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5 best places to see orangutans in Borneo

Written by Wayne Tarman . Last updated 10/07/2024 .

Seeing an orangutan in its natural habitat is one of best wildlife experiences you can have in Borneo.

We are often asked: Where is the best place to see wild orangutans?

This guide will help you answer that question.

It focuses on destinations in the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak where you have a good chance of seeing this fascinating animal.

There are around 11,000 orangutans in Sabah and 1,600 in Sarawak.

In our opinion the five best places to see orangutans in the wild are:

• Kinabatangan River, Sabah
• Danum Valley, Sabah
• Deramakot Forest Reserve, Sabah
• Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah
• Batang Ai National Park, Sarawak

So what location is best for you?  This will depend on a few factors:

• How fit you are
• Your budget and accommodation preferences (budget, mid-range or luxury)
• How much time you have
• The way you want to go in search of orangutan (by foot, boat or 4WD safari)
• Whether you want to see an orangutan in pristine primary rainforest or don’t mind where you see one

The following sections give the run down on each of the places in our top 5.

1. Kinabatangan River, Sabah

Searching for orangutans on the Menanggul River, a tributary of the Kinabatangan River.

The Kinabatangan River offers the best chances of seeing a wild orangutan of all the locations in Sabah and Sarawak. If you go on a three or four day Kinabatangan river tour you are almost guaranteed to see an orangutan plus a whole range of other endangered wildlife, including pygmy elephants and proboscis monkeys .

This is why the Kinabatangan River is one of the best wildlife watching destinations in Southeast Asia. However, it is also important to note that habitat fragmentation remains a key issue in this region of Sabah. On a trip to the Kinabatangan you will see a mosaic of oil palm plantations, degraded habitats and protected forest.

It is estimated there are 1,100 orangutan living in the Lower Kinabatangan River. Unlike other locations where you trek through the rainforest and search for orangutan, wildlife watching on the Kinabatangan is done from boats.

It is easy, comfortable and you don’t have to be fit.  Both old and young can see orangutan here. It is the best option for families with young children and anyone unable to walk long distances in the forest.

There is a variety of accommodation options ranging from budget guest houses and homestays to comfortable lodges so the destination caters to visitors on all budgets. Most of the lodges are located at Sukau with a few at Bilit and Abai. For travellers on a tight budget the Kinabatangan is the cheapest location in our top five.

Sightings of orangutan occur at oxbow lakes and along the banks of the main river and its tributaries, including the Menanggul River where most tours go to see the proboscis monkeys.

To conclude the Kinabatangan is the easiest and most ‘comfortable’ orangutan watching option available in Borneo. It also offers the highest chance of seeing wild orangutans. Sandakan serves as the jumping off point for the Kinabatangan.

If you are interested in an organised Kinabatangan tour please get in touch or see the range of trips we offer .

If you are on a budget check out this great article by Violette Vauchelle on how to organize a Kinabatangan River Cruise on a Budget .

Kinabatangan River Summary

Note: Cost per person listed in the summary tables is for a booking with 2 people (i.e. twin share).  Prices for families and larger groups are cheaper.

2. Danum Valley, Sabah

Orangutan at Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia. Photo by Borneo Rainforest Lodge.

Danum Valley is the best place to see wild orangutan in pristine, undisturbed forest. Sightings are not ‘guaranteed’ like the Kinabatangan River but there is a pretty good chance of seeing orangutan at Danum. It is estimated that there are 500 orangutan living in the Danum Valley Conservation Area.

Danum’s 43,800 hectares of virgin rainforest are home to an astonishing variety of wildlife.  It offers some of the best wildlife watching and rainforest experiences in the world. You don’t just come here for the orangutans. You come here for everything. And walk away knowing that a massive tick has been added to your bucket list.

There are a range of different treks at Danum. The trekking is relatively easy so you don’t need to be super fit. Plan on staying at least 3 nights if you want to see an orangutan.

It is possible to arrange a trip to Danum Valley independently but most people go on organised tours. There are two accommodation options at Danum. The Borneo Rainforest Lodge offers a luxurious jungle experience with prices that match the excellent facilities and reputation of the Lodge.  The Danum Valley Field Station is the budget option. It is primarily a research station but offers a range of rooms for visitors. You can book rooms independently and hire guides as you need or you can opt for an organised tour with accommodation at the field centre .

Danum Valley Summary

3. Deramakot Forest Reserve, Sabah

Wildlife watching at Deramakot is very different from the other places where you can see orangutans. At Deramakot 4WD vehicles are used for day and night drives along logging roads.

Deramakot Forest Reserve has quickly gained a reputation as one of Sabah’s best wildlife watching destinations. Whilst it is perhaps more famous for its cats (including the rare clouded leopard), Deramakot is also a good place to see orangutan. This may come as a surprise considering that Deramakot is logging concession , albeit one of the longest timber certified tropical forests in the world.

An aerial assessment of orangutan distribution and density found that there are 1,400 orangutans living in Deramakot. They are often spotted along the side of the two main dirt tracks that run through the forest reserve. They are also sometimes spotted near the accommodation area.

Deramakot is a place for more adventurous travelers. It is more difficult to get to than the other places in our top 5. The reserve is accessed from Sandakan or Telupid via unsealed plantation and logging roads. Whilst it is possible to go trekking at Deramakot most wildlife watching is done in 4WD vehicles. So expect bumpy rides sitting on a bench in the back of a Toyota Hilux.

It is difficult or nearly impossible to visit Deramakot as an independent traveller so the only option is to go on an organised tour. There are a limited number of rooms at Deramakot so it can get full in the peak season months of July & August.

To sum up Deramakot is a good place for orangutan sightings but it is not for everyone. Accommodation is fairly basic when compared to the lodges in the Kinabatangan, Tabin and Danum and access is more difficult. The forest is also fragmented with logging operations taking place. If you are looking to experience pristine forest and see an orangutan, then Danum is a better choice.

Deramakot Forest Reserve Summary

4. Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah

Tabin Wildlife Reserve is a vast protected area covering 122,500 hectares. A significant proportion of Tabin consists of previously logged forest. Despite this the reserve is home to 1,400 orangutans.

There are reasonable chances of seeing an orangutan at Tabin but they are not as high as Danum or the Kinabatangan. On the plus side, Tabin is unlikely to disappoint as it is home to a wide range of wildlife.

It is only possible to visit Tabin on an organized tour and the only place to stay is the Tabin Wildlife Resort, a 3 star jungle lodge offering hill and riverside chalets.

The small town of Lahad Datu serves as the jumping off point for Tabin. The reserve is accessed via plantation and logging roads. Wildlife watching activities are focused on jungle trekking with some 4WD night safaris.

Tabin Wildlife Reserve   Summary

5. Batang Ai, Sarawak

Lunch on the Red Ape Trail at Batang Ai. Searching for orangutan at Batang Ai is a very different experience from the other places in the top 5. Getting to know your local Iban guides and camping out in the rainforest are all part of this upriver Borneo experience.

Batang Ai is the only place in Sarawak where you can see wild orangutans. It is one of the least known destinations for spotting orangutans in Malaysian Borneo.  Like Deramakot it is not easy to travel to Batang Ai as an independent traveller so most people go on organised tours.

Around 170 orangutan live within the boundaries of Batang Ai National Park. An estimated 1,200 orangutan live in the neighbouring Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary. Recent research found that up to 200 orangutans live outside of Batang Ai park in the adjacent Ulu Sungai Menyang landscape. A tiny isolated population of orangutan living in mostly logged over forest in the Sebuyau-Sedilu area make up the balance of the orangutan population in Sarawak.

Two organisations offer orangutan treks at Batang Ai with the tours taking place outside the national park.

Borneo Adventure offer three tours with a good chance of seeing orangutans. These are the 5D4N Red Ape Trail , the 6D5N In Search of Wild Orangutans and the 4D3N Lubok Kasai tour. All take place in the upper Delok River which is about two hours by boat from the Batang Ai reservoir.

This area is part of the Ulu Sungai Menyang Landscape where researchers recently discovered a new population of orangutan previously undocumented by science. The local Iban people obviously knew there were orangutan here and tourists have been spotting orangutans in these areas for 30 years.

However, it was not until 2012 that scientists conducted research and nest surveys to estimate the population of orangutan in 14,000 hectares of unprotected forest. They were somewhat surprised to find that 200 orangutans were living outside of Batang Ai National Park.

You have a 75-85% chance of a sighting on Borneo Adventure’s five and six day orangutan tours. The Red Ape Trail requires a higher level of fitness as it passes through hilly terrain with some tough up-and-down trekking. In Search of Orangutans offers the best chances of seeing orangutan as it covers two different areas (Delok and Lalang Rivers) and a number of trails. The Red Ape Trail focuses on the Ulu Mawang area.

Whilst on these tours you stay in Nanga Sumpa lodge and basic jungle camps. You will be accompanied by an English speaking guide and local Iban guides. Camping out in the forest and getting to know your Iban guides and boatmen is very much a part of the whole experience.

The treks pass through a mosaic of primary and old secondary forest. Some of the secondary forest is 50-60 years old. Generally, you will trek for a few hours in the morning. Then you take a rest and have lunch before going trekking again late in the afternoon.

Follow the ridges. The Red Ape Trail follows ridges as this image shows. The trail from Mawang Camp to Nalan Tenu rises from 185m to 415m. Forest people have used ridges since time began, and so have animals. Even in the most remote parts of the forest, you will find neat trails along ridges. Most of these are animal trails. If you thought animals wander aimlessly through their forest home, you would be quite wrong. Just like humans, animals follow trails, which, over time become well-established paths through the forest. Almost all walking trails in national parks started out as animal trails.

In addition to the specialised orangutan treks, there is also a reasonable chance of seeing orangutans on Borneo Adventure’s shorter tours, for example the 3D2N Ulu Ai Experience (Nanga Sumpa). Whilst seeing orangutans is not the focus of the shorter tours, sightings have become more common over the last 5-10 years. There is around a 50% chance of seeing orangutans on the 3 day Nanga Sumpa tour and a 70% chance of seeing orangutans on the 4 day Lubok Kasai tour.

