Borneo – in search of the orangutan
We have just had the most amazing trip which exceeded expectations. We flew out to Pangkalan Bun in Borneo (known as Kalimantan in Indonesia) to meet up with our klotok (traditional wooden boat) our home for a couple of nights. Apart from the wonderful experience of sleeping on the deck of our boat surrounded by the sounds of the jungle and eating fresh local food, our main reason was to view orang-utans in their natural environment, what an incredible experience this was. I will let the photos talk……..
Although our time in Kalamantan was mainly about orangutans, there was so much more to the trip. The boat was fun and relaxing, we planted native trees in the jungle and of course saw other animals. Macaques were playful, proboscis monkeys were amusing, the bird life colourful, unusual plant life and a night trek revealed a multitude of creepy crawlies
Night hike
24 Comments
Eha Carr
Oh! Oh! I don’t quite know what to say except ‘thank you’ 🙂 ! I have loved and enjoyed every occasion I have been able to ‘travel’ with you but – I have always wanted to go to Borneo – yes, mainly to see the orangutans – and these photos of yours, Michaela, surpass everything I have seen before! You have me laughing and almost weeping and passing this on as fast as I can . . . how on earth did you talk them into showing all their ‘arts’ to you . . . and travelling not really in super comfort to do so . . . oh, be well – cannot wait for the next chapter!
Phil & Michaela
Morning Eha and thank you! It was just a privilege to see these wonderful creatures so close up, and seeing the babies in the process of learning from the mothers was magical. Our accommodation on the boat was surprisingly comfortable and we slept like babies to the sound of the jungle 😆
Miriam Blaker
Wow, what a magical experience. Thank you so much for sharing these truly amazing pictures. An adventure I’m sure you’ll never forget.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you Miriam, its a real privilege to have seen these amazing creatures in their natural habitat 🙂
Anonymous
wonderful trip..
best wishes
Steven Berger
Wow. That looked fantastic. Hopefully Annie and I can get there sometime.
Stay safe,
Steve
Phil & Michaela
It was amazing Steven, a very tough trek but so worth it 🙂
Phil & Michaela
Sorry Steven, I am getting ahead of myself, this wasn’t a trek, that post with come later 😆 The Klotok experience was wonderful, hope you do get to do it one day
restlessjo
Fabulous photos, Michaela. That alpha male looks BIG! I’d be happy to miss out on the night-time creepy crawlies, though xx
Phil & Michaela
Thank you Jo, its amazing how many creepy eyes are watch you out of the darkness, we would have just walked past without noticing 😆
Lookoom
A beautiful corner of the country, it’s clear you love this type of setting, with so much to discover.
Phil & Michaela
We do love it, it’s tranquil and exciting all at the same time😄
Toonsarah
I saw these photos on Facebook but it’s great to see them again here! The orangutans’ faces are just so expressive 😮 Everything else looks wonderful too – the ‘proper bed’ on the boat, the food, the monkeys, the night walk … I’m more than a tad jealous!
Phil & Michaela
I think you two would love it, your camera would be busy 😆will tell you more of the details when we see you next
Toonsarah
That would be great, thank you 🙂 I fancy a winter trip to Whitstable – will let you know if we plan anything. Are you likely to be around in November / December?
Phil & Michaela
Not sure this early on as have some destinations in our Autumn/winter on the list.
Forestwood
Creepy crawlies, jungle sounds through the night, rough sleeping (even if comfortable) is all worth it to see orangutans in their native habitat. Amazing. But the mozzies? Were they bad?
Phil & Michaela
Well there were mosquitoes but generally not bad, used bug spray and got a few minor bites, I actually get bitten more in the Mediterranean 😆
Forestwood
Good to know!
WanderingCanadians
Fabulous captures. Glad to hear it was an incredible experience and that you had an amazing trip.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you! It was a very tough trek but the orangutans made it so worth while. 😍
grandmisadventures
amazing pictures of the orangutans!
Anonymous
Taking photos of any animal is no easy feat… You must be orangutans whisperers!
Phil & Michaela
I think they liked it as much as we did 😆