sometimes muddy paths. The optional Camp Leakey morning walk is 2 to 3 hours in humid forest. You need to step on and off the boat at simple wooden jetties.
I am travelling solo. How does that work?
Solo travellers are welcome. On the boat every guest has their own individual mattress space under a net, so there is no supplement there. For the two hotel nights and the village night you can be paired with another solo guest of the same gender where we can match you, or pay CAD 590 for your own room.
How do I get to Pangkalan Bun?
Fly to Iskandar Airport in Pangkalan Bun (PKN), about an hour and a half from Jakarta. From Bali you connect via Jakarta or Surabaya. Domestic flights are not in the price, and we help you book them once your trip is confirmed. A driver meets every flight on day 1.
When is the best time to go?
May to October, the drier season, when paths are less muddy and rain comes in short showers. The orangutans are there all year. In some dry years smoke haze from land fires drifts over Kalimantan; we watch the outlook and tell you before you fly if it affects your dates. Around Eid al-Fitr, whose date moves each year, flights and park boats get busy; we confirm dates early.
Do I need a visa for Indonesia?
Most visitors, including Canadian, US, UK and Australian citizens, need a visa on arrival or an e-VOA bought online before travel, valid for 30 days. Your passport must be valid for at least six months from the day you arrive.
Can I add this to a Java or Bali trip?
Yes. Pangkalan Bun is a short flight from Jakarta, so the trip fits before or after our Java and Bali trip or a stay in Bali. Tell us when you request to book and we will suggest flights that link the two.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, with your own guide, boat and crew, on a date you choose. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote it.
How does booking work?
Prices are per person sharing, with taxes. The small group starts from CAD 3,465 and the private trip from CAD 6,235. Pick your start date and request to book; we confirm your trip within 24 hours. No payment is taken until then.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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