The other organisation that offers orangutan treks at Batang Ai is the NGO Project Orangutan. It largely focuses on conservation work and volunteering at Matang Wildlife Centre. However, they visit Batang Ai as part of a 13 day Sarawak trip that includes volunteering at Matang and orangutan treks near Jinggin on the upper Ai River. Orangutans are sighted on 30% of the tours.

In theory it is possible to visit Batang Ai National Park as an independent traveller and search for orangutans. In practice it is quite difficult to arrange. Travelling from Kuching to the Batang Ai jetty is the easy part. When you arrive you then have to organize a boat to travel to the park. If you have not pre-arranged something things can be hit and miss. You might get lucky and find a boatman or you could end up hanging around for hours.

If you do find a boat it will cost around RM 400-450 for a return trip to the park. There is no visitor accommodation at the park. The rangers sometimes let you sleep on the verandah of one of the HQ buildings. You will need to take enough food and drink for your stay and a sleeping bag and mosquito net.

Another option is to find a boat (RM 200-300 return) to take you to Nanga Delok longhouse. When you arrive at Nanga Delok ask to see the headman or one of longhouse elders.  Then you can make arrangements to stay overnight in the longhouse and rent a boat to take you to the national park the following day. All up you will need to budget RM 400-600 for boat rental.

The longhouse charges modest fees for food and board. However, renting a boat is not cheap at Batang Ai. A simple return trip to the park HQ is the cheapest option. If you want to travel further upriver past the park HQ the boatman will charge more to cover the extra fuel costs.

To get a good idea of how difficult it can be to get the park read Amy and Andrew’s account of their trip to Batang Ai National Park.

There are five trails at the national park but they are not well maintained so you will need to recruit a local guide or ranger to accompany you on the longer treks. If you are staying at Nanga Delok you can ask your boatmen to be your guide in the park.

It is not easy to spot orangutans in the forest near the park HQ.  The chances of seeing one whilst on a day trip are slim. To have a good chance of seeing orangutans near the HQ area you will need to stay for 4 or 5 days. There are better chances of seeing orangutans if you travel upriver, deep into the park, and camp overnight in the jungle. But this is costly and can work out more expensive than an organised tour.

Batang Ai Summary

A juvenile orangutan gathers some fruit on the Red Ape Trail. Photo by Mark Boyd .

Featured image at top of the blog post was taken in the Upper Delok River at Batang Ai by Ch’ien C Lee.

Wayne Tarman

Wayne Tarman is an experienced tourism specialist, travel writer and keen photographer. He has lived in Borneo since 1995 and has travelled throughout Sarawak, Sabah & Brunei. Wayne joined Borneo Adventure in 2013. Read More

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The Best Journey of Borneo

Embark on an extraordinary adventure with Orangutan Journey, curated by the renowned ecotour guide and trainer, Mickey Juanda, a national leading tourism figure native to Central Borneo. With a wealth of experience catering to travelers from over 55 nations, our orangutan tours offer an unparalleled adventure. Explore the pristine wilderness of Tanjung Puting National Park and witness orangutans in their natural habitat. Book your orangutan travel experience today to discover the breathtaking beauty of Borneo.

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Every time someone asks about my trip to Indonesia, I can’t help but highlight the incredible orangutan experience we had in Borneo, all thanks to Mickey. It was absolutely extraordinary! What we witnessed there was truly indescribable—something so unique that words can hardly capture it. The breathtaking nature and wildlife alone would have made the trip unforgettable, but Mickey’s guidance took it to another level. He went above and beyond to teach us about the orangutans and the wonders of the jungle, making the entire experience even more spectacular. If I ever get the chance to return, i wouldn’t hesitate for a second!

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"As I sit, my back leaning against a damp, moss-covered tree trunk, my eyes sweeping the canopy above, my ears straining to catch the crack of a distant branch that betrays an orangutan moving to the treetops, I think about how we humans search for God. The tropical rainforest is the most complex thing an ordinary human can experience on this planet. A walk in the rainforest is a walk into the mind of God.”

Dr. Brute Mary Galdikas, Reflections of Eden: My Years with the Orangutans of Borneo

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For nature enthusiasts, Tanjung Puting National Park and the Borneo rainforest offer pristine, untouched beauty, standing in stark contrast to the rapidly modernizing cities of Indonesia. Visitors often feel a deep connection to Tanjung Puting, making it a hidden gem cherished by travelers worldwide. The awe-inspiring experiences, including close encounters with orangutans, memorable river cruises, and the stunning forest scenery, leave a lasting impression on all who visit.

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Responsible, sustainable private tours

Our Adventure Tour packages have been carefully designed to build an awareness of ecotourism while taking safety and impact on the environment within Tanjung Puting National Park and wider Borneo into consideration.

We have spent most of our life in the deep jungle and rivers of Borneo and we grew up in the fields learning the skills to be wildlife and culture tour guides. We are also supported by the impressive and solid background of our families who have a deep knowledge of the land.

Our Tours involve cruising down the Sekonyer river into Tanjung Putting National Park on your private Klotok (boat) while enjoying this incredible area and observing its magnificent wildlife. Once docked you will have the opportunity to visit feeding stations and explore the jungle with your experienced guide.

Every tour includes

• Transfers to and from Pangkalan Bun airport or a hotel in Pangkalan Bun.
• Klotok – The river boat which includes an air-conditioned bedroom and ensuite with western toilet and shower. At night beds with mosquito nets can also be prepared on the covered upper deck.
• Visiting feeding stations and can include visiting the well-known “Camp Leakey”
• All meals and non-alcoholic drinks.
• Your tour guide and crew
• Entrance tickets into the National Park

From $300 USD per person per night (based on 4 person tour – 3 nights/4 days)*

* rates differ based on length of stay and number of people..

From $275 USD per person per night (based on 4 person tour – 4 nights/5 days)*

From $250 USD per person per night (based on 4 person tour – 5 nights/6 days)*

Our difference.

Build your tour

Wildlife is unpredictable, therefore unlike other tours within the region we don’t have a strict day by day itinerary. Instead, we offer you the opportunity of experiences and build your itinerary during the tour to make the most of the season, and most importantly the movements of the orangutans. Select from the experiences below, or let us know what you want to explore and we will tailor your tour around these!

At the start of your tour you can talk to your guide about what you would like to explore and see and he will tailor your tour to suit you. Below are some of the incredible experiences we offer.

Tanjung Puting National Park jungle trek

Trek through the thick of the jungle following the winding trails led by our knowledgeable tour guides. Learn about the native fauna and flora, traditional medicines and history of the land all while keeping an eye out for wild orangutans. Immerse yourself in 360º jungle sounds as you weave your way through with endless photo opportunities. This is your chance to get off the beaten track and absorb the beauty of this stunning corner of the world.

Now this is an experience not to miss. Be guided by a local ranger and our tour guides through the jungle with only a head torch to lead the way. As the nocturnal creatures such as tarsier and various snakes and spiders come out, succumb to the senses and experience the density of the jungle.

If you’re extremely lucky, you may have the opportunity to spot the endangered Clouded Leopard which has recently been spotted in the area by our tour guide!

Rehabilitation Camps

Camp 1 - tanjung harapan, camp 2 - pondok tanggui, camp 3 - camp leakey.

This camp meaning “cape of good hope” was originally designed as a training centre for ex-captive and orphaned baby orangutans. Also near the camp is a reforestation project which includes a botanical nursery used for growing seedlings. Follow the path loop and watch the orangutans make their way over the jungle canopy to the platform and then back into the dense jungle with a full belly.

This feeding station was once a release centre for pre-adolescent ex-captive and orphaned orangutans after they were rehabilitated.

Today the station is designed to provide supplemental food for the wild and semi-wild orangutans, which is important in order to maintain their nutrition especially when food is hard to come by during drought seasons.

You’ll be there to witness feeding time at 9.00am which is easily accessible via a short walk into the jungle.

A research centre for orangutans and one of the places where older orangutans are reintroduced into the rainforest, Camp Leakey is named after the legendary paleo-anthropologist, Louis Leakey.

This camp is located at the end of the black mirrored water of the Sekonyer River and is one of the most magical places on earth. Follow the boardwalk into the jungle where the local rehabilitated orangutans may make their way to the feeding platforms at 2pm daily where fresh fruit and sugar cane is left by the rangers.

Riverside village experience

Longboat cruise, cooking class, kumai village tour.

Sekonyer River village

Why not do your part for the forest, and plant some trees!  Friends of the National Park Foundation works to protect Indonesia’s endangered wildlife while restoring forests and helping local communities become sustainable. Take a small trek from the river bank into a reforestation site where you can purchase native trees and plant them to increase the density and diversity on the planting site. All profits go straight to the foundation to continue their restoration and sustainability efforts within Indonesia.

Longboats are commonly used by locals to travel along the river, but not many tourists are seen onboard. Our tours offer you the chance to hop in and speed up the river and explore backwaters that aren’t accessible by the larger tour boats.

If the orangutans weren’t everyone’s tour highlight, then the food sure would be! Our onboard cook will walk you through traditional recipes from the region before you indulge in the meal. This is a great chance to cook and try new foods that are common within Asia that you may not have tried before such as cassava and okra.

Before you cruise down the river into the thick of the jungle, take a short walk around the streets of the riverside village with our local tour guide. Try some local foods, look behind the scenes and immerse yourself in the Indonesian culture to see how the locals live.

Highly recommended if this is your first time in Indonesia.

Conservation

Tree planting with fnpf.

Tree Planting with FNPF Borneo

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Orangutan Tour Borneo

Orangutan Tour Borneo is a company specialised on realize the best klotok tours to watch orangutans in Tanjung Puting National Park from Kalimantan, Indonesia.

We offers you various kind of tours packages depending on the number of days that you want in the traditional boat called klotok sailing down the river to explore Tanjung Puting National Park.

