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These unique and popular tours go beyond the conventional and immerse participants in the daily lives of wild and ex-captive orangutans. Run in conjunction with Steppes Discovery (formerly Discovery Initiatives), each tour is lead by a specialist orangutan expert from the Orangutan Foundation and offers real insight and privileged access to the work of the Foundation in the Tanjung Puting National Park.
The trip lasts 14 days, with a full 7 days spent in the field, and two days either side of the trip travelling. Participants are comfortably accommodated at the Rimba Lodge and spend most days visiting Camp Leakey; the historic research site established 33 years ago by Dr Biruté Galdikas. Here they will be taken on guided walks trough the rainforest, and will hopefully spot wild orangutans. If the group is lucky enough to see wild orangutans they will 'follow' the orangutan until it makes a nest at night and may have the opportunity to stay the night in the forest, sleeping under the stars, waiting for the orangutan to wake at dawn.
Although participants will not have direct contact with orangutans, they will meet and get to know some of the rehabilitated orangutans that inhabit Tanjung Puting National Park and have the chance to watch them at feeding time. The team will also visit the Orangutan Foundation's Care Centre & Quarantine Facility (OCCQ), conduct wildlife river surveys along the Sekonyer River and explore the nearby town of Pangkalan Bun.
You will be pleased to know that your participation in the tours contributes over £20K pa ($35K pa) to fund Orangutan Foundation conservation and rehabilitation projects. For tour costs and itinerary, please visit Steppes Discovery.
Dates for 2010:
Group 1: 20 June - 01 July (12 days)
Group 2: 22 August - 02 September (12 days)
Group 3: 12 September - 23 September (12 days)
For further information or to book please visit Steppes Discovery's website.
Example Study Tour Itinerary
(This may be subject to change! Please visit Steppes Discovery website for more details)
Day 1 Depart London Heathrow, UK.
Day 2 On arrival in Semarang (via Jakarta) you will be met by a representative of Steppes Discovery and transferred to the Grand Candi Hotel. Spend the rest of the day at leisure.
Day 3 Transfer to Pangkalan Bun where you will be met by a representative of the Orangutan Foundation and guided through the entry formalities at Kumai. From here, transfer on to the Sekonyer River in local boats (klotoks) and travel to the Rimba Lodge (2½ hours). The Rimba Lodge is a simple but comfortable lodge on the edge of the Tanjung Puting National Park. It provides an excellent base for forays upriver into the park and to return to after your time spent in the Camp Leakey Study Area, the main research camp under the auspices of the Orangutan Foundation. Evening spent in a well earned rest and relax at the Rimba Lodge.
Day 4 A familiarisation day with short guided forest walks around nearby Tanjung Harapan. The evening is the magical time as fireflies come out, lighting up the intense black of a tropical night with tiny flying lights. There is also an incredible orchestra of night sounds - cicadas, frogs, birds and nocturnal animals.
Day 5-11 On reaching the jetty at Camp Leakey, you may be greeted by a number of ex-captive and rehabilitated orangutans. Split into small groups, one day will be spent tracking wild orangutans through the forest recording individuals and their movements and social behaviour. Other days will be spent visiting areas both inside and outside the Park, including the Orangutan Foundation Care Centre & Quarantine Facility, meeting the local Dayak communities on the Park’s buffer zones and getting some idea of the conservation efforts being made by the Foundation. In the evenings, you will return by boat to the Rimba Lodge. There may also be the opportunity to paddle dugout canoes and lots of opportunities for birdwatching. A visit will also be arranged to see the gold fields that are causing terrible damage to the surroundings, polluting the water, and endangering river habitats.
Day 12 A final day to tidy up field notes. Farewell dinner.
Day 13 Early morning departure for the return journey to Pangkalan Bun. Fly to Jakarta via Semarang and connect with your international flight.
Day 14 Arrive UK.
The Steppes Discovery (ATOL 2914) web site can be found here.
Note: Participants will not have direct contact with orangutans on any of these trips.
More information about orangutan tours...
 Orangutan Foundation Volunteer Programme
Orangutan Photographic Trip to Borneo
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