The best Borneo klotok tour sailing up the river Sekoyer in an unforgettable adventure trip, a safari to observe wildlife and do hike through tropical rain forest.

Since our klotoks with all facilities, visitors will enjoy the scenery around the river Sekonyer in the area of Tanjung Puting National Park where will see long-tailed monkeys, many fireflies in the river, as well as beautiful birds, monkeys long nose ape trunks and sometimes if lucky to see crocodiles on the banks of the river. Wild orangutan feeding every day will be the highlight of your visit as you are most likely to see wild orangutans near their natural habitat.

Our experience in Tanjung Puting klotok boat tours and working on the field with the orangutans in Tanjung Puting National Park give will you a better understanding of the orangutans and wildlife in its original habitat.

Tanjung Puting National Park is located in Central Kalimantan in an area of 415,040 ha and includes several types of vegetation and inside is Camp Leakey, established in 1971 by Dr. Biruté Galdikas as a refuge for orangutans rescued from domestic capture. Today the camp remains a center for research on these amazing animals. Learn more about orangutans in Camp Leakey's information center. Wild orangutan feeding every day will be the highlight of your visit as you are most likely to see wild orangutans near their natural habitat.

This is an important conservation area because it protects endangered Orangutan (Pongo Pygmeus) species that are known to live on only two islands: Sumatra and Kalimantan in Indonesia. Other primate species like the long-nosed monkey and other many animals species also live in the park.

The park is occupied by 38 mammals including 9 primates: the Orangutans, Proboscis monkeys, long-tailed monkeys, pig-tailed macaque, Gibbons, leaf monkeys, slow lorises, Tarsiers, and there are also deer, Bornean bearded pig, leopards, dolphins, dugongs, 150 species fish, 200 species of birds, orchids, many reptiles and amphibians including crocodiles and more than 450 species of insects.

Tanjung Puting National Park, where tourists will be taken to visit the zones where orangutan feeding and through the forest in the wild. Orangutan tour is realized by the river Sekonyer in boats called Klotok that they have everything necessary to make you to enjoy a comfortable and comfortable stay. Klotoks has enough accommodation and comfortable to accommodate 2 to 8 people. The speed of Klotok is very low, so we can enjoy the atmosphere of the jungle and his animals along the river in an unforgettable experience.

Currently we hold klotok not inferior to hotel services, the cuisine is also very tasty when compared with the standards of big cities, and already used to serve foreign tourists so good quality of service as well as the day where the night suddenly arrived, we can sleep on the Boat/klotok accompanied mosquito nets, blankets, mattresses. Food would be three meals a day plus snacks and soft drinks (mainly cartons of sweetened juices, water, and tea/coffee).

We offer customisable private tours, where you a looked after from the time you are met by your guide, until the time your tour finishes at a hotel in Pangkalan Bun or at the airport. We believe in fair prices. We are a small and friendly business, wanting guests to have amazing experiences and to fall in love with Tanjung Puting and the orangutans, as we have!. All our Borneo orangutan tour will be customised for you according to your flight arrival and departure times, and whether you have any special interests or requests.

If you continue your tour around Indonesia, the easiest way to find the best hotel deals is Booking. There are thousands of options to stay in almost every destination in the world.

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Best Borneo Orangutan Tour (3D/2N)

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Get ready to immerse yourself in this Orangutan Tour and the authentic wildlife of the Borneo rainforests on this private two-night expedition in Tanjun Puting National Park.

On board a traditional boat that we call klotok and together with a local crew and your guide, you will explore the wildlife that lives on the banks of the river. In this Biosphere reserve you will feel closely the passage of the Orangutans in their natural habitat and you will see hundreds of endemic Borneo proboscis monkeys, macaques, gibbons, hornbills, wild boars and hopefully some crocodile near your boat.

In addition, you will be living this adventure in a sustainable way because our boats are all renovated following ecological patterns and totally hand in hand with nature. Let the adventure begin!

• Difficulty : Easy
• Pickup: Pangkalan Bun, Borneo ( PKN)

Itinerary Borneo Orangutan Tour

Day 1: pangkalan bun - kumai port - tanjung harapan      ▼.

Your Orangutan Tour begins upon arrival at   Pangkalan Bun Airport on the island of Borneo , better known by the Indonesians as Kalimantan. Upon arrival at the airport, your guide will be waiting for you. You will transfer to the port of Kumai in about 15-20 minutes by car, where you will embark on a great adventure! You arrive at our traditional wooden boat, called a ‘klotok’. Our guide will reconfirm to our crew that everything is ready to go, and the cruise upstream starts on the famous Sekonyer river abroad a klotok.

Tanjung Harapan

If your flight arrives early (before 12.00AM), you can arrive on time at the Tanjung Harapan rehabilitation center where at 3 in the afternoon, the orangutans are fed by the Rangers of the National Park and you can have the first close encounters with them. The meaning of ‘Tanjung Harapan’ is ‘Cape of Hope’. This first camp has more wetlands and therefore has more mosquitos in the afternoon, so make sure you put on enough mosquito repellent.

Here you also can do the reforestation, where you can be volunteers to plant a tree, and so take pride that you have contributed a grain of sand to conservation with your step over there.

Afternoon river cruise

After visiting this rangers camp, you will continue your journey upriver, resting on the boat while we look for animals in the nearness of the Sekonyer River.

In the afternoon it is very common to see groups of proboscis monkeys and macaques in the treetops, jumping from one tree branch to another, or to even see crocodiles or lizards in the shallow waters on the sides of the river.

Prepare for the sunset and enjoy the exquisite food prepared by our jungle crew . The boat is moored on the side of the river to spend the night. Tonight, you can take a walk through the jungle to look for nocturnal animals such as snakes, tarantulas or even if you are lucky, you can find luminescent mushrooms or tarsier monkeys.

Meals : Lunch – Dinner

Accommodation : Klotok boat

DAY 2: PONDOK TANGGUY - CAMP LEAKY      ▼

Today you will wake up with the sounds and the colours of the jungle. Without a doubt, you will never forget how you woke up on the river, surrounded by the overflowing nature.

Pondok Tanggui

After an extraordinary breakfast on board, you will arrive on time to visit the Pondok Tanggui Camp at the feeding time for animals (9AM). Little by little, you will see how the treetops begin to move and then you will see the silhouettes of the orangutans gradually reaching the feeding platform . Pondok Tanggui was a release camp for young orangutans that we rehabilitated- preventing the orangutans from moving away due to a lack of food and ending up outside the National Park , with the following risks of falling into traps of settlers or palm oil plantation fields.

After the orangutans begin to leave, you will return to the klotok to continue further upstream. You will witness how the colour of the river changes and you will have the opportunity to see crocodiles and large monitor lizards, along with Gibones and Narigudos monkeys. Off course, you will enjoy your lunch in this lovely setting.

You will arrive at Camp Leakey, the old orangutan rehabilitation centre. It was founded in 1971, when a student at UCLA University in Los Angeles, called Birutte Galdikas, began studying the orangutans there. The name Camp Leakey comes from Birutte’s own professor, paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey.

At least 200 orangutans have already been cured and returned to the jungle thanks to this centre. However, since 1995 the Indonesian government has banned the introduction of more orangutans into this camp, so the orangutans are increasingly adapting to freedom .

Today, this camp is used for behavioural and feeding research for orangutans. You can also visit the small museum founded by the scientist Dr. Birutte Galdikas.

Trekking back to klotok

After finishing the observing of orangutans in this camp, you will do a gentle trekking through the jungle back to the boat to search for free orangutans and other animals, if the weather conditions permit. You will have the opportunity to learn a lot about the jungle from our local guides , some of whom them were born in the jungle.

They’ll explain how to look for animals or plants, and you can listen to their experience of life in the jungle. The jungles of Borneo , that have given life and have been home to the shelters for million of years, are jungles that under the watch of their ancestors, are still capable of fulfilling every single individual’s needs.

Food, water, medicines, etc… But never throw anything in your mouth without your guide’s recommendation. In the afternoon, if it does not rain, the boat will be docked near a congregation of fireflies and you can enjoy the show of its luminescence.

Note: The Birate Galdikas Museum at Camp Leaky is currently closed for maintenance purposes. Regrettably, visits to this site will not be possible until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and will keep you updated on the reopening of the museum.

Meals : Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner

DAY 3: KUMAI PORT - PANGKALAN BUN      ▼

Today we end our stay in the jungles of Borneo. In the early morning you will have breakfast on the boat, go back to the port and return to the airport by transfer. The departure of the ship will be at last at 10am , but we adapt to your fight schedule in case that your flight leaves earlier in the morning.

If you decide to take a flight in the afternoon, we can take you at 10 directly to the airport. If you want a city tour in the town Arut to be transferred to the airport later, this can be organized at additional costs. Thank you for join us in this Borneo Orangutan Tour by Come2indonesia!

Meals : Breakfast

Accommodation : –

Photos Borneo Orangutan Tour

Price Includes

• 2 Nights accommodation based on private klotok (traditional wooden boat to cruise rivers with Bathroom)
• Transfers Pangkalan Bun Airport – Kumai Port – Pangkalan Bun Airport
• Transfers in land and river with English speaking guide.
• English speaking guide.
• 2-Days permission of the police, rangers and the national park
• Camera or video camera fees (personal use only)
• Water, Tea, Coffee, Cookies, Tropical Fruits
• Captain, captain assistant and cook
• All meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served on the boat
• All meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner served on the boat
• 1x tree planting activity
• By coming with us, you are helping Borneo! For each client of ours, we donate 10 EUR to various projects within the Tanjung Putting National Park!
• A unique experience!

Price Excludes

• Domestic/international flights
• Travel Insurance (Highly Recommended)
• Alcohol, soft drinks, personal expenses
• Surcharge of IDR 100.000/person/day applicable for every Sunday and National Holiday, to be paid upon arrival.
• Extra expenses occurred due to causes beyond our control (force majeure) such as cancellations of flights, natural disasters, diseases, etc.
• Any extra-surcharge if the government suddenly raises the fee or adds new permits

Map Orangutan Tour

Borneo Travel Guides

All About Bornean Orangutans and Jungle Boat Trips

BORNEO Travel Guide: The Land of Orangutans and Dayak Tribes

When is the best time of the year to do this tour.

Our favourite time for travel in Indonesia is between April to October, although Indonesia is a great year-round destination, offering memorable experiences for all kinds of adventures. July to August are the peak summer months. In West to Central part of the weather is delightfully warm and it’s a popular time for travellers to visit for holidays, whilst if you wish to travel from October to April, the Eastern part Indonesia, like Banda and Raja Ampat, would be the best option.

If you wish to have a relaxing journey in Indonesia with less crowds, the shoulder months of April to June and September to October are ideal and slightly more economic. If you must travel in ‘high season’ but want to avoid the crowd, worry not, there are numbered of unbeaten track in Indonesia ready to be explored.

What should I bring?

The tropics is a warm and often sweaty place, especially if you have Borneo or Sulawesi included in your travel.  Check out our suggestion on What to Wear:

• Comfortable and light shirt and at least a pair of long sleeves
• Comfortable walking shoes or trekking shoes if your trip include some trekking
• Shorts and long pants
• Couple of pairs of socks
• Waterproof Jacket/Raincoat

Depends on the type of travel, you may also need these in your What to Bring list:

Underwater Trip:

• Dive Insurance
• Dive certificate
• Certificate of Nitrox (for those who are using Nitrox)
• Dive equipment except Tanks and Weights. Please consult your travel expert to find out if the equipment is inclusive or not in your booking
• Swimsuit/Dive suit
• Adaptor DIN or INT
• Sunscreen SPF +40
• Waterproof bags

Landtour and Trekking:

• Small backpack for daily important item
• Travel Insurance, which covers trekking and sport risk
• Trekking shoes (check with your travel expert if you need a Goretex or simply a walking shoes)
• Pullover (as in some area like Mt Bromo and some other places at high altitude, the temperature can get as low as 0 degree)
• Small flashlight or head flashlight
• Towel (preferably quick dry microfiber towel)
• Flight tickets (keep the soft copy in your mobile)
• Valid passport with Valid Visa (or check if you are eligible for Visa Free Entry)
• Travel/Dive Insurance
• Personal medication (include contact lenses)
• Waterproof bag to put all important documents
• All documents for your trip: vouchers, tickets, contact numbers
• Credit card (in some major cities, credit card are widely accepted in restaurants and shops. Small charge might be applied)
• Cash in Euro or USD (you may change into local currency Rupiah when you arrive here)
• Camera, Battery and Charger
• Adaptor (220V is used in Indonesia)
• Sunscreen and Sunglasses
• International driving license (if you plan to drive on your own)
• Mosquito Repellent with DEET
• Hygienic travel kits (mask, disinfectant or anti-virus spray, etc, etc)

How Do I Get to Pangkalan Bun?

To go to Pangkalan Bun there are 3 main options:

From Semarang airport (about 3.5 hours from Yogjakarta by car, we arrange this transfer by private car with AC from Jogjakarta to Semarang as well as vice versa) From Jakarta in direct flight. If you come from Jakarta, we offer you for the previous night, the transit hotel FM7 Resort, which includes transfers airport – hotel – airport and breakfast. From Surabaya in direct flight. If you come from Surabaya, here we offer Ibis Budget Surabaya Airport for the previous night, located within airport area and Standard Room (double/twin)

How Hard is Our Tour?

We have classified our tours in 3 different classes. Always check which one suitable for your condition. If you have any doubt, you may consult to our travel expert.

Easy: Suitable for most people in good health. These trips can include short walk for days with around 2–3 hours in good paths and at low altitudes.

Medium: A reasonable level of fitness or technique is required, as these trips can require sustained endurance levels as the trip may include longer days of approximately 5-6 hours of activity or/and in higher altitudes, or snorkelling in strong current.

Hard: These trips are physically demanding and best suited for people with a high endurance level, good level of fitness and exercise regularly. Days can be long around 7-8 hours of activity, often at high altitudes, in remote regions and sometimes without a support vehicle nearby. Travellers may be required to carry their backpack, trip with trekking overnights without access to normal toilets or accommodations.

Is there a shower on the boat?

Yes, the boat is equipped with a wooden bathroom that has a western toilet and a shower. The water drains directly into the river, so we will give you an organic soap to avoid contaminating it. We would appreciate it if you use it.

What time does the tour end?

The tour ends after breakfast usually around 10 am. If your flight leaves earlier, the crew will adapt to the schedule to drive you to the airport on time.

What about if my flight back is in the afternoon?

In this case, we can drop you off in the city so you can explore it on your own. But if you prefer, we can accompany you with a private car to take a walk around the Arut River (especially if you like photography) and then drop you off at the airport afterwards. This service has an extra cost.

• All the information you would like to know before travel to Indonesia.

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Wildlife adventures in borneo.

Borneo, Malaysia

From $9,195

Easy to Moderate

Call 1-800-368-2794 or contact us for any questions

Arrive: Kota Kinabalu, Borneo, Malaysia

Depart: Kota Kinabalu, Borneo, Malaysia

• Walk among the free-roaming orangutans at the Sepilok feeding station
• Enjoy dawn and dusk excursions on the wildlife-rich Kinabatangan River
• Meet with conservationists in Tabin Wildlife Reserve and other locations
• Explore the Danum Valley's world-famous primary rainforest
• Stay in remote lodges with fantastic amenities as well as superb access to wildlife and natural wonders

Dates & Pricing

Pricing below is per person and based on double occupancy. The earlier you book, the more choice you’ll have. WT also has the most generous cancellation and transfer policies in the industry, we make it easy if you change your mind. Have a small group of your own? Take over an existing date or choose your own. You’ll have your own private guide–and the adventure–all to yourselves!

Payment & Cancel Schedule

At time of reservation: $600 90 days prior to departure: Balance

Cancellation & Transfer Schedule

Up to 91 days prior to departure: No Charge! 61-90 days prior to departure: 25% of trip cost 46-60 days prior to departure: 50% of trip cost 45 days or less: 100% of trip cost

• Expert leadership of a Wilderness Travel Trip Leader and local guides
• Accommodations in hotels and lodges
• All ground transportation and baggage handling from meeting until departure
• All activities as indicated in Detailed Itinerary

Not Included

• Travel to and from the arrival and departure location as indicated in Detailed Itinerary
• Additional hotel nights outside the trip's scheduled dates
• Optional gratuities to Trip Leaders or staff
• Emergency medical evacuation insurance (required)
• Other expenses of a personal nature (some alcoholic beverages, laundry, etc.)

Accommodations

Scroll through our signature accommodations for this trip below. Although it is highly unlikely, we may make substitutions when necessary.

Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

Day 1 (1 night)

Sepilok Nature Resort

Sepilok, Malaysia

Day 2 (1 night)

Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort

Sandakan, Malaysia

Days 3-4 (2 nights)

Tabin Wildlife Resort

Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Malaysia

Days 5-6 (2 nights)

Borneo Rainforest Lodge

Lahad Datu, Malaysia

Days 7-9 (3 nights)

Trip Leaders

Wilderness Travel Trip Leaders have a passion and a joy for creating an unforgettable journey. We are extremely proud of them and the incredible travel experiences they make possible. For more information, including client comments about them and which specific trips they will be leading, please click on their profiles below.

Azmil Pillantong

What the Trip is Like

The trip is Level 2+, Easy to Moderate , according to our trip grading system. For your own enjoyment, we recommend you make a special effort to be in good physical condition. We've crafted an active expedition, with nature walks and light hikes of two to five hours on several days, in hot and humid climate, and over a variety of terrain including forest trails, cave passages, and wooden canopy walks and boardwalks.

The terrain is relatively flat but the forest floor can be slippery and uneven (especially with tree roots!), and the trails in the Danum Valley include hills. We also explore Borneo's jungles and river wetlands by speedboats and longboats. Our explorations are timed with wildlife activity, so dawn, dusk and nighttime nature excurisons are a highlight of the trip, but you will need to be prepared for long days.

Client Testimonials

"What a wonderful combination of thoughtful planning and outstanding leadership. I particularly appreciated the opportunity to spend time with Dr. Wong at the sun bear rehab center and the opportunity to plant trees."

Bakersfield, CA

"Many aspects of this trip were magical, especially the time in the Danum valley and the river based lodge. The wildlife is wonderful and the guides very knowledgeable. It is a fragile corner of the world and well worth seeing"

New York, NY

"Dean has a superlative and encyclopaedic knowledge that he shared with us, a gifted guide and true naturalist—the trip was full of marvels of nature and cultural sharing."

Kailua-Kona, HI

"A unique experience—just a wonderful opportunity to see a beautiful part of the world."

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Book your trip today

Our Area Specialists know every detail about our tours. They will be happy to answer any questions and help you choose the journey that’s right for you. Contact us to learn more or book your trip today!

Submit the form below to download itinerary

Trip Download Itin

Trip Levels

With more than 200 different adventures to choose from, we want to help you find the trip that’s right for you. Our Trip Level system ranks each trip in two ways: a number rating from 1 to 6 according to the activity, and general travel rigors. 1 is the easiest and 6+ the most difficult—see descriptions below for explanations of each number. A plus (+) sign means the trip is a bit more strenuous than other trips of that level. The detailed explanation of each trip—below the bar with the number rating—is perhaps more important, specifying activities, altitudes, hiking, and travel conditions. The Detailed Itinerary, available by download or mail, gives further information. Our Area Managers can also answer questions and guide you to the trip that best suits your interests.

Level 1 – Easiest

Non-camping journeys, optional walks, little elevation gain or loss.

• Royal Rajasthan and Villages of India
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Level 2 – Easy to Moderate

Hotel nights and/or safari-style camping, hikes of two to four hours on some days. Other physical activities are sometimes included, such as optional sea kayaking.

• Our African safaris

Level 3 – Moderate

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Level 4 – Moderate to Strenuous

Full-day hikes (4-6 hours), mountainous terrain, significant elevation gains and losses (hiking up or down as much as 3,000 feet) on many days. Altitudes no greater than about 10,000 feet.

• Ultimate Patagonia
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Level 5 – Strenuous

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Level 6 – Very Strenuous

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Borneo orangutan tour – What to expect and is it worth it?

Posted on Last updated: April 1, 2023

Categories Asia , Guides , Indonesia , Travel Guides

Have you dreamt about going to remote jungles searching for rare endemic primates? If you have, a Borneo orangutan tour is exactly what you’re looking for!

Imagine lazy sailing through a tea-colored river. You are surrounded by the dense emerald foliage of the rainforest, and your nostrils are filled with various unrecognizable jungle scents.

The slight boat rumble is the only thing disturbing the bird/monkey jungle orchestra. Your task for the day – keeping your eyes wide open, and spot some of the rarest creatures in the world – this is what a Borneo orangutan tour is like!

Now let me tell you something about me. I’m a big sucker for animals! Seriously, whenever I travel somewhere, the first thing I’m going to check is: are there any unique creatures in the area and is there an ethical way I can enjoy their presence.

Indonesia is one of those incredible countries that have a ton of diverse things to see and do. Even before my research, I already knew this is one of the few places in the world where you can enjoy orangutans in the wild. Also, the island of Borneo, with its vast rainforests and a ridiculous amount of wildlife, was probably the first thing I’ve ever put on my bucket list, so the Borneo orangutan tour was a no-brainer.

A few things about orangutans

The superstars of the Borneo tours are the orangutans, of course. Let me tell you a little bit more about these charming creatures.

The word Orangutan comes from the Malay language and means Man of the Forest (orang – man, hutan – forest). There are only three species of orangutans in the world (and the third one was just found in 2017! ) – Bornean Orangutan, Sumatran Orangutan, and Tapanuli orangutan. All of them are endangered 🙁 The only places in the world where you can see orangutans in their natural habitat are the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra.

Orangutans are among the most intelligent primates out there. They build elaborate nests every night and use various sets of tools for insect extraction or acoustic communication. In the late 70s, the zoologist Gary L. Shapiro managed to teach over thirty sign language signs to two of the orangutans in the Tanjung Puting National Park proving that the orangutans also have possible linguistic capabilities.

What are the orangutan’s problems? Well…like most of the animals in the world, they have one major problem – humans. Poaching, illegal pet contraband, or habitat destruction have led to decreasing their numbers from 230,000 a century ago to a little more than 100,000 today .

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Tanjung Puting National Park

Located in the Indonesian province of Central Kalimantan (Central Borneo), The Tanjung Puting National Park is one of the best ecotourism destinations not only in Indonesia but in the whole world. It’s also the place where most of the Borneo orangutan tours are.

Home to a wide variety of animals (proboscis monkeys, gibbons, macaques, clouded leopards, sun bears, wild boars, porcupines, and sambar deer. The park also features many reptiles, including crocodiles, monitor lizards, and pythons, birds, including hornbills and kingfishers, and insects, such as the giant Bornean butterfly).

What the park is most famous for though is its orangutan population.

It’s here where the world’s leading expert on orangutans – Dr. Birute Galdikas began her career studying the behavior of rescued and orphaned orangutans that were reintroduced into the wild.

Alongside her fellow Trimates  – Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey, Dr. Galdikas is one of the biggest reasons people understand and are actually trying to protect the great apes nowadays. It’s entirely possible there would be no wild orangutans today if it weren’t for her and her team’s efforts. A real role model and a person I deeply admire!

“ As I sit, my back leaning against a damp, moss-covered tree trunk, my eyes sweeping the canopy above, my ears straining to catch the crack of a distant branch that betrays an orangutan moving in the treetops, I think about how we humans search for God. The tropical rain forest is the most complex thing an ordinary human can experience on this planet. A walk in the rain forest is a walk into the mind of God. ” -Dr.Birute Galdikas

Find the best Borneo orangutan tour

Finding a good Borneo Orangutan tour turned out to be a challenge. Unlike Bali , Mount Bromo , or Komodo National Park , the Indonesian part of Borneo is not that popular among tourists thus meaning there is less info about it.

The very modest info on TripAdvisor and the lack of blog posts written on the topic made me feel like I’m gambling big-time with this one.

In the end, I wrote a few emails and picked the top TripAdvisor choice – Orangutan Applause . Their offer was three days, two nights trip, and even though I’m not a big fan of organized tours, but boooy, did I hit the jackpot with this one!

Borneo orangutan tour – Day 1

Day 1 one starts from the airport so I suggest getting the earliest flight to Pangkalanbuun you can find.

At the airport, a taxi was waiting for me to get me to the boat. Did I forget to mention that? I would’ve spent the next two and a half days, on a native Bornean houseboat called Kelotok. This may sound a little bit scary, but the boat had all kinds of luxuries on it.

Running water, shower, adequate rain protection, mosquito nets, and even power sockets made it a better home than half of the hotels I stayed in Indonesia.

Upon arrival, I was introduced to my crew (yay I had a crew!), listened to the program for the next two days and got some essential rules! Don’t touch the orangutans, don’t approach their babies, don’t use flash on your camera and don’t stand under a tree with an orangutan on top (unless you want them to pee on you).

The boat hasn’t even departed yet when Orangutan Applause got their first star in my book. The manager -Desi, and our guide – Moncos turned out to speak perfect English.

Is this really that big of a deal? They are in the tourism industry, of course, they’d have a perfect English. Well, I’ve been to a lot of places around the world, had a lot of guides, and the ones with perfect English were less than the fingers of an army veteran hand.

The previous day in Surabaya, I didn’t get a mosquito repellent, something of incredible importance in the rainforest. When Desi heard that, she sent the captain to the nearby store to get me one. She didn’t even want me to pay for it! Star number two earned…and the boat was still docked.

So everything was ready, and my long waited adventure was about to begin!

We were in front of the entrance of the National Park when I saw some fins on top of the water surface. Dolphins! Seriously, I spent four days in Egypt looking for dolphins, and here I was, not even two hours spent in Borneo and I’ve already seen some! I was beyond excited at this moment, maybe my bad luck with wildlife has finally come to an end!

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The next few hours were spent sailing slowly on the river, making our way to the first orangutan feeding platform, and spotting various wildlife on the river coasts. The feeding was at 3 PM, so we got off our boat around 2 and started making our way to it.

– ‘ Hey, check this out ,’ Moncos said, showing me some resin looking goo on the nearby tree.

– ‘ When I lived in the jungle we used this as candles . ‘

He put some fire on it, and the goo indeed started smelling like a tropical candle.

– ‘ Wait, what? You’ve lived in the jungle? Like in the research camp or? ‘

– ‘ No, no my father is the chief of a village in the jungle. My mother is from the city though. I’m like Tarzan ‘, he proclaimed.

I couldn’t believe my luck! Not only did I get a perfectly organized tour, but I was also going to see some of the rarest apes in the world, but also I had Tarzan as my guide! How cool is that?!

After stumbling to some giant ants and a spider nest, we arrived at the feeding platform. Moncos told me usually 3 or 4 orangutans come for lunch, but it’s possible there would be none. With my wildlife luck, I had a bad feeling there would be none, and all I’ll see would be a wooden platform full of bananas.

It was already 3 o’clock, so the park rangers start calling the orangutans with loud “woo” sounds. For a few minutes, nothing happened. Then a tree in the distance started shaking, and in a minute I saw a little red guy swinging from the branches, making his way to the bananas.

And then another tree started shaking, and another, and another! 3 – 4 orangutans? No, there were more than ten coming, some of them – mothers with babies. I was mesmerized.

I know all of us have seen orangutans in pictures, but…seeing them in person, seeing the elegant way they move (even though they look like overweight, bald grandpops), is an entirely different story. Now I knew why they are called men of the forest.

An hour was gone just like that, and it was time to get back to the boat.

The rainforest got true to its name, and we got a rainstorm in the night. Even though my bed was on the deck, our houseboat was rain protected, so I didn’t get a drop on me. Dozing off, with the rainfall and jungle around me, was the best way to end this fantastic day.

Borneo orangutan tour – Day 2

The second day of the orangutan tour is the most packed one.

After a quick breakfast ( It’s good to mention, I got four large meals a day!) we made our way to the second feeding platform. This one was probably my favorite. It was closer than the first one (around 5 meters away), and no trees were blocking the view. It was 9 PM, the Rangers started their ‘woo’ calls, and just like the previous day, trees began to shake.

Again more than ten orangutans were making their way to the bananas! These guys behaved a little differently though. While some of them got immediately down and started eating, others were waiting up there on the trees.

‘They have a different culture here’ (how cool is that the orangutans have different cultures?!), Moncos explained. ‘The older go down and eat first, while the young ones have to wait their turn in the trees.’

Some of the young ones had babies, which made me feel bad for them, but you can’t argue with orangutan laws.

In the afternoon we had a second orangutan spotting – this time in the famous Leaky Camp. It was there, Dr. Galdikis started her orangutan research in 1971 and continued to do it even today.

The camp exploration began with the information center where I can see curious pictures and stories about camp’s history, some of its famous inhabitants and even some orangutan family trees. While being inside the info center, Borneo decided it’s time for some heavy raining again. Moncos was prepared of course and handed me a rain poncho. They really thought of everything on this tour!

– ‘ What do orangutans do in the rain? ‘ I asked him while we were making our way to the feeding platform.

– ‘ The don’t like it; they make themselves an umbrella. ‘

– ‘ They make themselves an umbrella?!?! ‘

– ‘ Yeah, yeah, they get some leaves and put it over their head. ‘

– ‘ Wow! I wish I can see that! ‘

– ‘ Maybe you will. ‘

And guess what guys? I did! Upon arriving on the platform, I start looking up in the canopy of the trees, and one little red fatty had done precisely that! Holding some branches and leaves over his head. He didn’t look happy, but I couldn’t help myself and laugh at how ridiculous he looked.

Camp Leaky platform was not as close as the previous ones, but we got some extra bonuses.

First, there was a wild hog roaming beneath the platform, searching for fallen banans. Apparently, a lot of bananas fell down, cause, in the end, three pigs were lurking around.

We also glimpsed, apparently a very rare bird. It looked like fancy chicken to me, but Moncos informed me, you are lucky to spot these guys once a year, and his excited face convinced me he was not kidding.

The day ended with a night walk in search of some nocturnal animals. We didn’t manage to find the Borneo Tarsier (good thing I’ve already seen these cute guys in Bohol ), but we got a snake, some weird insects, tarantulas, and other nasty stuff.

   See Also:   The Best Indonesia Itinerary

Borneo orangutan tour – Day 3

I had my flight booked for the afternoon, so I had enough time to finish my Borneo orangutan tour the proper way – without any rush.

After breakfast, we went for an hour-hike ending with a reforestation camp visit. The ranger there explained they had some big fires in Borneo, costing them a vast area of the rainforest. Those are some bad news not only for my new friends, the orangutans but also for the whole world. The oxygen-rich rainforests of Borneo, alongside the Amazon, are considered to be the Earth’s lungs.

The purpose of the visit was to plant a tree to help reforestation of Borneo. Since the holes were already prepared, all I had to do was pick a tree and put it inside. Throwing some dirt on top of it and voila, I had planted my first tree. It was nothing special, but damn it felt good.

The end of the tour was a lazy sailing back to the city.

The Borneo orangutan tour was already the best tour I’ve ever been to, but there was one last surprise waiting. On my way to the airport, Desi intercepted the taxi just to say her goodbyes and gave me a gift bag with some orangutan souvenirs.

It’s worth to mention; the orangutan applause guys had no idea I have a blog or I’m going to write a post like that. The treatment I received is the standard way they treat all of their guests!

Additional info

How to get to Tanjung Puting?

There are daily flights to Pangkalanbuun from Surabaya and Jakarta. At the small airport, you’ll be greeted by a driver or a taxi, and taken to your boat. Make sure to let your tour manager which flight you are using.

How much does Borneo orangutan tour costs?

It cost me around 600 USD for two people. The Indonesian currency is very flexible though, so better send an inquiry by mail to [email protected] with [email protected] in cc.

There is a deposit of 1,500,000 IDR / 100 USD required, and the rest is paid on the boat (credit cards accepted). You can also talk with them to pay everything upfront via PayPal.

How to stay safe on your Borneo Orangutan Tour?

Listen to your guide and don’t do any stupid stuff including swimming in the river, going alone in the jungle, or trying to touch the wildlife. Borneo is one of the most remote places on earth and your journey there always carries some risk. To relieve yourself, do what I do on all my trips – get travel insurance. Once you have a few journeys under your belt, you can easily appreciate its tremendous value and freedom it gives you.

While I sincerely wish you never have to use it, life happens (even more when you are traveling) and it’s always good to be prepared. See how much your safe travel is worth

What to bring to the Borneo orangutan tour?

You don’t need a lot of things actually. Mosquito repellent  and  sunscreen  of course. Some light shoes  to walk in the jungle with ( don’t try with flip-flops, you may step on some ants by mistake, and the ants in the rainforest are huge!), and your best telephoto lens .

Is the Borneo Orangutan Tour worth it?

Absolutely!

It’s not the cheapest thing to do in Indonesia, but the uniqueness of the Tanjung Puting National park and its biodiversity, combined with the highest quality of service cement this experience as one of the best I’ve ever had.

I’ve no idea why it isn’t as popular as the Komodo Islands tours, but I suspect this may change soon. Now is the time to get the genuine jungle experience and meet some cute red-haired monkeys, without the massive crowds, popularity inevitably brings.

That’s all from me, I hope you enjoy your Borneo orangutan tour ! ———————————— If you haven’t planned your trip there yet, find out how I plan my trips! ———————————— I’ve got  22 bucket list ideas for Indonesia. See my impossible bucket list of 1700+ adventures!

Have you seen an orangutan?   

Some of the above are affiliate links and I will earn a percentage of the sale if you purchase through them at no extra cost to you. This helps keep my site running – so thanks in advance for your support!

Friday 17th of May 2024

Thank you so much for an excellent informative article and stunning pictures! Your post is exactly the information that I was searching for!

Tuesday 7th of March 2023

Hi, your tour and explanation are a real inspiration for planning our upcoming trip. I love it!! I am trying to figure out how to reach Labuan Bajo - Flores from Pangkalanbuun. How did you fly (direct ? with changes?) which company? Thank you very much

Wednesday 8th of March 2023

Hi Gina, There are no direct flights, you need to go to Surabaya first and then catch another one to LBJ. I believe Lion Air flies between Surabaya and Komodo. Have fun in Indonesia :)

Jan Cameron

Monday 27th of June 2022

Thank you great article, we are wanting to do something similar, I see I found this article long after it was written, it seems to me perhaps the guides would go at your pace if required? Do you know if this may be possible?

Saturday 2nd of July 2022

Thank you Jan, The guides will definately go at your pace. Most of the tours are private ones, therefore the guide and the crew would do whatever you want to do :)

Thursday 4th of June 2020

Thank you for the complete information, hopefully more people coming ti Tanjung Puting National Park to see the Orangutan.

Monday 3rd of February 2020

What a great article! Thank you for sharing. What is the maximum number of people on a tour?

Hi there Shannon, The tour I went on was a private one. Most of the other boats I've encountered were private tours too but I believe there are a few group options available.

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Central Kalimantan

From exploring the vibrant city of Palangkaraya to venturing into the depths of Tanjung Puting National Park to meet the orangutans and engaging with the indigenous Dayak communities.

East Kalimantan

Explore the Derawan Archipelago's paradise islands, venture into the rainforests of Kutai National Park, and experience the traditional Dayak culture that defines the region.

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Orangutans are the only primarily arboreal great ape and are actually the largest tree-living mammal in the world.

The smallest member of the bear family, the Malayan Sun Bear leads an exclusively tree-dwelling life in the dense lowland forests of Southeast Asia.

Western Tarsiers have long, skinny fingers to help them climb, and large forward-facing eyes to accurately assess distances for safe leaping.

Distinguished by its golden chest and throat, the Yellow-throated Marten is the only one of its species to live in tropical and sub-tropical forests.

Dominated by Mt. Kinabalu at 13,000 feet, Kinabalu National Park is a World Heritage Site, considered one of the most important ecological areas in the world.

Borneo Wildlife Tour

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Arrive Kota Kinabalu, Borneo

Arrive in Kota Kinabalu (or KK, as it’s known locally), on the northwestern coast of Borneo. Take the day at leisure to acclimate. If you’re up for it, go for a walk in the bustling city and explore its vibrant and diverse markets, boardwalks and beaches. Meet your expedition leader and fellow travelers at a welcome dinner. Overnight at Shangri-La Tanjung Aru .

Kota Kinabalu / Lahad Datu / Danum Valley

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for a flight to Lahad Datu in the Eastern Sabah state. Travel overland by vehicle to Danum Valley Conservation Area, the largest contiguous virgin rainforest remaining in Southeast Asia. Danum protects nearly 200 square miles of lowland forest, and is recognized as one of the world’s most complex ecosystems. It is home to a staggering array of wildlife, including Bornean Orangutan, Western Tarsier, Sambar Deer, Proboscis Monkey, Red-leaf Monkey, Bornean Gibbon, Pygmy Elephant and Clouded Leopard, to name but a few. Upon arrival, settle into your bungalow at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge . Enjoy lunch, then head out for an afternoon trek on the lodge’s nature trails and elevated canopy walkways. As the sun sets, listen for Bearded Pig rooting under the bungalows. Dinner and overnight at Borneo Rainforest Lodge .

Danum Valley

Rise each morning to the din of gibbons and the raucous laughter of Helmeted Hornbills. Take two full days to explore further on foot and by vehicle, searching for animals, including the elusive orangutan. Danum Valley has been designated an Important Bird Area, and is home to nearly 350 species, including the Great Argus Pheasant, eight species of hornbills, seven species of jewel-like pittas, and the bizarre Borneo Bristlehead. Enjoy night drives looking for the diminutive Leopard Cat, Common and Small-toothed Palm Civets, Black and Red Giant Flying Squirrels, and the curious Bornean Colugo. With luck and persistence, you may also encounter the rare Marbled Cat, Western Tarsier, or even Bornean Clouded Leopard. Dinners and overnights at Borneo Rainforest Lodge.

Danum Valley / Kinabatangan

This morning, drive north toward the dense mangrove forests of Lower Kinabatangan Segama Wetlands, Malaysia’s largest Ramsar site and home to one of the highest wildlife concentrations in Southeast Asia. Here, wild orangutans, Proboscis and Hose’s Leaf Monkeys, Crab–eating and Pig-tailed Macaques, Pygmy Elephant, and a great array of birdlife dwell within the dense riverine forest. At the village of Sukau, board a boat for the final stretch to the lodge via the Kinabatangan River. After lunch, enjoy an afternoon river cruise, looking for wildlife along the river edge. Dinner and overnight at Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort.

Kinabatangan Wetlands

Spend time today on the river, starting with an early morning cruise. Watch Proboscis Monkeys waking from their slumbers in the mangroves, performing death-defying acrobatics over the water in attempts to evade the ever-watchful Saltwater Crocodiles frequenting the backwaters. Explore the river’s tributaries, looking for Hose’s and Silvered Langurs, Crab-eating Macaque, Storm’s Stork, and orangutan feeding at fruiting figs along the banks. This evening, take a spotlighting boat ride, and keep watch for Flat-headed Cat patrolling the banks, Slow Loris moving through the canopy, and Buffy Fish Owl on the hunt. Dinner and overnight at Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort.

Kinabatangan / Deramakot Forest Reserve

After breakfast, take a boat back to Sukau, then travel west by vehicle to Deramakot. Despite its status as a “reduced impact logging” concession (10% is entirely protected for conservation), Deramakot remains one of Sabah’s best wildlife-viewing destinations, with 75% of Sabah’s mammal species found within its 210 square miles of mixed lowland forest. Settle into your basic park-style chalet at base camp and enjoy dinner, followed by an evening spotlighting drive to look for Common Palm Civet, Leopard Cat and Sambar Deer. Dinner and overnight at Deramakot Chalets.

Deramakot Forest Reserve

Savor the surprisingly well-preserved forest surroundings—Deramakot has the rare distinction of being the longest certified “well-managed” rainforest concession in the world, since 1997.For three full days, enjoy morning and evening game drives to look for Bornean Orangutan, Sun Bear, Wild Boar, Binturong, Pygmy Elephant, Banteng, and Clouded Leopard, as well as a wide array of birds, from kingfishers and broadbills to pittas and the reserve’s “featured” species, Helmeted and Wreathed Hornbills. Learn about the reserve’s Reduced Impact Logging (RIL) and the measures it takes to preserve habitat for wildlife. See RIL in action along several jungle hiking trails. Dinners and overnights at Deramakot Chalets.

Deramakot / Sepilok Rehabilitation Center

Leave Deramakot this morning, heading northeast to Sepilok. After lunch, visit the world-renowned Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center, started in 1964 to help baby orangutan orphaned by logging, hunting, and the illegal pet trade. Get close-up views of some of the center’s 300 babies as they come in for their afternoon feeding.  This evening take a  walk to look for Red Giant Flying Squirrel, Slow Loris, or even the scarce Malay Stink Badger. Dinner and overnight at Sepilok Nature Resort .

Sepilok / Kota Kinabalu / Rasa Ria Reserve

After breakfast, visit the nearby Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center, founded in 2008 to rehabilitate orphaned Malayan Sun Bear, the world’s smallest bear species. Then, head to the airport for a flight back to Kota Kinabalu. Take the rest of today to explore the 400-acre nature reserve on the hotel’s property. Dinner and overnight at Shangri La Rasa Ria Resort.

Rasa Ria Reserve – Mt. Kinabalu

Enjoy breakfast seaside, then drive to Mt. Kinabalu, which at 13,000 feet is the highest point between the Himalayas and New Guinea. Explore the montane rainforest surrounding the park headquarters, home to more than 800 orchid species and five kinds of carnivorous pitcher plants. Look for Jentinck’s and Prevosts’ Squirrels, and some 300 species of birds, including minivets, babblers, laughing-thrushes, and the endemic Whitehead’s Broadbill and Short-tailed Magpie. This afternoon, visit the lowland rainforest on the other side of the mountain to hike among the largest mosses on Earth and more than 600 species of fern—exceeding the number found on the entire African mainland. See colorful butterflies and hornbills. With luck, you may also spot the incredible Rafflesia flower. Return to the hotel for a farewell dinner with fellow travelers. Dinner and overnight at Shangri La Rasa Ria Resort.

Kota Kinabalu / Depart Borneo

After breakfast, head to the Kota Kinabalu airport for your international flights home.

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Where to see orangutans in Borneo

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written by Joanne Owen

updated 26.05.2023

Love nature and wildlife? Borneo deserves to be shifted to the top of your travel wish-list. Located in Southeast Asia’s Malay Archipelago, the island is blessed with a bounty of unique plants, birds and animals, among them orangutans. Given that these endangered great apes are only found in two parts of the world, wildlife watchers will want to optimise opportunities to encounter them. With that in mind, read on to find out where to see orangutans in Borneo.

• The ideal destination for orangutan sightings

Best places to see orangutans in Borneo

• #1 Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre

#2 Tanjung Puting National Park

#3 borneo orangutan survival foundation (bosf).

• Other destinations for orangutan encounters

Practical tips for seeing orangutans in Borneo

Travel ideas for malaysia.

Created by local experts

Uniquely Rustic Malaysia

Malaysia has it all: great beaches, fascinating history, natural habitats and remarkable wildlife. Bustling KL offers the perfect city break; while further afield hiking trails, pristine jungles and fascinating ecosystems will keep the more adventurous visitors entertained.

Hidden UNESCO Sites of Malaysia

Steeped in historical significance and natural beauty, Malaysia is home to several emotionally moving UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It seems fitting, given the country's cultural touchstones and awe-inspiring parks—from solitude amidst the mangroves to history walks among colonial buildings.

The Cameron Highlands in a Nutshell

Experience Malaysia's largest and most impressive hill station, the Cameron Highlands, in all their glory, with this compact trip. Let your picturesque surroundings soak in as you visit the famous Batu Caves, the Lata Iskandar Waterfalls and a local tea plantation.

Malaysian Wildlife Explorer

Experience the stunning and varied wildlife of Malaysia with this exciting trip: meet the world's smallest bear, the Bornean sun bear; encounter injured orangutans preparing to rejoin the wild; then embark on a series of cruises on the Kinabatangan River to spot yet more Malaysian wildlife!

Traditional Malaysia & Wild Borneo

Combine the culture and traditions of Malaysia with jungle outposts and adventure in Borneo. From lively Kuala Lumpur to desert island beaches, highlands and dense rainforest, this is a wonderful introduction to Southeast Asia.

Highlands and Islands of West Malaysia

Experience the rolling highlands and stunning islands of West Malaysia, with this exciting, compact trip that would make the perfect add-on to an existing trip to Malaysia.

The ideal destination for orangutan sightings 

Politically divided between the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak ,  Indonesia , and Brunei, Borneo is the third largest island in the world.

It’s also home to one of the world’s oldest rainforests, which is the ideal habitat for orangutans.

Asia’s only great apes, and the world’s largest arboreal mammal, orangutans spend pretty much their entire lives in the trees. This is reflected in their name — in Malay, orangutan means "man of the forest". 

Overview of orangutans in Borneo

Orangutans, the island’s most famous forest residents are only found in two areas of the world  — Borneo and the Indonesian island of Sumatra . 

Orangutans live largely solitary lives in Borneo’s lowland forests. They make nests in trees to sleep and rest up in, between feasting on wild fruits. 

Around a century ago, it’s thought there were over 230,000 orangutans in the world. These days, estimates put Bornean orangutan numbers around 104,700, making it an endangered species. The number of Sumatran orangutans is around 7500, which means they're critically endangered.

In more positive news after reading these sobering numbers, a number of foundations in Borneo are working to protect orangutans. 

Orangutans in Borneo © Shutterstock

What other wildlife can I see in Borneo? 

Borneo is home to 222 mammals (44 of which are endemic), 420 species of bird (37 endemics), 100 amphibians and 394 species of fish (19 endemics).  

In addition to orangutans, Borneo's other primates include proboscis monkeys, macaques and gibbons.

Borneo is famed for its endangered pygmy elephants, and the elusive, endangered Sunda clouded leopard. Found in the mountainous interior, experts put their numbers between 5000 and 11,000. 

Then there’s the Bornean sun bear. The world’s smallest, most arboreal bear, and the second rarest bear species (after the giant panda), sun bears have been given an “vulnerable” status. 

Borneo’s birdlife is impressive, too. Notable species include hornbills, brahminy kites, crested serpent eagles, egrets, exquisite blue-banded and stork-billed kingfishers, and oriental darters. 

Many of these wildlife wonders can be seen in the vicinity of the three best places to see orangutans in Borneo. Namely, Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, Tanjung Puting National Park, and Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation.

Orangutan in Borneo ©Shutterstock

Borneo is one of the best places to see orangutans in the wild, bit it's also the world's third-largest island. So, where should you go? Three main locations in Borneo offer opportunities to see these amazing animals.

• Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre  
• Tanjung Puting National Park
• Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF)

#1 Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre  

Sepilok in the Malaysian state of Sabah is a rural, partly forested area that clings to some of Malaysia’s most celebrated wildlife, among them rhinoceros hornbills and, famously, orangutans.  

A 3km turning south off the main road — 22km west up the main road from Sandakan — gives access to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre.

Located at the end of the Sepilok road, the centre is open daily from 9am–noon and 2–4pm, with feeding times at 10am and 3pm. 

Occupying a 43-square-kilometre patch of lowland rainforest, this is one of just a few such sanctuaries. Most of the orangutans here are victims of forest clearance. Many have been orphaned, injured or traumatized in the process.  

While other orangutan residents have been illegally kept as pets, resulting in stunted survival instincts, the centre trains them to fend for themselves. This has led to many successful reintroductions to the wild. 

The centre offers visitors a few different opportunities to observe orangutans. Firstly, a glass-fronted viewing gallery allows you to see them hone their climbing skills on a rope.

You can also walk trails through the trees, where guides will point out their nests.

Lastly, you can see them at a feeding station, where they’re offered only bananas to ensure they keep foraging. Don’t be alarmed if you see a poor turnout at the station – this can point to the health of the forest and its food sources. 

Travel tip : our customisable Dazzling Kuching trip includes Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre.

Other attractions near Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre

The same turning off the main road also gives access to the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, and the Rainforest Discovery Centre. 

Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre  

Like orangutans, sun bears are vulnerable – either because their adorable, teddy-like appearance makes them attractive as pets, or because traditional medicine calls for their body parts.

Given that rescued bears need to relearn life skills, the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre plays a vital role in protecting the species.

Opposite the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre is open daily from 9am–3.30pm and houses around forty bears in woodland enclosures. A small number of these can be viewed by the public. 

Spotting scopes on the elevated boardwalks capture great close-up footage of the bears — ask staff to hold your camera against the eyepiece.

Sun bear © Shutterstock

Rainforest Discovery Centre

Located 2km down the Sepilok road and then 700m west along Jalan Fabia, the Rainforest Discovery Centre is open daily 8am–5pm.  

At first sight, while the Rainforest Discovery Centre is a somewhat disappointingly landscaped version of the jungle, with an immaculate lake in the middle, its canopy walkway is impressive.  

Here 347m of aerial bridges offer opportunities to see brightly coloured trogons and other birds.

If you sign up for the guided night walk (Mon–Fri only), you might just see flying squirrels, slow lorises and (more rarely) tarsiers.

Get lucky, and you might see a tarsier in the Rainforest Discovery Centre, Borneo © Shutterstock

Located in  Kalimantan , Indonesia’s name for its two-thirds share of Borneo, Tanjung Puting National Park’s orangutans are the region’s biggest tourist draw.

Your starting point is Pangkalanbun, which is accessible by air. Scheduled arrivals and departures ply routes to and from Pontianak, Ketapang, Banjarmasin, Jakarta, Semarang and Surabaya.

Once in Pangkalanbun, you need to obtain an entry permit at the park office. From there, hire a taxi for the 20-minute drive to Kumai. This riverside village serves as the entry point to the park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

At the harbour, either hire a klotok (local motorised boat) or a speedboat to go upriver. 

A highlight of visiting Tanjung Putting National Park is the orangutan feeding sessions at one of three park outposts.  

The first, Tanjung Harapan – directly opposite the Sekonyer River Ecolodge – cares for orphaned infants and new arrivals and has a visitor information centre.  

Be aware that the most famous of the three, Camp Leakey, can be something of a circus during high season (June–August), with visitors who are less conservation-oriented clamouring to walk down jungle paths to see the red apes in action.  

Older orangutans, sometimes with their offspring, can be found at Pondok Tanggui. During the feeding sessions at Camp Leakey and Pondok Tanggui, orangutans that hover near the stations are offered bananas and milk to supplement seasonal lack of food in the forest.  

Allowing tourists the experience achieves an additional benefit — raising awareness of the plight of orangutans and the shrinking forests. 

Orangutans in Kalimantan, Borneo © Shutterstock

Other activities in Tanjung Puting National Park 

Unsurprisingly, Tanjung Puting National Park is all about the wildlife. Aside from orangutans, It’s home to the proboscis monkey and seven other species of primate, along with clouded leopards, civets, sun bears and several species of deer. 

It also boasts over 230 species of bird (including hornbills, and many wetland species), two species of crocodiles, dozens of snakes and frogs, and the endangered Arwana (bony-tongue) fish. 

The best viewpoints are from the river. At sunrise, proboscis monkeys begin their day’s foraging, occasionally belly-flopping into the water.

Dawn also sees birds especially active along the river.  

Come late afternoon, groups of proboscis monkeys — one male and his female harem per tree — settle in for the night and are easy to spot. 

Travel tip: for a sublime jungle river experience, ask your boatman to stop the engine for a while to allow the boat to drift quietly.

As well as orangutans, keep your eyes peeled for proboscis monkeys in Tanjung Puting National Park © Shutterstock

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The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation has a rehabilitation centre at Nyaru Menteng, 28km north of Palangkaraya, which can only be visited with a permit acquired in advance.  

Home to over 300 orphaned and displaced orangutans, the visitor centre here is open on Saturdays and Sundays, from 9 am-5pm.  

While visitors aren’t allowed to come into close contact with the orangutans at this site, you could opt to stay at Samboja Lodge to experience encounters while supporting BOSF’s work — all revenue goes to BOSF conservation projects. 

A highlight of staying here is visiting the orangutan sanctuary islands — man-made islands where un-releasable orangutans live in a semi-wild environment.  

The lodge also offers opportunities to enjoy thrilling canopy walks and jungle treks, boat trips up the wildlife-rich Black River, and visits to a sun bear sanctuary.

This is travel at its most rewarding, and responsible.

Orangutan © jaiman taip/Shutterstock

Other destinations for orangutan encounters 

Danum valley.

About 90min from Lahad Datu by 4WD, the Danum Valley is “perhaps the last area of primary lowland forest in SoutheastAsia which remains truly pristine”.  

That glowing description isn’t from a tour operator brochure, but from the South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership, an international scientific collaboration that’s been based here since the 1980s.

Wildlife here includes bearded pigs, proboscis monkeys, elephants, over 320 species of bird and (you’ve guessed it) orangutans.  

Although orangutan sightings are not guaranteed, there are several walking trails and a suspended walkway.   

Batang Ai National Park

Located near Lubok Antu, an hour by boat from the dam, the little-visited Batang Ai National Park preserves an important area of rainforest that merges with the Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary. 

Only accessible with an official guide, who can be hired in Lubok Antu, orangutans are occasionally spotted on various trails. 

Note that booking a boat to these trails will set you back a fair whack from the HQ, the park holds no residential or other facilities, and all visitors must be accompanied by a guide. 

Matang Wildlife Centre, Kubah National Park 

Some 20km west of Kuching, Kubah National Park is a rainforest reserve that’s considered to be one of the world’s richest sites for palm species. 

Crisscrossed by trails, waterfalls and streams, with three modest peaks emerging from the lush forest, the park is home to Matang Wildlife Centre.

Here injured, sick or orphaned wild animals such as orangutans, gibbons and hornbills are rehabilitated before being returned to the wild. 

Bohorok Orangutan Centre, Gunung Leuser National Park

Northwest from Medan, some three hours by road, a narrow road winds up the Alas River Valley to Gunung Leuser National Park.  

Covered in dense jungle, this 8,000-sq km park is a UNESCO Biosphere Site. 

In Bukit Lawang , on the eastern edge of the Gunung Leuser reserve, the Bohorok Orangutan Centre welcomes visitors. 

Although the centre no longer rehabilitates the red great apes, you’re welcome to take a one-hour hike through the jungle to platforms used for the early-morning and afternoon feeding of wild and semi-wild orangutans.  

Orangutans doing their thing in Borneo © Shutterstock

• Do your research and book trips or tours well in advance.
• Travelling independently? Check if you need a permit before visiting national parks.  
• Wondering when's the best time to visit Borneo to see orangutans? Anytime between March and October should deliver decent sightings.
• When the rain lets up in April and May, and fruiting season kicks off, you have an increased chance of seeing orangutans at their most active.
• Borneo is hot and humid, so keep well hydrated when you’re out in the jungle.
• It’s advisable to wear long sleeves, trousers, and insect repellent. 
• Leeches live in the lowland jungles, so you might want to tuck trousers into socks. 

Borneo © Shutterstock

Inspired to see orangutans in Borneo for yourself? Get yourself  The Rough Guide to Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei  to help plan your trip. 

Alternatively, if you’d prefer to forgo the hassle of planning, browse our customisable itineraries to  Malaysia  and Indonesia . For example, our Nature in Borneo trip includes incredible orangutan experiences.

Header image: orangutan in the jungle of Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia © jaiman taip/Shutterstock

Joanne is a Pembrokeshire-born writer with a passion for the nature, cultures and histories of the Caribbean region, especially Dominica. Also passionate about inspiring a love of adventure in young people, she’s the author of several books for children and young adults, hosts international writing workshops, and has written articles on the Caribbean and inspirational community initiatives for Rough Guides. Follow her @JoanneOwen on Twitter and @joanneowenwrites on Instagram.

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5 Places to See Orangutans in Borneo

With their ability to learn sign language and even to make tools, orangutans are considered one of the world's smartest primates. Orangutans in Borneo even begin to craft umbrellas from leaves when they know rain is coming!

Sadly, the orangutans in Borneo are struggling to survive in the wake of massive deforestation. Even an illegal pet trade threatens the species. Visiting rehabilitation centers not only offer a memorable encounter, but your visit also helps to support conservation efforts to protect one of Earth's smartest residents.

Learn more about the endangered orangutans, then read about where to find them in Borneo.

Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre

The Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, just 12 miles from Kuching , is the best place to find orangutans in Sarawak. Unlike zoos which simply leverage orangutans as attractions, the primary mission of Semenggoh is to reintroduce orangutans back into the wild. The animals are not kept in cages; instead, they are allowed to roam freely within a large area.

Visitors to the Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre can join a group and hire a ranger for a forest tour in hope of finding wild orangutans in the trees. Alternatively, two daily feeding times nearly guarantee a spotting of the shy primates.

Kubah National Park

The Kubah National Park in Sarawak is located 13 miles west of Kuching. The Matang Wildlife Centre, nestled within the interior of the national park, is home to several resident orangutans. Visitors must hike three to four hours along the Ulu Raya trail through the national park to reach the wildlife center.

Sleeping in the Kubah National Park increases your chances of spotting orangutans; book the simple dorm-style accommodation through the Forestry Office in Kuching.

Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre

Perhaps the most famous place to see orangutans in Borneo, the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre is a popular draw in East Sabah . Visitors can climb tall platforms to observe orangutans in the trees, although sightings are never guaranteed.

Fruit is placed on feeding platforms twice daily; shy orangutans brave a barrage of tourists' cameras to take the offering before retreating back into the forest.

Lok Kawi Wildlife Park

A great option for people without much time in Sabah, the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park is only 30 minutes away from the capital of Kota Kinabalu. The 280-acre wildlife center is home to several tigers, elephants, orangutans, and other protected animals.

While the animals are kept in large enclosures, every effort is given to make the setting as close to the natural habitats as possible.

To reach Lok Kawai Wildlife Park, take southbound bus #17 to the town of Lok Kawi, then hail a taxi to the park.

The Kinabatangan River

For a wilder approach to seeing orangutans in rehabilitation centers, make your way from Sandakan in East Sabah to the tiny village of Sukau . Boat cruises along the Kinabatangan River offer a chance to see a variety of wildlife including orangutans, proboscis monkeys, and even elephants.

Several small lodges along the Kinabatangan River offer accommodation and book boat tours. Boats are typically small speedboats run by knowledgeable guides who know where to look for orangutans. Lucky travelers get to see the primates along the riverbanks in a completely natural habitat!

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